The 16-year-long "X-Men" franchise has reached its 9th film and thankfully we, as the audience, aren't tired of seeing these various mutants and their powers on screen. 2014's "X-Men: Days of Future Past" grossed $748 million worldwide while this year's "Deadpool", which is also part of the film series and considered canon, became the highest grossing R-rated film of all-time, making $763.1 million internationally. Clearly, there is still love and appreciation for these beloved comic book characters and director Bryan Singer returns to helm his 4th film in the series. After directing the first two "X-Men" films and "X-Men: Days of Future Past", it is very apparent that Singer has a great understanding of what makes these characters engrossing and powerful.
"X-Men: Apocalypse" stars an ensemble cast, which include James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Olivia Munn, Evan Peters and Lucas Till, and is directed by Bryan Singer. The film opens in Ancient Egypt where the world's first mutant, En Sabah Nur, is born after going through an ancient ritual that preserves his immortality. Centuries later, Apocalypse returns to the 1980's and it is up to the X-Men, a group of mutants created by Professor Charles Xavier, to face the godly being and save the world. Although the bar was set pretty high after "X-Men: Days of Future Past", thankfully Bryan Singer has delivered us a powerful, moving, artistic, fun and exciting X-Men film that is full of marvelous performances and flashy action set pieces. The returning cast continue to shine in their respective roles, as do the newcomers.
Oscar Isaac, who has become one of the most sought out actors in Hollywood, plays the god-like Apocalypse that posed a great threat to the world of men. Out of the many villains in the X-Men film series, Oscar Isaac as Apocalypse might be the best one, aside from Sir Ian McKellen as Magneto. Menacing, imposing and sinister, Apocalypse drives the film with his other worldly aura. While destroying the world isn't a new or original idea, not once did it feel contrived or tiresome in "X-Men: Apocalypse". Believing for centuries that the world would be ruled by powerful beings, Apocalypse felt betrayed by the inhabitants of Earth and is motivated by his rage against the human race who he views as weak. Again, while not a new idea, it at least is delivered to us in a way that doesn't feel phony or overdone. Isaac plays one of the best villains of the year and elevates the film's presence with his grand performance.
From "X-Men: First Class", we've seen James McAvoy breathe new life into the iconic telekinetic mutant that Patrick Stewart played in the original films and it seems that now, more than ever, McAvoy has become the Professor X we've known and loved. As the mentor to all the students at his mutant academy, his strength is not with his powers but is in the connection he has with his students and his connection with mankind. Once again, McAvoy brings something very new and different to the role that hasn't been seen before and now that he is facing a god, he is met with new challenges he must overcome, creating great drama. His friendship and battle between Erik Lehnsherr (a.k.a Magneto) is still one of the most important aspects of these X-Men films and Singer is able to beautifully realize their friendship as something that cannot be broken. McAvoy has become the professor in so many different ways and it would be hard to imagine anyone else, besides Stewart, playing the role.
Michael Fassbender as the young Magneto has always been one of the highlights of this new X-Men timeline and in this film, he continues to be one of the most heartbreaking and harrowing characters in this long lasting franchise. In "X-Men: Apocalypse", the tragedy of Erik Lehnsherr is not forgotten as a certain moment involving him in a forest is easily one of the most emotionally gripping scenes in the entire franchise. Driven by anger and guilt, his motivations are never muffled or unclear. We as the audience are able to easily feel sympathetic to Erik Lehnsherr, even when he does the most horrible things imaginable. The inclusion of his struggles and failures in "X-Men: Apocalypse" gave the film a very operatic feel, almost like watching a Greek myth or a Shakespearian tragedy come to life. This is something that is sorely missing in many superhero films, especially in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although many of Lehnsherr's scenes in the first act of the film are not large or grand in scale, Singer manages to make you feel every emotion in these small little moment. This sense of rawness and power is something that was present throughout "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice". The flood of pure, unfiltered, real emotion was handled beautifully, which ultimately made the film feel more passionate. As one of the great villains of the comic book world, Fassbender never fails the character and is one of the most crucial and down right inspiring aspects of the film.
