X-Men: Apocalypse Review
Some franchise never seem to bore you, no matter what. Even with the same boring CGI, animation, innovative means of impressing with technology, they don’t matter at all. It’s the characters in the movie that tend to make the movie not just interesting but rather captivating enough to make you glued to the screen.
That’s not to say Apocalypse is perfect. Like all these superhero films, the plot doesn’t make a lot of sense. And like the bloated Batman v Superman and Captain America: Civil War, it is overstuffed with superheroes who less make difference to the story so much as if the characters are the story then the other way around. X-Men: First Class became a hit in 2011, one of the main reasons one might say being Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence who were becoming top notch Hollywoods wanted list. X-Men: Apocalypse is the follow-up to 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, which marked director Bryan Singer’s return to the X-franchise. This time, the mutants have to face off against Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac), the first-ever mutant, who awakens from his millennia-long hibernation to tear down society.
Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), Beast (Nicholas Hoult), and Quicksilver (Evan Peters) join newcomers Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), Psylocke (Olivia Munn), Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee), and Storm (Alexandra Shipp) feature in the tale set in the height of the late president of the US, Ronald Reagan era. How do all the superheroes jive with the established crew, up against a God-like villain, in the new battle? Well, it takes a lot more than just the Avenger like stunt of pulling up a mutant army together, and Bryan has just pinched in the right dosage into the screenplay to make it interesting.
Taking place 10 years after the principal events of Days Of Future Past, Apocalypse brings us to 1983 as the X-Men face a new threat in the form of Apocalypse (Isaac), an ancient, seemingly invincible god-like figure who wants to eradicate humanity and rule the planet, drawing on the powers of the mutants around him. Once again, the wise, kindly Professor Xavier (James McAvoy) must square off with his friend-turned-foe Magneto (Michael Fassbender) as they take sides in this battle. Magneto wants to help Apocalypse destroy the human race, whom he’s always despised for what they did to his parents in the concentration camps years ago.
The main problem with Apocalypse is the script which is lackluster and on the lines of Batman Vs Superman is very mediocre, especially in terms of entertaining. The film struggles to find a line in getting serious raw action or the occasional wit and whims, Captain America is a fine example of how to manage both, Xmen suffers heavily in this department. In amid the shots of bridges collapsing and skyscrapers turning to dust in best 3D slow motion, there is lots of scientific jargon as well as philosophical discussions between Professor X and Magento about the nature of good and evil. Evan Peters, as the young, i Quicksilver, is one of Apocalypse’s highlights, as he was in Days Of Future Past. For a second straight X-Men film, Bryan Singer provides him with a signature sequence that shows off the kid’s super-speed with good humor. The scenes will very much remind us of the sequences from 24 where Suriya tries to Freeze frame time and pull up the tricks up his sleeve. Call it coincidence or copycat, both the scenes invoked laughter by all means.
Despite those drawbacks, Apocalypse is still massively entertaining, the filmmakers not always able to perfectly execute their ambitions but always striving for a richer emotional mood than is usually achieved in superhero movies. With top-notch effects and a driving, sweeping score from composer John Ottman, Apocalypse feels legitimately epic. Also present is the ever favorite Wolverine who makes a cameo in this movie, that’s about it.
Go see X-Men: Apocalypse because it is good and fun and, in a world with an unavoidable number of superhero films that are a total slog that is fun and good.
Verdict : Yet another Super hero movie rocks this summer