Review of X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) by Njchrispatrick — 30 May 2016

This movie's greatest asset was that its plot was well-defined from start to finish. There were a few 'bumps', such as the nature of Apocalypse's power transfer and his own backstory, but all-in-all it was carried across very well.

Unlike past movies, where focus was given to specific characters like Wolverine or Mystique, this one spread itself across a plethora of characters in excellent form. It also combined several subplots which developed alongside the main one; Jean's burdening powers, Storm's admiration for Mystique, Magneto's loss of his family, and Quicksilver's dilemma of telling the truth to Magneto. Apocalypse's views on the modern world were surprisingly developed, even the little details such as him needing to learn the modern language. While his motives and backstory were a tad weak, within the movie his desires were full, from wanting Xavier's powers as his own to his own narcissistic lack of care for his followers.

Unlike some of the past X-Men movies where the climax has been rushes or unsatisfactory this one pulled a complete home run with their rendition of the iconic "Rise of the Phoenix" element that was much awaited by fans of the original storylines. Sophie Turner managed to not just fill the shoes left by Famke Janssen, but also stand on her own as Jean Grey's storyline grew from what had been set in stone in previous movies.

The diversity of its characters was one of its strongest points. Even for those with minor roles there was depth and remarkably strong parallels to the original characters, from Nightcrawler, the inexperienced kid wanting to be accepted, to Storm, whose desire to be a hero overruled her loyalty to a cruel overlord. For what small elements it may have lacked in early beginning it made up for later on.

All in all, a truly remarkable movie and a perfect follow-up to the strong story of Days of Future Past. By far one of the best movies of the year.