Before going into my thoughts regarding Apocalypse, I felt that it was best to go back and quickly give you my thoughts on the X-Men series as a whole. Growing up as a fan of the X-Men universe in the 1990's, I like many was a huge fan of the FOX animated television show and collected all the toys that came out for it during that era. I also played the videogames that came out on SEGA for the X-Men including the Spiderman and X-Men game. One of the main things that draws me to the X-Men universe, is the storyline of a group of people with special capabilities trying to be accepted into society but faces rejection from humanity yet they choose to fight for humanity as well as protecting themselves. The themes that run rampant throughout the show and movies such as discrimination, hatred, love, acceptance, and balancing ones lifestyle with their newfound capabilities are what's fascinating about the X-Men storyline, and ultimately was what drew me into this group of heroes. I was excited when the first X-Men movie came out in the summer 2000, and thought it was a solid first installment in what looked to be a promising newborn superhero franchise. The movie was not perfect but given the $75 million budget Bryan Singer had to play with, they did pretty good under the conditions the filmmakers were given. X2 still remains one of the greatest superhero movies ever made and one of the rare sequels that outshines the original film. It was bigger, more epic in scope, better shot cinematography wise with a much stronger score from John Ottman, and the cast was stronger performance wise in that film as everyone felt like they eased into their roles more comfortably especially Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. X-Men 3 was a trainwreck of a film storywise and ultimately heartbreaking given the potential it had and what the Phoenix storyline could've been. Bryan Singer leaving X-Men 3 to do Superman Returns was a huge mistake and it shows when you watch The Last Stand as the movie felt rushed, and the killing off of characters such as Cyclops, Professor X, and Jean Grey was a slap in the face to the fans and the emotional storyline Singer was developing with the first two films. First Class was a breath of fresh air for the X-Men universe and got the ball rolling in terms of the franchise returning to form but it wasn't until Days Of Future Past where the series was put back on the map full circle. First Class and Days Of Future Past did a great job iof not only rebooting the series but also cleansing the mistakes of the past while giving Bryan Singer the opportunity to make things right with Apocalypse such as giving Cyclops, Storm, and Jean Grey proper reintroductions to the series and fleshing their characters out which wasn't the case with Singers original X-Men trilogy (Cyclops and Storm were severely underused in those movies). And now two years after the release of Days Of Future Past, we arrive at the release of the much anticipated Apocalypse. A lot has been said about this movie both good and bad but ont thing is for certain, this is the biggest X-Men movie ever in regards to scope and premise. While being bigger in scope and plot is not a bad thing in any sense, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's better.
X-Men: Apocalypse despite it's flaws is an enjoyable summer blockbuster and proves to be a worthy installment in the First Class trilogy as well as the X-Men series as a whole. It is not as good of an X-Men movie as Days Of Future Past and isn't as well fleshed out story wise as First Class but it works as being it's own installment in what is overall a pretty strong trio of X-Men films. What makes Apocalypse a significant film in this trilogy and the first six X-Men films as a whole, is that this is the film that takes place after the resetting of the timeline from where the last movie ended. One could almost watch this film right after First Class with the way that film ended and not need the middle film but it's because of that middle film that we have the chance to see familiar characters return and become more fleshed out than what was previously shown to us like Cyclops for example. Cyclops is given his full due in this movie and despite being whiny at times is well played by actor Tye Sheridan, giving off a younger persona of James Marsden, the actor who played Cyclops in the original Bryan Singer trilogy. Sophie Turner does a very good job as Jean Grey in this film despite not looking much like a younger Famke Janssen, but she holds her own in the role playing a more aggressive Jean Grey compared to the shy and aggressive one Famke played, and her Pheonix storyline is handled much better in comparison to Brett Ratner's Last Stand. Alexandra Shipp does a fine job playing a younger Storm and looks like a younger version of Halle Berry's character but where she starts off being a much better fleshed out Storm begins to take a backseat near the films third act to just hiding out and watching the carnage unfold during the films big climatic battle. Other new characters such as Nightcrawler played by Kodi Smit-McPhee are played very well but still can't quite match the level of awesomeness Alan Cumming brought to the role in X2: X-Men United, although Ben Hardy as Angel does a fine job of being an improved version of the Angel shown in The Last Stand played previously by Ben Foster. Evan Peters does a great job once again as Quicksilver in a larger role this time around, even going as far as playing a pivotal role in the films main storyline. Olivia Munn shined in her supporting role as Psylocke making her character appealing as well as drop dead gorgeous. With the new additions to the cast doing admirable jobs of playing the younger versions of the characters, the returning cast such as James McAvoy as Professor Charles Xavier, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Nicholas Hoult as Beast, and Rose Byrne as Moira all deliver strong performances with Fassbender being given some great moments to shine as Magneto. One terrific example of Magneto being given his due is a scene in the forest where the audience is given a much better and clearer understanding of why he despises humans so much and why he chooses to go the Malcom X route in regards to society and mutants coexisting. The score from John Ottman is also an improvement over the work he did for Days Of Future Past giving the film more of an emotional core to it than the previous movies, especially when it comes to the dramatic parts of the film such as Magnetos big scene in the forest.
