Nothing special here.
X-Men: Apocalypse is the latest superhero film in a year that has already seen one too many but don’t worry fans, this one will make money even though it’s a lumbering, paint by the numbers, special effects mess that might be the worst thing director Bryan Singer has ever made (and I’ve seen Jack the Giant Slayer).
You have to know where you stand when watching these movies. It’s not like the Marvel films owned by Disney where each one follows the next. Because this film is coming off the heels of the very good X-Men: Days of Futures Past, which cleverly used a time travel element to bridge the old and new series of films, this one solely uses the young and hipper cast. If you are wondering when Halle Berry will show up, keep wondering. The time travel plot device set in motion a few years ago gives the filmmakers a new chance to tell different X-Men stories. Too bad they took it for granted on this one because everyone gathered around to tell the rather boring story of an ancient mutant Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac, enjoying the money) and his recruitment of 4 horsemen (get it, 4 horsemen of the apoc…who cares) to destroy mankind.
Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) has opened and is running his school for the gifted, welcoming in new students, some of which will play a large part in the XMEN universe as well as, of course, become the new generation of breakout stars. Most important is that the film deals with the introduction of Jean (Sofie Turner) and Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), mutants with powers, that if we recall the first three X-MEN films, which hopfully prove interesting in future installments.
Enter Apocalypse, one of the most boring villains in recent screen history. End of Civilization? Please. Been there, done that. And out of the four recruits he hand picks, the only one given basically anything that resembles a good backstory is Magneto (Michael Fassbender). His story arc beginning with his life in Poland is the only one that had me interested. We can understand his hatred for humans and the motivations that caused him to become the villain we know. The others, Angel (Ben Hardy), Storm (Alexandre Shipp), and Psylocke (Olivia Munn) are wasted. They look good though. Eye Candy everywhere.
Tech credits are good but shouldn’t they be? I mean with a budget this big I want a good looking movie. I just hate it when movies are rushed into production just so they can make a release date. Summer is here, Lord help me.
