X-Men: Apocalypse
Erik: "Who are you?"
Apocalypse: "Elohim, Pushan, Ra - I've been called many names over many lifetimes. I am born of death. I was there to spark and fan the flame of man's awakening, to spin the wheel of civilization. And when the forest would grow rank and needed clearing for new growth, I was there to set it ablaze."
release year: 2016
genre: superhero action
viewing setting: hospital bed 4/16/21 and home Bluray 8/8/17 and 10/23/16 and 10/4/16
synopsis: A really powerful mutant awakens after thousands of years, and is determined to destroy and rebuild the world that way he wants it.
impressions: Well, this shows the most powerful foe the X-Men have ever faced. In addition to a variety of his own superpowers, he can also increase other mutants' powers. His basic idea is that humans have built an inferior world which needs to be destroyed; his secondary idea is that the strongest mutants will survive and ally with him. And so he chooses four of them and persuades them to join his cause. This one was huge in scope and the threat sure felt a lot more real than in any of the first three X-Men movies. There were a LOT of different characters running around, and some good superhero battles.
something this movie has that no other movie has: A Great Pyramid collapsing.
post-credits scene: Evil scientists collecting material from the Weapon X laboratory.
acting: There are a lot of characters here, so I once again have to try and focus on the ones who made the most memorable impressions. Michael Fassbender has a big role is the conflicted but powerful Erik/Magneto; he really tried to live a normal life, but regular humans ruined it and now he's pissed. Jennifer Lawrence is in total good-guy mode now, aiding and abetting (and sometimes inspiring) other mutants. Oscar Isaac is the big villain, and consistently acts as a superior being would; other people are as insects to him. James McAvoy as Xavier has a central role but actually gets less to do than most of the others. Tye Sheridan is new as the young Cyclops, who is still learning to control his destructive powers; ditto for Sophie Turner as Jean Grey with her mental powers. Olivia Munn is a weird ninja-chick with a real sword and an energy sword. Kodi Smit-McPhee is the teleporting Nightcrawler. Alexandra Shipp is the young Storm, who's still figuring out her allegiance. Ben Hardy is Angel, who's a bad guy this time.
final word: As with the last movie, this was a welcome breath of fresh air for the franchise.
back to the main review page