This week I went to see the next instalment in the X-Men prequels. I had mixed expectations. Originally I was a huge fan of the original series, having grown up on the cartoon, but upon re-watching they really haven’t held up. With the prequels, I loved the simplicity of First Class, but was a bit overwhelmed by the complexity of Days of Future Past.
And so we arrive at Apocalypse.
We spend a lot of the film following around exciting ‘new’ characters, such as a young Jean Grey and Scott Summers who true fans would be giddy and excited to see. I was a little disappointed by Sophie Turners performance as Jean Grey. It felt stilted and forced at times, with a lot of pouting, not the kick ass Jean Grey I’m used to seeing. This was partly saved in the third act, in a dramatic showdown that I won’t spoil except to say it involved a lot of fire.
And so we arrive at Apocalypse.
We spend a lot of the film following around exciting ‘new’ characters, such as a young Jean Grey and Scott Summers who true fans would be giddy and excited to see. I was a little disappointed by Sophie Turners performance as Jean Grey. It felt stilted and forced at times, with a lot of pouting, not the kick ass Jean Grey I’m used to seeing. This was partly saved in the third act, in a dramatic showdown that I won’t spoil except to say it involved a lot of fire.
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The rest of the new cast were ok, Scott Summers was incredibly emo, not the cool guy jock that James Marsden showed us in the original trilogy, but the new Storm, played by Alexandra Shipp was a nice breath of fresh air, adding much need oomph in to Apocalypse’s team.
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The original crew from First Class were also back, James McEvoy as an always idealistic Charles Xavier, Jennifer Lawrence as a confused Raven torn between Xavier and of course Magneto, played by the always excellent Michael Fassbender, who particularly excels in a heart-breaking sequence midway through the second act. It’s odd to me just how much they’ve amped up his tragic back history, as someone who followed the cartoons but never the comic books, his character becomes more and more heart-breaking with every film, making it hard for me to match it with the wickedly fun Magneto played by Ian McKellen in the first trilogy.
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Of course my favourite character, like many others, was the amazing Quicksilver, who stole the show in Days of Future Past, back again for another amazing slow motion sequence which made me giggle with joy.
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The storyline is interesting, a little long at parts, but this means it can set up the elaborate third act successfully. Overall a great watch, but not one I think I’ll be rushing to watch again.
What I should of mentioned at the start, is the darker more mature tones the film took. In an age of films like Batman Vs Superman, where directors desperately try to reach a grown up mood, Apocalypse seemed to do this almost effortlessly, without me being forced to watch sequence after sequence of Clark Kent and Lois Lane dramatically staring in the rain (God I hate Zack Snyder). Plus the death count was at at least 50 within the first ten minutes. If anyone has the official death count, please send it this way.
What I should of mentioned at the start, is the darker more mature tones the film took. In an age of films like Batman Vs Superman, where directors desperately try to reach a grown up mood, Apocalypse seemed to do this almost effortlessly, without me being forced to watch sequence after sequence of Clark Kent and Lois Lane dramatically staring in the rain (God I hate Zack Snyder). Plus the death count was at at least 50 within the first ten minutes. If anyone has the official death count, please send it this way.
All in all fun, mature and engaging.
4 stars.
(NOTE: There’s a pretty awesome cameo as well. You all know who it is. Yay!)
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