It's been over a decade since then and we have finally been able to see those plans come to the big screen, albeit not in the way they were originally intended. What was supposed to be the trilogy capper after X2, the third film in the series, has instead become the ninth film in the franchise and the trilogy capper for the second trilogy in the series which began with X-Men: First Class and continued through X-Men: Days of Future Past. Mixed in there are two Wolverine films and a Deadpool film for a total of nine X-Men movies. The X-Men, for being just another hero team in the Marvel Universe, are a universe unto themselves.
THE PLOT
The first Mutant, En Sabah Nur a.k.a. Apocalypse, has awoken from a several thousand year sleep. It's been ten years since Magneto's attack and Mystique's saving of the world. The world is now fully aware of mutants but still unsure of trusting them. Apocalypse believes himself a God incarnate with a destiny to destroy the world of men and build a new world for his mutant brethren. Apocalypse has near infinite power, recruiting four mutants as his envoy, his horseman, and endowing them with a portion of his power. Apocalypse sets out to achieve his namesake and only Professor Xavier and his X-Men are the ones capable of stopping him.
THE GOOD
The Cast. With a few exceptions the total recasting of the original X-Men team is complete. Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, and Nightcrawler finally return, depicted as high school students, and portrayed by a new set of actors. I liked the new actors very much. They fit their roles very well and delivered fantastic performances. I do hope to see these actors return in these roles in the future. Along with that I enjoyed Oliva Munn as Psylocke, another welcomed addition I hope to see return. Nicholas Hoult does a wonderful job as Beast yet again and Michael Fassbender is the perfect Magneto. Really everyone in the movie is great. And Storm's mohawk is totally awesome.
Quicksilver and Wolverine. Evan Peters returns as Quicksilver and, for me, steals the show. His big scene in the movie is tied for my favorite moment in the film. All around he is a delight to watch and a great addition to every scene he's in. The other person who steals the show for me only has one scene in the film, but it is the only other scene that matches Quicksilver's big scene in terms of power, spectacle, and pure entertainment: Wolverine. He's barely in the movie but when he shows up you forget everything else. Hugh Jackman is Wolverine. And you can't have an X-Men movie without him, at least in some capacity. Even his less than ten second cameo in First Class is memorable.
THE PSA MESSAGE
No movie is perfect. The following criticisms are not a fault of the movie or anything that's bad or wrong with it. These are just a few of the aspects of the film, choices on the part of the filmmakers, that I wish had been done differently. I feel like I have to say this due to the public service message they played before the film began, in which actress Alexandra Shipp informs us of just how many people worked so hard to bring the movie to the screen. This message is also reiterated at the end of the film as well. The general message I gathered from this was to urge those of the online community, in particular the overly opinionated, belligerent, and unnecessarily rude individuals, to think of everything that goes into making a movie of this size and how much blood, sweat, and tears were poured into it. Online fan-rage seems to be escalating everyday and is becoming quite disconcerting.
Basically, if you disliked the movie that's okay, just don't be a jerk about it. So, without further adieu...
THE BAD
(things I wish had been done differently)
Apocalypse himself. Oscar Isaac does a wonderful job as Apocalypse. I really enjoyed his performance. But I find myself wishing that the filmmakers had rendered him completely in CGI. The Apocalypse I know and love from the comic books always seemed taller and bigger than any normal human being. This is the same case with Michael Chiklis' Ben Grimm from the original Fantastic Four films. The performer is perfect but the on-screen rendition doesn't quite capture the stature of the character. I wish they had made Archangel blue-skinned too. I realize there was already a large number of blue-skinned characters in the film and I can see why they didn't go that route with Angel. But still. This brings me to my next point.
Mutation. One aspect of the X-Men franchise that has always been present is the seemingly carefree adaptation of the stories and characters. I understand the concept of adapting. I know not everything can be translated from the source material to the screen. And that sometimes to make stories gel, especially from sequel to sequel, necessary changes sometimes have to be made in order to serve the overall narrative. But with the X-Men films, most pointedly with X-Men Origins: Wolverine and then onto X-Men: First Class certain characters and certain stories can scarcely be considered shades of their comic book counterparts.
X-Men: First Class was a good film but nowhere near accurate to the source material. The Wolverine, while being quite a bit different from the source story, felt true to the feeling and inspiration of the comic book. Days of Future Past likewise felt as if Bryan Singer was reigning in the chaos of the previous wild adaptations and creating a more recognizable X-Men film universe. With Apocalypse it seems as if the story is regressing to a more freestyle adaptation. It works for the film and is not a bad thing at all. But it becomes frustrating when one finally receives characters from the comics that they've been wishing for and hoping for and the film version's likeness is only skin deep.
What's more is that this particular franchise has been doing this to X-Men characters for over a decade. For myself, this is where the X-Men films remain good movies but stop short of becoming great movies (with a few exceptions of course). They've got the tools. They've got the talent. That's why it is so frustrating for me. While watching X-Men: Apocalypse (and other X-films) I experience this roller-coaster of feelings rising and falling between saying to myself "This is amazing!" and then saying "What the heck are they doing?"
THE VERDICT
X-Men: Apocalypse is another wonderful addition to the X-franchise. The new actors are great and there are some truly uncanny show stealing moments very few super hero films have matched. Comparing it to the other films in the series it is one of the stronger films in the franchise. I'd say I enjoyed Days of Future Past only slightly better. I look forward to seeing where the series goes from here especially seeing more from Cyclops, Jean, Nightcrawler, Storm, and the rest of the new cast.
Overall Ranking: 6 out of 10
(above average. worth the price)
For more X-Men check out these reviews below
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