X-Men: Apocalypse

The ninth entry in the X-Men series, X-Men Apocalypse ditches the mutant civil war that has been the focus of previous movies. The X-Men both old and new unite to defeat Apocalypse, the very first mutant, who wakes up after a 2000-year long sleep and intends to bring about the end of the world, replacing it with a new one for the worthy.

As the title may suggest, this results in some rather spectacular action sequences and images of worldwide destruction on a scale unlike anything the franchise has attempted before.

Unfortunately, this comes at the sacrifice of much of the depth and characterisation which was present in the previous movies. The ideological clashes between Professor X, Magneto and even Mystique, which were so great in X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Days of Future Past, are largely forgotten to accommodate a plethora of new characters and larger action sequences, leaving the film feeling rather empty. The majority of the character work is left solely to Magneto, played by the brilliant Michael Fassbender, who once again excels in the role as his character experiences a particularly tragic arc.

This results in some rather spectacular action sequences and images of worldwide destruction on a scale unlike anything the franchise has attempted before

Speaking of characters, the movie spends too much time introducing a plethora of new characters to the franchise, good and bad alike. The most is obvious is, of course, the titular Apocalypse, played by Oscar Isaac. The terrific actor does a fine job of delivering menacing speeches, even under heavy prosthetics, yet despite his incredible powers, he occasionally lacks threat. In the end, he amounts to little more than yet another supervillain generically attempting to destroy the world – something we have simply seen too many times before. The four horsemen that Apocalypse spends much of the first act recruiting also suffer. With the sole exception of Magneto, the horsemen have no function other than to act as muscle for Apocalypse.

Image: Fox Pictures

The X-Men themselves, however, fare better. Sophie Turner is great as a Jean Grey, impressive as a younger iteration still learning how to use her powers, who will likely (hopefully) have a bigger role in the next films of the franchise. Kodi-Smit McPhee is great fun as a younger version of religious mutant Nightcrawler, while Cyclops’s introduction is handled well. Jennifer Lawrence, with a role heavily beefed up due to her star power, unfortunately puts in minimal effort. Her character, Mystique, spends much of the film not in her natural blue form and thereby contradicting her ‘Mutant and Proud’ development in previous films. With the film stuffed with so many characters, some suffer a distinct lack of screen time with returning characters Beast and Moira MacTaggert barely given a look in.

In the end, he amounts to little more than yet another supervillain generically attempting to destroy the world

However, the highlight of the film, for me, was the Evan Peter’s extended slow motion scene as Quicksilver, very similar to the crowd winning scene in Days of Future Past. While it loses some impact the second time, it is still highly inventive and amusing; being set to a well selected, period-specific song only adds to the magic. Unlike last film however, Quicksilver sticks around, a welcome addition that lightens the tone and brings some much-needed depth to his characterisation as he attempts to connect to his long-lost family.

Apocalypse in X-Men Apocalypse. Image: Fox Pictures

While the movie may suffer from being stuffed with unnecessary characters, X-Men Apocalypse has a lot going for it. The Quicksilver scene is worth the price of admission alone, and a cameo by a certain fan-favourite is enthralling and features a nod to the comics. The final battle, while slightly dreary, is well-choreographed and does a good job of including all the key characters.While it may be considered as the weakest X-Men film in some time, X-Men Apocalypse is nonetheless an enjoyable movie with stakes and action unlike anything the series has seen before, and in its parting scenes sets the stage for many entries to come.

Director: Bryan Singer

Country: USA

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Sophie Turner, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy

Running Time: 144 minutes