Although originally a villain in the original "X-Men" trilogy, Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence returns as Mystique, who [once again] takes on the role of a hero, leading the X-Men into battle. Because Lawrence's popularity has increased since she first appeared in "X-Men: First Class", the filmmakers have made her involvement in the subsequent films more and more vital to the plot, which, if done right, could be an interesting twist on the already established character. However, it is apparent in the film that Lawrence is incredibly miscast as the role, making her performance in "X-Men: Apocalypse" seem tiresome and uninteresting. This young version of Mystique seems to lose her [no pun intended] mystique as she yells and commands the young X-Men to fight. Lawrence's Mystique is almost like an unconvincing shadow of Rebecca Romijn's portrayal of the character.
Reprising her role from "X-Men: First Class", Rose Byrne returns as Moira MacTaggert and meets Xavier in the film as a completely stranger. Not remembering who the professor is, she appears as a blank slate and eventually helps the X-Men learn more about the mysterious being known as En Sabah Nur. Explaining much of the film's exposition, but without boring us with the details, Moira MacTaggert sees the world of mutants as we would if we saw these films for the first time: with a sense of awe and wonder. Although not a prominent figure in the film as a whole, is was a delight to see Byrne return to the franchise after "X-Men: First Class".
Appearing in both "X-Men: First Class" and "X-Men: Days of Future Past", Nicholas Hoult once again returns as the blue furred mutant, Beast, and acts as Xavier's close partner in running his school. While not incredibly important or vital to the film's plot, Hoult provides the film with a certain degree of youth and wisdom as he assists the professor in bringing the X-Men together. A good fighter and a good teacher, the blue Beast has become a more important member to the team than most audience members have expected.
Ever since "X-Men: First Class" was announced, fans were wondering if we were ever going to see a young Scott Summers in the new timeline. Although we've seen his older brother, Alex Summers, in both "X-Men: First Class" and "X-Men: Days of Future Past", the future head of the X-Men has no been mentioned once in these new prequel-sequels. Finally, Tye Sheridan brings Cyclops back to the 80's and absolutely nails the part. While not the leader we know from the X-Men comics, we can definitely see the possible transition from student to leader after seeing him in more films. Capturing the essence of who Cyclops is in the comics, Sheridan will soon be a fan favorite as the young X-Men leader. Will we see Sheridan lead the X-Men in the future? Only time will tell.
One of the few surviving Starks in "Game of Thrones", Sansa Stark, appears in the film as the powerful telepath Jean Grey, who will later become the all powerful Phoenix. Sophie Turner gives us one of the film's stand out performances as her grace, charm and beauty added something very special to "X-Men: Apocalypse". Encompassing everything that Jean Grey is in the comics and in the original trilogy, Turner has effortlessly slipped under the skin of the character, which is no easy task considering she had to follow up the gorgeous Famke Janssen. Although her American accent may slip once or twice, it never distract from everything she does that brought new life into her role. If a sequel to "X-Men: Apocalypse" is greenlit, it would be very disappointing to not see Turner return as Jean Grey.
The opening scene of "X2: X-Men United", involving Nightcrawler attacking the White House, will go down in history as one of the most impressive and well constructed action sequences in a superhero film. Now, in "X-Men: Apocalypse", Kodi Smit-McPhee plays the blue German teleporter and grants the film with much needed humor and energy. Following Alan Cumming's shoes isn't an easy task to undertake, but Smit-McPhee was able to pull through and put his own stamp on the character. Easily likable and fun to watch on screen, Smit-McPhee could be the first actor to play Nightcrawler again if he is asked to return in a sequel.
Making her film debut in "X-Men: Apocalypse", Psylocke leaps off the comic book pages onto the silver creen, portrayed by the beautiful Olivia Munn who is absolutely stunning as the dynamic mutant. While not given many lines, she still managed to become one of the most memorable and most powerful henchmen in any comic book film to date. Her beauty is almost as dangerous as her purple energy staff that can take the form of a whip or a sword. Is there a future for her character in the X-Men franchise? Hopefully. Would love to see Munn return as Psylocke once again as she was electrifying on screen in "X-Men: Apocalypse".
As one of the X-Men's most iconic members, it is odd to see Storm work for the villain throughout the majority of the film. As the young Ororo Munroe, Alexandra Shipp felt more like the comic book character than Halle Berry ever was in the original trilogy. With her African accent and dominating presence, this newcomer commanded the screen and became the powerful mutant that I remember reading from the comics. Along with Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, Shipp was another actor that gave one of the film's stand out performances. Hopefully, if they continue making more X-Men films with this cast, Shipp will be called back into action as Storm.
