Review of X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) by Electronick — 31 May 2016

"X-Men Apocalypse" is one of the most polarizing films I had seen in a long time. The things it does well is very inspired but everything it does wrong really drag it down to a mixed bag instead of a satisfying entry in the series.

For instance the titular villain Apocalypse was not that interesting. He is really nothing more than an obstacle for the X-Men to overcome instead of a compelling antagonist in his own right. Granted the character in the comics was also a generic villain but the film would have benefited from a needed update to give him more depth.

Oscar Issac does deserve credit by capturing a presence on screen but it is a real shame that the way his character was written was not that engaging. Aside from Magneto the rest of the horsemen were barely developed.

Storm in particular was very underutilized as her powers were only used to produce lightning instead of using the full power that she is known for. The reason for her inclusion to the Horsemen was rushed at best since her reasoning for joining the Horsemen was no where near developed as it could have been.

Angle has it worse since the original character tried to live up to his namesake but is guilty for committing human errors. The Angle in this film is a generic bad boy who is only there to be a rival for Nightcrawler.

Magneto's character arc was revolved way to quickly as he just helps the X-Men for the sake of convenience. There is also a subplot involving Wolverine which could have been cut from the film and it would not have made a difference.

It is obvious that he wasn't meant to be in this film but was thrown in at the last minute to satisfy the producers. Characters move back and forth like Jean Grey and Cyclops just fell for each other.

Nightcrawler is utilized well but he is barely given enough screen time and the death of Havoc felt like a cheap ploy instead of a carefully crafted tragedy. Despite these glaring issues there are some things it does really well.

The scenes with Magneto trying to reform was really well done. They were compelling to watch as he tries to fit into society and start anew as a family man in Poland. The death of his Wife and Daughter was heart-breaking and the tragedy was reinforced when the police officer showed genuine remorse for his action.

The scene with Quicksilver was the rare instance with lightning striking twice. The super speed is more impressive than in the previous film. James McAvoy is once again a great young Xavier and Jennifer Lawrence once again captures the essence of Mystique and even becomes a new leader for the X-Men.

I am not sure those elements are enough to save this film from mediocrity though since it is clear that this was not made with a singular vision. I would recommend this film to those who just want to see an action movie for the weekend but if you are a die-hard X-Men fan like I am than you are more likely to be dissapointed.