X-Men: Apocalypse

• Directed by Bryan Singer
• May 9, 2016 (London) / May 27, 2016 (US)
• Based on X-Men created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

An ancient mutant is accidentally revived and enacts plans to bring about a dangerous new age.

With First Class and Days of Future Past, Fox showed there was still life in the X-Men films hence they gave us X-Men: Apocalypse-a film that satisfies but not without its share of missteps beginning with the look of Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac). Much of the characterization is done right but I, like so many others, disliked the costume that looked more like Ivan Ooze than En Sabah Nur. This was especially painful for fans who could find numerous examples online of comic’s accurate costumes by fans that looked near movie quality. Oscar Isaac was an excellent villain, all ego and condescension to those that oppose him. I think the ego of Apocalypse was spot on. 

Angel (Ben Hardy) was maybe an equally bad comics-to-screen translation. It’s a mixture of any number of his costumes that predate the Archangel form and after his Archangel form. I like the metal wings but I would’ve liked to have seen him more blue or something closer to the costume he was known for at the time.

What it gets right is how things are done in the comics from the stopping of Apocalypse to the advent of abilities. It’s something the MCU hasn’t really done and then again they haven’t had mutants. The world adapts to them and they adapt to the world. Things we can understand like fighting rings form but with a superpowered spin.

Despite cool scenes and plenty of uses of powers, it does so with a mix of identifiable human motivations. Fear and misguided grievances cause people to be manipulated or make poor decisions.

Bryan Singer was clearly trying to connect these X-Men movies to his X-Men movies. This story leaps into the early 80s and introduces younger versions of previously seen characters with new actors in parts but also in some cases appears to change the timeline. I am looking at you Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee). The new performers did fine though Sophie Turner as Jean Grey was a little bit of a step down with her performance being more bitchy or complaining than it was an individual afraid of her power.

At this point what is an X-Men movie without Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence)? She was certainly a major star at this time if she wasn’t during the last one. Between this and the Hunger Games, she was huge so they keep Mystique very human very often and consistently looking like Jennifer Lawrence. It goes against so much of what else we’ve seen of the character in the fictional world that was supposed to be heavily connected even if the timeline has shifted. Mystique in the first X-Men movies often chose to remain in her blue form. This Mystique stated repeatedly that she was mutant and proud and in the first two films in this series preferred her Mystique form over the human disguise. Here she is perfectly happy to pass as human.

Rose Byrne returned finally as Moira MacTaggert after being completely absent from the second film. She’s not heavy into the action but rather provides a shortcut for information on Apocalypse for the X-Men. She doesn’t tell them everything because if she knew everything it would bring into question so many things. Her and Charles (James McAvoy) reconnect with the hint of something more to be developed before is basically dropped from the story.

Like so many other examples of entertainment, this also fell into the same trap that comics, TV shows, and other films have and that is to make a popular villain into a hero or antihero. It’s one thing for Magneto (Michael Fassbender) to be wrong, but he keeps coming over to the side of good. Mystique is now a folk hero more in line with Robin Hood than with an assassin or saboteur like she started out as.

I remember when this came out, they were saying that the Quicksilver (Evan Peters) scene here would be as good or rival the one in Days of Future Past, and I think they made a very good effort. I can’t say it necessarily surpasses the first one, but it certainly gives it a good run for the money. It’s just not nearly as fun given the stakes involved. A jailbreak is fun. An explosion intended to kill not so much. 

Action scenes were excellently staged and there was a sense of impending doom as Apocalypse collected his horsemen. They were big and stunning though I was left with the sense of fakery in others. The effects often impressive could reach beyond their grasp in some instances. Or perhaps it was the sense that so much of this on a set. You may say “No duh!” but you should no be thinking that when watching.

This tries to focus on drama and understandable motivations with the special effects and cool visuals as a bonus, and it often accomplishes that. It’s mercifully devoid of the quippy self referential humor that has punctuated other superhero movies creating a breath of fresh air because it’s a movie that takes the material seriously and does its best to portray the characters seriously or as they are from the comics.

I think the story though felt a little inconsequential for the characters. Yes, they were fighting to save the world, but how did it impact their world? It didn’t seem like the divide between Mystique and Charles was that great here nor was a similar divide great between Magneto and Professor X. It almost ended with the status quo restored.

X-Men Apocalypse was a mostly good film. Not as strong as its predecessors but an enjoyable watch.