Review of X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) by Patrick L — 17 Aug 2016

"With a boring villain, too many characters and lack of focus in the story, "Apocalypse" is not one of the stronger "X-Men" entires.".

Movie Review: X-Men: Apocalypse.

Date Viewed: May 30 2016.

Directed By Bryan Singer (X-Men, X2: X-Men United, The Usual Suspects, Superman Returns, Jack the Giant Slayer and X-Men: Days of Future Past).

Screenplay By Simon Kinberg, Story By Bryan Singer, Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris and Simon Kinberg, Based on the Marvel Comics created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Issac,.

Nicholas Hoult, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan,.

Rose Byrne, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Lucas Till,.

Olivia Munn, Evan Peters, Alexandra Shipp,.

Josh Helman, Ben Hardy, Lana Condor and of course a cameo from Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.

Are the "X-Men" finally suffering from a case of franchise fatigue? I'm betting that's the case because "X-Men: Apocalypse" is not one of the stronger entries. With a boring villain, too many characters and lack of focus in the story, director Bryan Singer loses track on what made his "X-Men" franchise successful. This is Singer's fourth film in the franchise after "X-Men", "X2: X-Men United" and "X-Men: Days of Future Past", the latter two are considered by many as the best ones in the series. The most confusing aspect of the series is the timelines with some of the characters, Havok (Lucas Till) is probably now 36 or 37 and he has a teenage brother, Scott Summer/a.k.a. Cyclops (Tye Sheridan) and yet Havok hasn't aged at all, he still looks like a teenager. Not only is this movie overstuffed, even the action sequences feel less compelling this time around.

Returning players James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult are all back and they too haven't aged a day at all after the events of "Days of Future Past". "X-Men: Apocalypse" is set in 1983 (ten years after "Days of Future Past") where Erik Lehnsherr/a.k.a. Magneto (Fassbender) is trying to live a normal life in Poland with his wife and daughter. When he uses his powers to save a co-worker, he becomes exposed and tragedy strikes Erik when his wife and daughter are accidentally killed by a group Polish police officers.

Meanwhile in Cairo, Egypt, a powerful mutant named En Sabah Nur/a.k.a. Apocaylpse (Oscar Issac) has awakened from a long slumber and he is not pleased with the world's current status so he vows to cleanse Earth and the human race and built a better planet for himself. In his conquest for a better Earth, Apocalypse recruits four Horsemen to his cause, Ororo Munroe/a.k.a. Storm (Alexandra Shipp), Warren Worthington III/a.k.a. Angel (Ben Hardy), Psylocke (Olivia Munn) and Magneto.

Troubled by the disturbing events around the globe, Professor Charles Xavier (McAvoy) and Hank McCoy/a.k.a. Beast (Hoult) consult with their former ally, Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) who is now a CIA agent. Moira has researching on En Sabah Mur for quite some time now and she explains that he was worshipped as a mighty god thousands of years ago and he is the world's first mutant.

When Apocalypse kidnaps Xavier and destroys his school, McCoy and Raven/a.k.a. Mystique (Lawrence) recruit Charles' most gifted students, Summers (Sheridan), Jean Grey (Sophie Turner, of "Game of Thrones"), and Kurt Wagner/a.k.a. Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and travel to Cairo to stop Apocalypse who plans to transfer his consciousness into Xavier's body, if he does succeed, he will use the professor's telepathy powers to bring in all the mutants into his army.

Quicksilver (Evan Peters) is also along for the ride and he has another funny slow-motion action sequence but it felt bogged-down and too familiar. Oscar Issac is a terrific actor but all the charisma and compelling energy he had in "A Most Violent Year", "Inside Llewyn Davis", "Ex Machina" and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" has been stripped away. Heavily resembling a giant blue Smurf with metal armor and goth makeup, Apocalypse isn't the least bit interesting as a villain because he's another madman who wants to wipeout humanity and take over the world.

You have great actors here like Issac, McAvoy, Fassbender and Lawrence but don't have much to work with. However, Magneto's backstory in the beginning is really tragic and compelling.

Bryan Singer and his screenwriters including Simon Kinberg barely give the story any room to breathe and they devote most of the movie to Apocalypse's liberation of the world. Singer must have lots of interesting "X-Men" stories to tell but "Apocalypse" isn't one of them.