Reddit has the first look at X-Men: Dark Phoenix, albeit via an extremely awkwardly filmed cellphone video that shows a partial view of the screen, which is obscured by two theater seats. As for the trailer's origins, 20th Century Fox held a presentation in Saint Petersburg, Russia, where one guest clearly broke the rules.
It is unclear if the footage is the final cut, so search "dark phoenix trailer reddit" at your own risk. We're going light on the details, mainly because it's in Russian, but also because it's probably best to wait a few weeks for a proper trailer.
The footage is marked with the name Vadim Smirnov, who is 20th Century Fox Intl.'s managing director for Russia. It's no surprise it begins with Jean Grey. She and her Dark Phoenix persona are the focus of the film. Flashbacks take viewers back to when she was a child first discovering her powers. "The End" by the Doors begins to play as Jean steps away from a tragedy she caused, and we see the full range of her mutant abilities.
There are glances of the full cast: Beast, Magneto, Professor X, Cyclops, Quicksilver, Mystique and Storm. There's a mysterious funeral, and the team is clearly trying to protect Jean from herself but they can't. The final shot is straight from all the promotional images, showing Jean's eyes glowing fiery orange as her Dark Phoenix side takes over.
The tone is dark and serious, not uncommon for the franchise. The title sequence has Dark Phoenix spelled out with the X-Men "X" as the last letter.
Dark Phoenix is still slated for a February 14 release, which means an official trailer should be coming any time now. Stay tuned for updates.
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