Sunday, 29 May 2016

X-Men: Apocalypse (Review) - Fun, but Flawed

The second-most anticipated superhero blockbuster of the Summer has arrived in the form of X-Men: Apocalypse. Following on from the previous instalment, Days of Future Past, this sequel introduces us to the titular character teased in the post-credits sequence of the last X-Men movie: Apocalypse.

Ostensibly the “first mutant”, Apocalypse (Oscar Isaacs) is woken from a deep slumber by some devout followers, and soon learns that the world is a very different place from the one he left behind. Soon, this seemingly unstoppable figure vows to rid the world of the systems that chastise his mutant brethren, and create a new utopia for all the gifted individuals to coexist within. However, once Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) learns of Apocalypse’s existence, he fears that allowing him to carry out his plan would mean the end for not only mutants, but the Earth itself.

So you’ve got a villain who cannot be beaten, and a group of heroes who plan to stop him – sounds pretty straightforward and, frankly, boring; right? Well, not quite. While this is certainly the overall plot of the film, X-Men: Apocalypse takes an unfathomable amount of time to get to where it needs to in order to pit these two forces against one another. I understand that it’s important to establish the stakes of the situation, and introduce the new characters to the X-Men roster, but there comes a point when you completely forget how much you’re meant to care about what’s going on. The problem with this movie, is that it wants to tell you so much information, you end up not really caring about most of it.

I say most, because there are still some strong moments throughout the film’s lengthy 2-and-a-half-hour run-time. The villain of Apocalypse is genuinely interesting and formidable, especially when his powers are shown to their full effect. Without spoiling anything, there’s a moment at which he practically blinks, and suddenly an entire room of people are reduced to nothing more than dust – it’s pretty impressive stuff. This raises issues, though: if he has the power to instantly kill anything before him, why is there a final confrontation at all? Obviously, you can’t just kill-off the main players, because then you wouldn’t have a franchise, but it’s difficult to really fear an enemy that miraculously forgets what powers he has.

Some of the other mutants’ powers are equally enjoyable to witness, despite Apocalypse stealing the show. Like the previous X-Men film, the character of Quicksilver has a lengthy scene devoted entirely to showcasing his abilities, and it’s arguably even more entertaining than that of Days of Future Past. Some of the newcomers to this prequel franchise, like Nightcrawler, are also introduced successfully and play a key role in the film’s often meandering plot. Unfortunately, not everybody’s abilities are explained enough to make you want to care when you are supposed to. Again, I’ll try not to spoil anything, but there’s a moment towards the film’s conclusion that is meant to act as a dramatic reveal for one of the main protagonists, but I found it difficult to really engage with what I was seeing.



Verdict

There’s not really much more to say about X-Men: Apocalypse. It has definitely been judged too harshly by critics, but it’s also difficult to defend it in terms of quality and value – both of your time and money. There’s a fan-favourite cameo that’ll likely be enjoyed by those who have followed the franchise from its beginning, but that’s not really enough to recommend it. Basically, if you’ve seen every other X-Men movie, then there’s no harm in checking this one out, too. If not, then there’s not much point starting here. A line from the film, which is intended to poke fun at the previous trilogy, puts it best: “At least we can agree that the third is the worst.”

"You are my children, and you are lost because you follow blind leaders. 
No more false gods. I am here now." 

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