Producer: Fox Movies
Writers: Simon Kinberg, Bryan Singer, Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris
Director: Bryan Singer
Featuring: James McAvoy, Michael Fasbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Oscar Isaac, Rose Byrne, Evan Peters, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Kodi-Smit McPhee, Olivia Munn, Ben Hardy, Alexandra Shipp
Release Date: OUT NOW!

X-Men: Apocalypse lives up to its name. It’s the end of plotlines, characterization and, hopefully, the franchise. Struggling with a convoluted storyline, a boring villain and wasted potential, X-Men: Apocalypse has little to recommend it. What does it say about a movie when a badly animated 1990s cartoon is much more engaging and fun?

After Rip Van Apocalypse/En Sabah Nur (Oscar Isaac) wakes after thousands of years the villain decides mankind must be cleansed and a new order erected to replace it. Meanwhile, as Apocalypse awakens, Eric Lehnsherr/Magneto’ turns bad again, just in time for the movie. He becomes one of En Sabah Nur’s Horseman, along with Psylocke (Olivia Munn), Storm (Alexandra Shipp) and Angel (Ben Hardy). Why have they joined Apocalypse? There’s no characterization for them at all, so who can say?

Also, coincidentally, Scott Summers joins Xavier’s school so he can learn to control his power and fall in love with Jean Grey (Sophie Turner). And showing up to help is Mystique/Raven (Jennifer Lawrence), who finds Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and brings him to the school.

Lacking suspense X-Men: Apocalypse lurches forward spending most of its time introducing characters without explaining them. When the big fight finally comes there’s plenty of action but the solution seems at odds with the premise that is unbeatable.

Overall this movie is dull, meaningless and trite, X-Men: Apocalypse lowers the bar for superhero movies. Apocalypse Now? Hardly……..

 

 

Reviewer: Joe Lovece
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker