Some fans have been on the fence about the final installment of Fox's X-Men series, and they may have every right to be. Dark Phoenix's road to release has been plagued by delays, and a lukewarm response. Even after a handful of trailers, writer/director Simon Kinberg's adaptation of the seminal Marvel Comics storyline doesn't seem to have mustered much excitement.
However, the final trailer finally offers glimpses of a story that could turn out to be pretty darned epic. From embracing the weird, cosmic aspects of X-Men comics, to giving us a true blue (or gold) X-Men team working together, this footage promises familiar hallmarks, and may even raise some expectations. Let's break it down.
SQUAD GOALS
The most exciting aspect of Dark Phoenix is that it looks like it might make good on the promise of the kind of classic X-Men team adventure that Apocalypse only teased.
Sure, they're not wearing the classic late-1980s/early '90s color schemes the mutants donned at the end of the previous film, but the Grant Morrison/Frank Quitely-era jumpsuits look great, and hark back to X-Men: First Class.
SPACE, THE FINAL FRONTIER
It's yet to be seen how closely Dark Phoenix will follow the source material, but at least we're getting some outer-space action, which is more than we can say for X-Men: The Last Stand.
The more these trailers reveal about Jean Grey's new powers, and how she obtained them, Dark Phoenix does look like it's going to be much closer to comics. Taking the X-Men into space is much more than just fan service. Now how about those Starjammers?
THE NEW CLASS
The past few core series films have forgotten the importance of bringing things back the Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. The consequences of the X-Men's exploits on the students are often seen onscreen, but their lasting impact is never really explored.
The school literally exploded in X-Men: Apocalypse, but where did the kids go while it was being rebuilt? As for this group of fresh, young faces, we wonder who might be familiar from the comics, and whether the movie will explore how they feel about Phoenix living just a few doors away.
DEVIL ON HER SHOULDER
While we may still not know who Jessica Chastain is playing, it looks as if she's taking a page from Mastermind's playbook in the comics. Dark Phoenix appears to be the first X-Men film to really dive into the visual representation of outside influence, which gives it a much more psychedelic vibe.
Who Chastain really is, and what her end game may be, remain to be seen, but the visual flare to her influence is striking.
GODDESS OF THUNDER
Alexandra Shipp did the best with what she had to work with as Storm in X-Men: Apocalypse. Sadly, she was a victim of too many moving parts, and the filmmakers' focus on character many fans were not as invested in as the studio believed.
Seeing Shipp as Storm in action is pretty awesome, but it's quickly shown she's no match for the Phoenix Force (but then again, who is?). That this trailer is filled with so many cool moments is a bit heartening, especially if this is the last from Fox. This team is pretty solid, and Shipp is a great Storm who deserves more.
IF IT AIN'T BROKE ...
No matter how fans feel about the X-Men franchise, just about everyone agrees the best moments of the past few films showcase Quicksilver, played by Evan Peters. And while we don't expect Dark Phoenix to explain how Quicksilver has remained in his twenties for the past couple of decades, it's nice to see him doing what he does best, in slow-motion.
However, from the looks of it, this might be Quicksilver's last dash. You have to give it up for Peters' gusto here, but is his arrogance so huge that it blocks his view of a destructive cosmic force?
THE FIGHT CONTINUES
It wouldn't be an X-Men movie without oppressive military forces in tactical gear. Who's going up against mutants this time is still unknown, but we can make some logical leaps to know it's someone being driven by some political leader who isn't too fond of homo superior.
But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter who you work for. If you attack Beast, he will throw you like a duffel bag. This quick sequence of the X-Men fighting well-armed opponents is another hallmark of the franchise, which usually leads to some exciting battles.
CUTS LIKE A BAMF!
Did Nightcrawler straight-up stab a guy? In a pretty brutal skirmish, Kurt Wagner uses his teleportation abilities to get up close and personal with some foes. And while running what appears to be a knife through the sternum of some random person seems a bit out of character, we don't know what the context is here.
This could be a callback to Nightcrawler's first live-action appearance in X2: X-Men United, when his assassination attempt was thwarted. Or it could be a grim reference to his affinity for fencing. Either way, it goes to show how dangerous of an opponent Nightcrawler can be.
SIR, YOU CAN'T PARK HERE
You gotta love it when Magento flexes on people. Sometimes he cocks every gun in a room full of police, and sometimes he moves entire stadiums. The scale doesn't really matter, but the moment when he walks into a building with a train following him might be the most ridiculous thing he's done on screen (and that's saying a lot).
Michael Fassbender's Magento has been the one consistently great thing about the franchise since X-Men: First Class. His smug, holier-than-thou attitude radiates from the screen, and when he does over-the-top things like dragging a train into a building, it justifies his attitude.
PHOENIX FLEX
The only thing better than seeing Magneto be awesome, is seeing him getting knocked down a peg. There's no doubt about it, Magneto is one tough customer (any guy who can lift a football stadium with his mind is not to be messed with), but the final Dark Phoenix trailer removes his apex-predator crown with the wave of a hand.
Sophie Turner's Jean Grey tears apart Magneto's beloved helmet as if it were made of wet toilet paper. The look of shock on Magneto's face is priceless and a bit frightening. If he's afraid of Jean, how can anyone not be?
MUTANT INFERNO
Probably the most striking image from the trailer is also its most depressing (sorry, Mystique). While the the relationship between Sophie Turner's Jean Grey and Tye Sheridan's Scott Summers hasn't had time to flourish onscreen, comic fans are more than familiar with their storied love affair.
Cyclops stares down a cosmic inferno, with the woman he loves at the center. Hopefully the film can galvanize their relationship more on camera, but for anyone familiar with the franchise, this is a defining moment for Scott and Jean.
Directed and written by Simon Kinberg, Dark Phoenix stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Holt, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Evan Peters, and Jessica Chastain. The film arrives June 7th, 2019