Another founding member of the X-Men joins the bad side in "X-Men: Apocalypse" as Angel (or Archangel), played by Ben Hardy, is given metallic wings to fight off the members of the X-Men. As a cage fighter in the beginning of the film, seeing Angel's dark heart delve into darker places as Apocalypse meets him, gives the character a lot more weight without giving him much to say. As a threatening henchmen of Apocalypse, Hardy's film debut is something that many young actors can only dream of.
Those of you who have seen the final trailer for "X-Men: Apocalypse" will know that Hugh Jackman returns as Wolverine in the film and, without spoiling anything, it is beyond amazing. Some fans have complained over the years that Jackman's portrayal of the iconic character has been tame in comparison to his comic book counterpart, but those fans will eat this scene up as Weapon X is fully unleashed.
For the 4th time, Bryan Singer brings to us what feels like the X-Men comics brought to life on the big screen. Clearly the man knows the characters like the back of his hand and beautifully realizes them as fully fleshed out characters. Without having the luxury of having their own solo films like the Marvel Cinematic Universe does, Singer is able to establish an entire ensemble cast without leaving anyone out of the loop. Every mutant has a moment to shine and everyone has their own personal story arc they must complete. But aside from great character moments, the film is also filled with amazing visuals (done by Newton Thomas Sigel, who has worked with Singer many times before), a powerful score (done by John Ottman and Michael Louis Hill) and imaginative sequences that would have not worked if Singer was not in the director's chair. As the director of a superhero film that can be filled with so many colorful characters, it is the director's duty to use the endless amount of imagination these comic book stories have to their advantage. Without wasting any opportunities, Singer managed to craft an evenly balanced film that contained exhilarating action scenes, gripping drama, fun characters moments and beautiful artistic imagery.
With a god as the main antagonist, it is expected that various cities around the world would be destroyed and the X-Men would have to fight their way through the demolished ruins of what once were urban landscapes. Not disappointing, Apocalypse doesn't pull any punches as humanity is brought to the brink of annihilation. Debris flying all around and laser beams shooting out from all directions, it is a wild ride watching "X-Men: Apocalypse" on the big screen. From Cyclops red beams to Storm's lighting bolts to Psylocke's purple energy staff, Singer was able to take advantage of all the amazing and fantastical things comic book characters can do in this film. While seeing cities destroyed isn't anything new or exciting anymore because of directors like Roland Emmerich or Michael Bay, Singer uses this destruction with purpose, making it far more captivating to witness. The imagery, the harshness of the action scenes and the heart pounding score, this third act battle sequence is what the airport fight scene in "Captain America: Civil War" should have been.
As mentioned before, the one element about "X-Men: Apocalypse" that seemed very out of place was the mediocre performance Jennifer Lawrence gives as Mystique. Incredibly miscast in the role, her character is expanded due to the actress' fame and not for any logical story purposes. While I understand that she is a catalyst for some of these young X-Men members because of the events of "X-Men: Days of Future Past", it still feels very unbalanced when you know that she was one of the main villains alongside Magneto in the original trilogy.
Apart from Jennifer Lawrence's performance in the film, "X-Men: Apocalypse" soars high and mighty with wonderful visuals, creative action sequences, heart wrenching performances, smooth and exhilarating cinematography and an amazing score. The 47% the film currently has on Rotten Tomatoes almost seems like a bad dream Jean Grey would have. From the jaw dropping Quicksilver sequences to Wolverine's rampage to Xavier's mental battle against Apocalypse, the film grabs you from the beginning to end with endless amounts of fun and heart. Surprised to see that "X-Men: Apocalypse" handled character interactions, battle sequences and emotions better than "Captain America: Civil War" has. If the X-Men franchise is to continue with this cast, keep Bryan Singer at the helm for he will not fail this series. The most fun I had at the theater (besides "Deadpool", another X-Men film), "X-Men: Apocalypse" deserves a 9 out of 10.
Go see it in theaters on 2D, 3D and in Dolby Atmos today!
Buy tickets now: http://www.fandango.com/xmen:apocalypse_175470/movietimes
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