Review of X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) by Juan V — 17 Jan 2017

This rebooted X-Men franchise hasn't exactly been the most straightforward. I'm still unclear as to whether or not this new trilogy is to be tied into the original, though I will say this new trilogy has been executed far better. X-Men Apocalypse doesn't boast the strongest script, and certain usually strong actors are weakened because of it. For example, Oscar Isaac is a fantastic actor, and it's not that his performance was weak, I feel he did the best with his lines, it just seemed too generic. Who really hold the film down are easily James McAvoy (Charles Xavier) and Michael Fassbender (Magneto). The stand out performances from these help make the otherwise weak script much more bearable.

As for plot, well it goes through your normal super hero film plot lines. Super powerful villain introduced at beginning of movie, super powerful villain put into a long dormant slumber, introduce some of the main heroes and cast members, super powerful villain awakens and recruits members to help take over the world, heroes team up to take him down. Nothing special in terms of plot, and the CG is inconsistent. At times the CG looks great, and other times it looks kinda "meh".

At certain points, the movie seems to drag on and an over 2 hours and 20 minutes run time doesn't really help, however the action sequences really help it's case. Often times, movies have trouble when there are too many characters to focus on in one sequence, especially in super hero movies (unless you're Captain America Civil War) but Apocalypse does a decent job of producing action sequences in the film.

The biggest downfall of throwing together a group of heroes like the X-Men is that not alot of time was spent developing some of the newer characters, even some of the main protagonists.

All in all, I feel that X-Men Apocalypse was a mixed bag. There are definitely certain moments that are genuinely great, and certain parts that make you yawn. I feel that if you're an X-Men fan, you will enjoy this movie, but for just your average movie goer, this movie isn't really for you.