X-Men: Apocalypse

Bryan Singer’s X-Men: Apocalypse is the eighth installment of 20^th Century Fox’s X-Men film series, following on from Bryan Singer’s X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), which used a time travel plot to establish a new timeline for the films, consequently making the original trilogy mostly irrelevant to the series’ continuity. As the third film in the series’ prequel trilogy, the film takes place in the 1980s, when En Sabah Nur/Apocalypse – the first mutant, self-proclaimed god and one of the most powerful villains in the X-Men stories – awakes after millennia of hibernation and sets out to use the most powerful mutants to take over the world. The film recasts and reintroduces the characters from the original X-Men trilogy, particularly Jean Grey, Cyclops, Storm and Nightcrawler.

One might ask why X-Men: Apocalypse takes place as part of a prequel trilogy rather than starring the original main cast and following on in the ‘not too distant future’. More specifically, why are the X-Men fighting Apocalypse, one of their biggest baddies, in the past rather than at the latest chronological point? Aside from the fact that many of the original cast didn’t sign on for the project, Bryan Singer’s goal was to make an origin story for the X-Men team. Since the original trilogy is basically irrelevant now, this film in fact does take place at the latest point, although one’s question remains whether the X-Men fought Apocalypse in the 80s of the original continuity of their cinematic universe and never mentioned it. Regardless, an advantage to Singer’s idea is that it has the opportunity to better introduce those characters that were underdeveloped if not blank slates in the first film.

The actors playing Scott Summers/Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) and Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee) are likeable. In contrast to his adult depictions of supposed leadership skills, Cyclops is seen with a great deal of vulnerability with the manifestation and lack of control of his powers, and with being a newcomer to Xavier’s school, but with a hint of attitude. Jean’s general expressiveness is generally simplistic, having nuances of defensiveness and fear, and her character seems quite brave and smart, she tells Scott off a couple times, and the film intends a kind of close relationship between her and Xavier, though it’s barely fleshed out beyond a couple of scenes. At first Jean appears mildly annoyed at Scott’s clumsiness (even though he is essentially blind at the time). One gets the general idea that the two don’t get along at first, which, considering that Jean and Cyclops are supposed to become a couple, is yet another romantic subplot where the two people who don’t like each other eventually end up together, if not similar. Nightcrawler is probably one of the characters that fans have most wanted to see again since Bryan Singer’s X2 (2003). These three characters are all pretty simplistic, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and in Nightcrawler’s case his simplicity as a friendly nervous fish out of water makes him very likeable. The trio forms the main body of a small social group, which is nice to see, and they appear to be a functional and proactive team when push comes to shove. The movie also introduces Jubilee (Lana Condor) as a minor character, with a design recognisable from the comic books and TV show, and part of the students’ little social group.

The returning cast stars James McAvoy, who gives an effortful portrayal of a younger Charles Xavier/Professor X as a kindly, idealistic, brave and supportive figure and educator, with some moments of humour here and there. Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto (Michael Fassbender) is given an arc in the story that shows him as a sympathetic and more especially humanised character before transitioning into a tragic villain, and Fassbender’s performance illustrates this greatly through gentility, intensity and vengeance. Strangely, Mystique’s go-to disguise in the prequels is that of, well, Jennifer Lawrence, which she adopts throughout most of the film. It is mentioned why she doesn’t appear in her default blue form more often, or in any other disguise like in previous films, but the explanation is brief. This seems illogical for a shapeshifter to do when she’s apparently on the run. There are times when the character has some semblance of expressiveness, particularly in action scenes, and one doesn’t deny the character has some appealing qualities, but the subtly aggressive facial seriousness could be seen as somewhat of a niche in Lawrence’s acting style.

