Review of X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) by Lone_Wolf_Sones — 06 Aug 2016

X-men Apocalypse is a decent follow up to the events of First Class and Days of Future Past even if it doesn't quite reach the same bar as its predecessors. The film does take some time to get rolling but I felt invested in most of the characters that were on the screen. This is because First Class and Days of Future past did such a wonderful job of setting certain characters up. McAvoy and Fassbender reprise their roles as Professor X and Magneto. Their chemistry is still strong and a great source of emotional investment. Jennifer Lawrence returns as Raven (Mystique) along with other familiar faces like Beast, Havoc, and Quicksilver. Quicksilver once again has a wonderful scene and I would go so far as to say it may even be better than the one in DoFP.

The villain Apocalypse is imposing and feels like a proper threat. To avoid spoilers, as the movie progresses the stakes are exponentially raised. His ensemble of disciples or 'four horsemen' so to speak are just kind of there and seem like they exist because the plot demands it. The only character of these four that receives any form of proper characterization is Fassbender's Magneto. The additions of characters like Angel, Psylocke and Storm feel a bit like they were thrown together in a hurry. Psylocke and Jubilee in particular felt entirely wasted.

Nightcrawler along with Quicksilver add some nice moments of levity. This levity balances out the destruction that happens elsewhere in the film. The score and visual effects are quite nice as well.

Apocalypse overall is a flawed but enjoyable film.