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| Image Source: comingsoon.net |
As the first ever mutant re-emerges to extinguish modern
civilisation, the X-Men must unite to defeat him and his followers.
The plot of this film takes place ten years after the events
of Days of Future Past, at first such a large gap in the timeline surprised me
but it worked really well. There was just the right amount of references back
without letting past events get in the way of the present. This film is very
ambitious and attempts to both establish beloved X-Men characters and ‘check-in’
with key players. The film manages to pull this off very smoothly; I
specifically enjoyed the parts Jean Grey and Scott Summers aka ‘Cyclops’
played. Cyclops, a character I never paid much attention to in previous films,
really got a chance to shine with a developed personality and layered
character. The younger takes on ‘Storm’, ‘Nightcrawler’ and ‘Angel’ were also
great. A problem often encountered by X-Men films is how to fit in so many
powers within a story. The plot of this film manages to really make use of the
powers of characters and the wide ranges of characters are naturally
incorporated throughout. Again, Quicksilver was an absolute highlight of this
film. Completely topping that show stealing sequence from ‘Days of Future Past’
and becoming a key player in the mutant team, dishing out comic relief and
emotional investment in equal measure.
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| Image Source: chss.gmu.edu |
The final third of this movie is probably the most action
heavy of any previous X-Men film. The epic scale action is so well
choreographed and thanks to the continued focus on character and emotion, is
constantly interesting. However X-Men Apocalypse is not a perfect film, because
of the scale and number of characters, old and new, the plot requires a long
set up that left the first third feeling very long. But don’t tune out or judge
Apocalypse prematurely because the set up completely pays off by the end and
the plot comes together in a satisfying conclusion.
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| Image Source: comicbookmovie.com |
Besides slight nit-picking with set up my only other problem
with this X-Men was ‘Apocalypse’ himself. This mutant is thousands of years
old, worshipped as a god and long believed to be the most powerful. It’s always
interesting to see a villain that is a real test for the titular heroes but
more than anything ‘Apocalypse’ needed development before, as an audience member,
I really cared about his motives. It’s at this point that I can’t help but look
at past villains for comparison. The greatest antagonist in the X-Men universe
is ‘Magneto’. It’s the crucial mix of villainy and reasoning that makes an entertaining
villain. While the look, sound and power of Apocalypse was menacing, I could
never get on board with his character or understand his motives.
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| Image Source: comicbookmovie.com |
X-Men: Apocalypse is another excellent X-Men instalment by
Bryan Singer. Somehow it manages to feel fresh in a franchise of already six
films. The faithful re-imaginings of much loved characters work in a plot that
may take some lengthy set up but the pay-off is worth the wait. I’m looking
forward to watching it again.
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