Movie Review: X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

It's been a good few weeks since the latest installment of 20th Century Fox's X-Men Movies franchise hit theaters internationally, but now that X-Men: Apocalypse has finally opened in theaters in the US, I can give my thoughts on this newest chapter in the franchise that takes place 10 years after the events of 2014's "X-Men: Days of Future Past" and features the continuing adventures of the younger Professor X, Magneto, Mystique, as well as the introduction of the new versions of Cyclops, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, and the other X-Men, as they encounter one of the biggest and most anticipated villains in the merry mutant group's rogues gallery - the titular baddie "Apocalypse" himself.

Once again directed by Bryan Singer and set in the edgy and synthesizer decade of the 80's, X-Men: Apocalypse sees Charles Xavier, better known as Professor X, fully establishing his school for gifted youngsters and continuing his dream for peaceful coexistence between mutants and humanity. Unfortunately this period also happens to be the perfect time for "En Sabah Nur" to awaken - a powerful and ancient mutant from the past who was betrayed and put into hibernation by his followers only to awaken and see the world "lost" and in need of cleansing. To set about his rule, the man who is known to comic book people as "Apocalypse"gathers four mutants to be his "Horsemen" - among them a disillusioned Erik Lehnsherr who tragically loses his family and reassumes his identity of "Magneto". With the entire world in peril and a series of events that sees Mystique resurfacing and new mutants rising for both sides, it will take a new generation of X-Men to put a stop to Apocalypse and his horsemen before the entire world and humanity see total destruction.

X-Men: Apocalypse | Final Trailer
Dubbed the final chapter of the "X-Men Prequel Trilogy" that started with 2011's X-Men: First Class and was completely given a clean slate with the timeline altering events in X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse has everything going for it that should make it a fresh start and unique entry into the franchise dedicated to Marvel's Merry Mutants. Unfortunately it's not a perfect adaptation of what has been read and seen countless times in classic X-Men storylines, and Apocalypse is just barely the intimidating villain most fans will remember him to be from the comics. Oscar Isaac (who played Poe Dameron in Star Wars: The Force Awakens) does a stellar job playing this version of En Sabah Nur, but I would have expected more from the titular villain rather than being an evil mutant prophet seeking to reclaim his former glory. The Four Horsemen used in this film were also a gathering of well-known X-Men characters rather than a unique assemble of villains - with Storm, Psylocke, Angel, and Magneto representing that cause due to promises of power and retribution in the part of Apocalypse. That's not to say that those parts were not played well, and special shoutout goes to Olivia Munn, who gave quite a decent and comic book accurate performance as the fan favorite ninja like telepath and mutant.

As far as the younger versions of the X-Men go, fans will pick up and accept the new talents playing Cyclops, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, and Storm in this film. Game of Thrones own Sansa Stark actress in Sophie Turner is the new actress playing the powerful telepath under Xavier's tutelage, while Tye Sheridan plays a pretty uncertain and coming of age Scott Summers, who just gains his uncontrollable optic blasts and quickly becomes one of the gifted thanks to his older brother Alex (aka Havoc, and yes the Summers siblings have switched positions on who is the eldest and youngest). Nightcrawler is just adorable and played hilariously by Australian actor Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Alexandra Shipp just nails the younger and circa 80's inspired mohawk version of Storm, who is a Horseman first in this film before becoming an X-Man proper. Also, Evan Peters returns as the brash and speedy mutant known as Quicksilver - which I find a bit overpowered in this film thanks to his ability to "run and stop time" per se. It's honestly a better depiction of the character compared to what is seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron, but then again Singer gives him a lot of scenes to showcase his powers and that's been done enough in DOFP.

Also, a certain fan-favorite mutant makes a cameo appearance in the film's third act. By the Final Trailer's footage alone, you know it's Hugh Jackman back as Wolverine. How that plays out though is best seen personally, and will entertain fans who have seen Logan's feral side unleashed thanks to experimentation.

Overall X-Men Apocalypse isn't the greatest entry in the franchise's history, but it certainly does entertain and put the spotlight on a new generation of actors and actresses who will become the new faces behind Marvel's famous band of mutants. The film suffers from having too many characters to work with, and some of the ones that needed the air time more (i.e Jubilee and Psylocke for example) get overshadowed by the major characters. Apocalypse could have played out better like his comic book counterpart, and the final battle felt rushed and messy rather than a proper conclusion. It makes one miss X-Men: First Class and how that film was presented without relying so much on special effects and more on emotional content. Still, this installment wraps up the "Prequel Trilogy" and sets up the next generation of films - with the next one reportedly set in 90's. That, along with DOFP fixing the timeline allows new stories to be told and integrated properly into this cinematic universe. We can only hope that the future will be bright for Xavier, Magneto, and the rest of the mutants moving forward.

Rating - 3/5