Hank McCoy/Beast (Nicholas Hoult), while appearing friendly and smart, has arguably little focus on him. In the comics, Hank’s blue beastly appearance is alterable but a permanent part of his character, a challenge because he looks different in a society where many discriminate against mutants. In this movie, and in X-Men: Days of Future Past, Hank can go in and out of his mutant form; so one of his central character traits is absent in the adaptation, frankly making him less relatable. One particular line of dialogue in the film makes him sound like a less uncontrollable Hulk more than Beast. Rose Byrne gives a wide-eyed performance as Xavier’s old flame Moira, the character basically serving as an intelligent investigator and informer nearer the beginning and maintaining a supportive role here and there in the second act. Lucas Till also returns to his role as Alex Summers/Havok, though it is quite hard to recognise him from Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class (2011), at least at first glance. He serves to introduce his younger brother Cyclops to Xavier’s school. Fun fact: in the comics, it is Cyclops who is the older brother of Havok, but that may be nitpicking to criticise. Certainly not least on this list of mentions is the return of Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver (Evan Peters), known as Pietro Maximoff in the comics, who is easily one of the best parts of the movie. With a cool personality and humorous super-speed segments, this character is good for some funny moments.

One might infer that the major muscular mutant villain Apocalypse would have a deep voice, but Oscar Isaac conveys it much colder. Surprisingly, this works rather well as it contributes to a somewhat frightening portrayal of the character. There are moments when the voice artificially deepens too, which contrasts to denote his strength and power as well as calm ruthlessness and influence. His physical performance makes the character look dignified and authoritative, as well as acting subtly threatening. The design of the character takes a deal of inspiration from the comics – not as ridiculously muscular, but dark, imposing, and even having hints of technological parts on his armour. Joining Magneto as Apocalypse’s four “Horsemen” is weather-manipulating Storm (Alexandra Shipp), psychic fencer Psylocke (Olivia Munn), and winged teen Angel (Ben Hardy), known as Archangel in the comics usually when in Apocalypse’s service or possessing metal wings instead of feather ones. The four are supposedly representative of war, famine, pestilence and death, though they don’t seem to be specifically catered to particular pseudo-biblical roles like in the comic books or cartoon show. Magneto never manipulates a country’s missiles, Storm controls the weather and doesn’t cause a hunger crisis, Psylocke has a psychic sword and katana and doesn’t inflict diseases, and Angel kills virtually no one. With the exception of Magneto, the Horsemen don’t seem to have much focus on them. The film shows them being initiated and gives brief suggestions of why they join Apocalypse’s team, Storm in particular, but there’s not as much time given to their characters to give them identities outside of the way they look and their basic personality traits. That said, they work well as adversaries to the X-Men, the actors’ physical and facial performances are fine, and their character designs stand out.

One thing the audience might notice is this film has some gruesome moments compared to other X-Men films, with characters onscreen being crushed or contorted, blood splatter, and the way Apocalypse uses his molecular manipulation to some horrific effects. There are some action scenes here and there, which are entertaining in their own right, but the best is easily the climactic battle. The fight choreography and camera use gives a sense of intensity, the editing is nothing to complain about, the stakes are high, opponents are more or less matched against each other, and it has a number of exciting moments. While one might feel that it may be drawn out just a little, it is a thoroughly entertaining battle with fantastic effects and its resolution is amazing!

A major positive of this film is its powerful score by John Ottman. The music could be viewed as grand to the point of manipulative, making scenes so immersive that even the obligatory Stan Lee cameo becomes a serious role as opposed to the usual funny moment when the audience can point him out. The film has a colourful design; all the characters stand out visually and colour grading changes depending on location to set different moods.

The overall story is okay. It raises the stakes with one of the X-Men’s most powerful villains. Its heroes are simple but likeable. The plot is essentially based around the heroes responding to the emergence of the villain, but it has some dramatic plot points that make for some good ideas for interesting scenarios or challenges. There are a couple of clichéd lines, such as “people fear what they don’t understand”, but mostly the dialogue works well, distinguishing characters, allowing for dramatic scenes with some memorable quotes, and having its fair share of funny lines.

As an experience, X-Men: Apocalypse is thoroughly enjoyable. It has plenty of emotional, funny and dramatic moments. The writing has imagination to it. As an origin story for the team, it does well at introducing the collective, though the individuals have mixed success, but the film makes an attempt and a good start for future installments. The acting is generally good. The visual style is inviting. The visual design allows the environments and characters to stand out. The action is fun with great tension, and the music is gorgeously powerful. It is a fantastic movie for superhero fans, worth watching for its spectacle, and one is excited to see what the filmmakers will bring next time.