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    X-Men: Apocalypse

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    There’s plenty to like in “X-Men: Apocalypse” but at the same time, this newest chapter in the saga stumbles at points, particularly when you compare it to the very strong instalments that came right before it. You still have great, multi-layered characters; complex emotions and drama to make you care about who is going to make it out alive… but this villain the X-Men are up against? He’s weak.

    You saw him foreshadowed at the end of “Days of Future Past” and now he has awoken again. The ancient (some say the first) mutant, En Sabah Nur (Oscar Isaac) seeks to empower mutantkind and set himself as ruler of the world by bringing about the apocalypse. Can the X-Men (James McAvoy as Professor Charles Xavier, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Nicholas Hoult as Beast, Tye Sheridan as Cyclops, Sophie Turner as Jean Grey) take down this superpowered being and his four horsemen?

    One of my favourite things about the X-Men franchise is that from the very beginning, it’s been it’s own thing. No yellow and blue costume for Wolverine, no magical gem of Cyttorak for Juggernaut, no aliens for Scott Summers to breed with. When “X-Men” was released in 2000, superhero movies were just starting, many liberties were taken with the source material. I figured it was only a matter of time before superhero movies got big and these changes would ensure that this franchise has its own identity. Now look at it. We’ve been through all kinds of adventures together. Professor Xavier, Magneto, Mystique, Wolverine, Jean Grey and the rest are like family. We’ve seen them through the good and the bad. Even characters with small roles (such as Colossus) have been given chances to shine so when someone is put in peril, you are genuinely worried. The same applies here. I’m going to dig into some criticisms in a bit, but no matter what bothered me about this story, I still think it’s a good film because there is weight to the characters’ actions. Even when villainous characters such as Angel (Ben Hardy) do bad things, they still feel like real people/mutants due to the time dedicated to character development.

    My biggest issue with “X-Men Apocalypse” is the lead villain. Apocalypse is not an interesting character. Yeah he’s got some cool powers, the 4 mutants he surrounds himself with ooze with awesomeness, the special effects-ladden action sequences look great… but he’s too evil, too powerful and shallow. His objective is to destroy the entire world. Do you think he’s going to get away with it? I know in most movies the bad guys don’t win, but here, it’s all or nothing. There’s no hope of converting him like you would if Magneto was behind this scheme. If the X-men’s plan to defeat him was to gouge out his eyes and break his legs, then shove him into a blender, you’d have no moral quandary about it. The destruction, the death toll is so intense that it becomes alien. We’re not talking about a metaphor for racism or homophobia anymore. It’s not a cautionary tale about letting humanity’s fear of the unknown go too far, it’s a generic sci-fi villain with no dreams or ambitions besides sinking Europe into the ocean and carving his face into Mount Rushmore.

    It’s hard to get over this villain and his evil scheme, but you can when you look at everything else in the movie. The characters you care about are back. This time, we also get an added bonus of several new characters, all of which are exciting. Have you been itching to see Nightcrawler again? Or to finally see Psylocke? How about Jubilee? You’ll be overjoyed. Even if it’s just for a second, their inclusion means they’ll be back later (assuming they don’t die here) and you’ll get a rich experience by witnessing them change after witnessing the events of this film. “Apocalypse” is among the weaker films in the series, but it’s still set in a rich world.

    No matter what flaws there may be with “X-Men: Apocalypse”, you look at what’s good and it tips the scales in the film’s favour. There’s great action, dynamic characters, a rich world, a talented cast of actors, your old favorites and fresh new material as well. Let’s just hope that this is a minor slip up and that the series will get back on its feet. I’m certain that it will. (Theatrical version on the big screen, May 28, 2016)

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    adamwatchesmovies@  3.6.2016 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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