Where the film has many positive points about it, there also lies some issues with the movie with regards to it's main villain Apocalypse played by Oscar Isaac. Despite the character coming off as being strangely similar to Power Rangers: The Movies Ivan Ooze in regards to his physical appearance, Isaac does a great job playing the character even if Apocalypse somehow feels a bit underwhelming as being the main villain the entire X-Men series has been building up to. That's not to say he isn't a dominating force in the movie as his presence is felt in the film but the filmmakers seem to be having trouble deciding on whether he's the true villain of the story or Magneto is. Magneto on some level receives more character depth than Apocalypse with Apocalypse general plotline being he wants to wipe out the human race so that Mutants can reign as he feels the weak rules the world and all humans are good for is killing each other off. With Magneto things are more complex as he's shown trying to adapt to human nature since becoming a fugitive at the end of Days Of Future Past but that doesn't last very long once his identity is discovered. Magnetos subplot is where the film truly flourishes as a movie because Singer begs the audience to ask the question of whether Magneto is really a bad guy/extremist or someone whose been hurt by the human race multiple times and has lost all hope that mutants can ever be accepted by human nature and just prefers that mutants be the species to take over. The problem with Apocalypse and Magneto's storyline being in the same film, is that it feels like Singer isn't sure what story he wants to tell as the narrative feels uneven at times and the pacing becomes tough especially when the film introduces the characters of Cyclops, Storm, Jean, Nightcrawler, Apocalypse and his four horseman, while diving into Magneto's arc. Apocalypse is a movie that tries to have it all in one film but having too much begins to weigh it down as it feels a bit overwhelming at times. There's no doubt that Bryan Singer went into this film with great anticipation having seen how well Days Of Future Past was well received hoping to top it but in the end, he doesn't because the film is overly ambitious. This is a film that is by no means a bad movie, but it isn't as great as it could've been because the main problem is it isn't exactly sure which direction it wants to go with the storyline whether it's Apocalypse or Magnetos show. Apocalypse will spawn many Ivan Ooze has returned jokes and punchlines as his plot feels a big similar to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie except it's handled much better in this movie and he does approve to be an effective villain, it's just that even though he is the clear choice of antagonist in the film, he still feels a bit empty in regards to motive and character development.
Overall Apocalypse isn't deserving of the vicious beating it took from critics especially on rottentomatoes but it isn't as great of an X-Men film as it could've been had Singer just allowed the film to have a more clear cut narrative. The film delivers in the action and spectacle department as the films visual set pieces such as the big destruction scene in the films third act looks terrific on the big screen and will excite X-Men fans. As far as the series goes, this one feels like it's not only a good closure to the First Class trilogy but also to the original X-Men one as the timeline is reset and Professor Xs and Magneto's storyline is essentially complete. Is Apocalypse the greatest X-Men movie ever made? No, its the biggest in regards to scope but it suffers from being overstuffed, slow pacing at times especially during the first act, and questionable plot elements such as William Strykers sudden appearance into the story and Apocalypse being able to destroy the world a total of four times in the movie but doesn't. Apocalypse is a flawed film but the issues aren't enough to bring it down from being an extremely entertaining, enjoyable, and ultimately a worthy installment in the First Class trilogy. A joke was made in the film about the characters watching Return of the Jedi in theaters during it's initial run in the 1980's and how the third film of the franchise is usually the worst one of the trio. While that joke was intended to poke fun at the obvious choice of the worst installment in the X-Men franchise with The Last Stand, the same also applies here as this one isn't as air tight storywise as the other two films but carries a great deal of entertainment and fun. If you can get past the fact that Apocalypse reminding you too much of Ivan Ooze, the uneven narrative at times, and questionable plot elements that arise throughout the film then you will have a great time with this movie. While this is probably a sign that Singer should take a break and pursue other projects to clear his mind before returning to future X-Men films, Apocalypse still leaves a strong impression on X-men fans for better or worse. It's not as great of a superhero film as Captain America: Civil War but it's also not the film Batman Vs Superman turned out to be as it handles the crowded narrative and overstuffing of characters a lot better than that film. Apocalypse deserves a watch from every X-Men fan but it will also be the one that divides many with the direction Singer chose to take the story but hey, I liked it. Hugh Jackmans cameo as Wolverine, Magneto's big forest moment, and Quicksilvers scene stealing moment in the Xavier mansion alone are worth the price of admission.
8/10
Our characters for Apocalypse.
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