Movie Review 033 X-Men Apocalypse [May 27 2016]

X-Men Apocalypse [052716] 3.5/5

- 48%/ 74%, 7.5/10, 52, 7.2, wiki, official -

Since the dawn of civilization, he was worshiped as a god. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel's X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance.

(Director Bryan Singer [X2, X-Men First Class & Days of Future Past], Writer Simon Kinberg [X-Men franchise], Budget $178 Millions = Box Office $141.8>> Millions, Duration 2hrs 24mns, Rating PG-13, Genre - Action Adventure, Fantasy, Mutants, X-Men Cinematic Universe, Science Fiction)

"An imperfect reintroduction into the world of the X-Men in its infancy with the standout characters old and new facing the first mutant in a movie both entertaining and heartrending at the same time, despite how jumpy and uneven the journey was." 

+/- Perfect introduction of almost all of the new mutants as well as the new younger iteration of some of existing X-Men but with a quite a number of glaring exceptions that is only at the surface level without enough screen time or line, with ample time given to the new backbone X-Men characters but not as much on the eventual horsemen (i.e. Scott Summers compared to Psylocke)
+/- An imposing figure with a menacing presence portrayed perfectly by Oscar Isaac although the on-screen portrayal could still have its detractors while the reluctant hero, Mystique, could brought upon the issue of Jennifer Lawrence's performance rather than the character's conflicted mindset
+ A welcome return to the Xavier's school with the gifted children proudly in display but just not long enough especially with the short change of the new mutants in the spotlight and the exclusion of their scene altogether that could have served the characters better although they are wonderfully casted and performed (i.e. the awkward Nightcrawler and the laidback Quicksilver)
+ Continuity of the previous two films' story between the two main characters with the emotional stakes of Magneto against the optimism of Professor X with the life full of hope trying to support the life full of tragedy as both actors, Fassbender & McAvoy were at the top of their game
+/- Great balance of tone with the lighter moments complimenting the heavy dramas although the focus between the heroes and the villains favored the former more than the latter who is taking a backseat in the storytelling by not giving much needed information to the audiences (i.e. how the horsemen were dressed & what their roles were) although the continuity of the series' plots and some of the characters' motivations would leave a lot to be desired (i.e. Magneto's reason to help the X-Men in the end & the inclusion of Moira)
+/- While the end fight sequence would leave the audiences divisive in its execution, the personified mind battle was really engaging and tense and acted as a nice contrast to the physical fights in the real world and although the combined collaborative efforts of all the X-Men could only keep the literal god at bay, the awakening of Jean Grey's hidden power is the decisive blow in killing him as well as a foreshadowing of the next chapter in the saga
+ Highlights: the rather thrilling opening scene or introduction of Apocalypse and his horsemen, the well executed cage fight of the two new mutants, the tragic execution of Erik Lehnsherr, Weapon X's reveal, Quicksilver's now signature scene at Xavier's school, the divisive final fight, the reveal of the Phoenix & the final lineup of the brand new X-Men with their stylish designs & colourful costumes
- Lowlights: the accidental release of Apocalypse by Moira, the exclusion of the mall scene & the divisive final fight