Dark Phoenix Trailer: 9 Reasons To Be Worried

4. Nobody Asked For A "Grounded" X-Men Movie

Simon Kinberg has stated that Dark Phoenix will be less over-the-top than previous X-Men films and take a more "grounded", character-driven approach...but is that really what anyone wants?

A greater focus on characterisation is fine, but as long as the ensemble mutant showdowns are well-crafted and imaginative - like the iconic Quicksilver sequences, for instance - is anyone really bothered by all the bombast?

The fact that Dark Phoenix has ditched the X-Men branding altogether makes this feel like yet another superhero movie that's embarrassed to be a superhero movie, yet there's also not much evidence here that Kinberg's attempt at a prestige comic book film is really going to pay off.

Yes, Logan did a fantastic job of nailing a gritty tone, but that was a one-off focused on a small band of heroes. The idea of trying to bolt an ensemble superhero film like this to the floor, especially one which already sees the X-Men heading into space, feels like a recipe for creating a schizophrenic movie with no clear idea of what it wants to be.

You should start anticipating major tonal whiplash, basically.