X-Men: Apocalypse Review

X-Men: Apocalypse

Apocalypse: "Everything they've built will fall! And from the ashes of their world, we'll build a better one!"

      X-Men: Apocalypse is directed by Bryan Singer (X-Men, X2, X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Usual Suspects) and stars James McAvoy as Professor Charles Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto, Oscar Isaac as En Sabah Nur/Apocalypse, Jennifer Lawrence as Raven/Mystique, Rose Byrne as Moira Mactaggert, Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy/Beast, Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, Tye Sheridan as Scott Summers/Cyclops, Even Peters as Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver, Alexandra Shipp as Ororo Munroe/Storm, Kodi Smit-McPhee as Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler, Olivia Munn as Psylocke, Lucas Till as Alex Summers/Havok, Ben Hardy as Angel, Lana Condor as Jubilee, and Josh Helman as Col. William Stryker.

A cast so big, only a god could assemble it...see what I did there?

      In X-Men: Apocalypse, the first mutant, also a praised god during the building blocks of the pyramids in Egypt, wakes up from his long sleep to find that the world has changed and, in his eyes, for the worse. Humans become weak and do not have a structure. The mutant named En Sabah Nur, or Apocalypse, has to finds his four horsemen, made up of also mutant abilities, so that he can rule the world. The only people or mutants who can stop the god-like and unlimited power of Apocalypse from destroying the world are the X-Men. This time instead of just Professor X and the old gang teaming up, there are more heroes and more villains to fight each other. Apocalypse and his four horsemen are up against a new generation of mutants and it's one that will be tough to predict the outcome.

Apocalypse has the ability to turn peoples' eyes completely black like and alien? Can't special contacts do that now?

      According to Simon Kinberg, who co-wrote the script for Days of Future Past and Apocalypse, this third installment will be the last in the First Class series. I can see how and why the crew wanted to go all in for this movie and it really does show. McAvoy, from a glance at the first trailer, shaved his head, which he wanted to do in the previous films anyways, Jennifer Lawrence is once again painted blue, and Michael Fassbender, as always, does an amazing job pouring the most emotional moments in his character of Magneto. I truly appreciated all of the work involved in Apocalypse, from the continuation of old character and the introductions of new ones, but one of the major flaws that Apocalypse produces is the character with his name in the title: Apocalypse. The almighty villain is a very difficult character to portray on screen, I'll give them that. However, his motivation from the start was pretty vague and cliché. All he wanted to do was cleanse the world of the weak and put the strong (meaning himself) on top as ruler. There is no other reason that Apocalypse has for total domination besides that and there lies the problem: While Apocalypse has almost every mutant power imaginable, and it is very cool to see what he can do, it seems like he just is a boring character in terms of personality. I think that's why Magneto is quite possibly the best Villain in the X-Men universe we've seen thus far. What Fassbender brings to the character is humanity. Even though Magneto is one of the most powerful mutants on Earth, he still has a troubled past and characteristics that we, as an audience, can empathize with. Unfortunately, Magneto isn't the main villain in this film, instead it's Apocalypse, the clichéd I-want-to-rule-the-world super villain.

OK, we get it. You're clearly the evil guy and you just want to destroy human civilization. Some people in this world already want to do that. Get in line!

 

      I do want to point out that X-Men: Apocalypse is a bit too long at almost two and a half hours. Knowing that this is the third and last installment in the First Class franchise, it should go out with a bang, but when a person can feel those two and a half hours, it doesn't really make it worth it. It was entertaining throughout, but that's like seeing a *insert your favorite sport here* game or match knowing who's going to win. It's still an entertaining game or match to watch, but it's going on too long and you already know the outcome from the beginning. There is a scene during the film (which I won't spoil), from one of the recent trailers, that is awesome and violent, but I kept thinking, "what was the point of that?". I loved it, but I don't understand what that contributed to the Apocalypse story. My point, again, is that it could have been shorter for sure.

James McAvoy waited so long for the movie to end, his hair receded.

 

      Going back to the characters of Apocalypse, the new team (technically old) with Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, Tye Sheridan as Cyclops, and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nightcrawler were introduced very well in the movie. I enjoyed seeing Scott Summers/Cyclops as a teen because, in the early 2000's X-Men franchise, he didn't have a concrete role in that series. Kodi Smit-McPhee's Nightcrawler's mutant ability has always fascinated me as a kid: teleportation. Seeing him teleport from place to place brought me back to my childhood thinking that one day I'll be able to have the power of teleportation (I'm not giving up on that dream!). The standout, though, is Sophie Turner's Jean Grey. As a comic book enthusiast, the glimpse of her future satisfied the nerd side of my brain in spades. Besides that, she has quite possibly one of the most emotional roles in Apocalypse, alongside Michael Fassbender's. Also, if you have seen Days of Future Past, you might remember Quicksilver's appearance in the kitchen. A similar scene is in Apocalypse and it is just as good, if not better than the previous. Holy crap, does Evan Peters' Quicksilver shine on screen. I can't wait to see what these characters, and more, will do with the X-Men universe (rumor has it that the next X-Men film will be set in the 90's).

Seeing Quicksilver do his thing again is such a treat!

      If you're an X-Men fanatic or enjoyed the previous X-Men films (the 2000's franchise and the First Class franchise), then I can safely say that X-Men: Apocalypse is a good fit to the universe. I enjoyed it enough to where I had fun and was entertained. I come to see a superhero movie for the superheroes. If the villain isn't up to par with the emotional tendencies that the superheroes have shown in their previous films, that is a major fault, especially when someone as powerful and as evil as Apocalypse is the villain. However, the fights are cool, most of the CGI is well done, and new mutant abilities are used. What else do you need from an X-Men movie? Sir Patrick Stewart would actually increase the likability of this movie tenfold. He jokingly told Bryan Singer that he would gladly step in as Mystique if Jennifer Lawrence wasn't doing it: "I am so ready to be naked, painted blue, and the world is ready for it too."

3.7/5

PRO

• Heroes are emotionally invested (especially Magneto and Jean Grey)
• Introductions of new mutants like Jean Grey, Cyclops, and Nightcrawler  
• Quicksilver scene

CON

• Apocalypse is an underwhelming villain; no satisfying motivation to his goal
• Long running time at a little under 2 and a half hours

X-Men: Apocalypse is rated PG-13 for sequences of action, violence and destruction, brief strong language, and some suggestive images

Click here to watch the trailer

X-Men: Apocalypse is in theaters everywhere now

      Thank you for reading my review, everybody! I really appreciate it. Please subscribe to my blog and follow me on Facebook here and Twitter here to get updates on new reviews and trailer drops. Also, if you've already seen X-Men: Apocalypse, comment and let me know what you think of it. Thanks again!