X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Oscar Isaac, Rose Byrne, Evan Peters, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Written by: Simon Kinberg
Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 hr. 24 min
Two Cents:
X-Men: Apocalypse, is not without its problems, but I still found it a serviceable and somewhat entertaining installment in the franchise. Oscar Isaac is wasted as your standard issue two dimensional Marvel super-villain looking to destroy the world, and there are some pacing issues during the final moments of the film.
The movie is also a touch long at nearly two and a half hours, and takes a weird detour about half way through to give fans another Wolverine sighting. Though, while I thought it was pointless, the moment did receive a round of applause from the crowded theater I was in, so go figure.
Where X-Men: First Class is a great film in its own right (regardless of what came before and afterward), Apocalypse simply works as a decent franchise filler. It takes all the established characters and best elements from the prior two movies, and simply turns up the volume. There’s nothing especially notable about this last installment, but when the ‘big’ moments land, they do so with style.
Movie Prep:
It’s pretty simple really, if you enjoyed Days of Future Past, you’ll probably enjoy this too. It’s not in the same league as First Class, but works as a big summer movie spectacle.
Favorite Moment: << spoiler! >>
Most people’s favorite moment in Days of Future Past was Quicksilver’s kitchen scene (mine too). So it shouldn’t be a surprise to find something similar attempted in Apocalypse. Silver’s run around Xavier’s exploding mansion to Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics, for me at least, was the highlight of the film.
