Review - Matt Mungle
*In theaters May 27th*
Synopsis: With the emergence of the world's first mutant, Apocalypse, the X-Men must unite to defeat his extinction level plan.
I should start off by saying that I am not a super fan of the X-MEN franchise. We have seen several films so far and none of them seem to leave the comfortable nest of the one before it. There seems to be the need to reintroduce all the characters - and there are a lot of them - and show us how they are angst filled mutants trying to come to terms with their abilities. Ok, we get it. We know. Now how about letting them do something for a change. In this one we are introduced to a very solid and formidable foe in Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac). That should be the spring board for a superb action packed experience. But alas most of the 2-Hours and 20-Minutes is again spent regurgitating all the same dialogue and character interaction as the past two films.
Perhaps we need this one to have the older versions of X-MEN instead of journeying into the earlier years. The studio may feel that this ensemble cast has more box office appeal to teens (a fair argument) but even they seem bored with the script and disconnected from anything happening on screen. Thank the maker for Michael Fassbender who returns as Magneto. His performance is the only thing close to meaningful or engaging. If this had been thought out better it could easily have been a powerful story of his journey.
Again, the Apocalypse character is creative and powerful. It is hard to find any fault in him or Oscar Isaac's performance. When he is on screen the tension increases and the viewer immediately perks up. Also Quicksilver (Evan Peters) offers us a nice dose of quick wit. But these too get lost in the myriad of other stuff. And in a move that is this long you need more than glimpses of greatness.
If you want nothing more than to see your favorite characters hanging out then by all means enjoy. They are all here and ready to walk around and talk about things. Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), Beast (Nicholas Hoult), The Professor (James McAvoy), Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Havok (Lucas Till), Storm (Alexandra Shipp), Angel (Ben Hardy), NIghtcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee); it is like a Wrestle-mania for super heroes. Except no one is willing to risk a leap off the top rope.
The graphics are fine but you will have seen better. I walked out of the movie liking it more than I thought I would but for a film of this magnitude that is not enough. It should blow you away and not lull you to sleep. Bryan Singer is a competent director but there is only so much you can do with the script and story. But since Bryan co-wrote the story he can't be held unaccountable. Nor can screenplay writer Simon Kinberg.
X-Men: Apocalypse is rated PG-13 for sequences of violence, action and destruction, brief strong language and some suggestive images. It is on par with all the other Marvel/SuperHero movies and the content is expected but not shocking. I give it 2.5 out of 5 cheap sunglasses. This franchise totally needs a reboot and to step up to the Marvel name.
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