Justin and I saw X-Men: Apocalypse on May 29, 2016! This movie is epic in every sense of the word! It was an excellent addition to the X-Men franchise. In my opinion, the X-Men: First Class trilogy is the best trilogy in comic book movie history. The movie had a great mix of story & intense, dark action that was perfect for the tone of the movie.
Apocalypse is one of the biggest threats in the X-Men universe. He has caused so much destruction around the world. He's not somebody that is just against humans. He's against anybody that he deems weak, which includes mutants. The premise of the movie focuses on the potential of all mutants and how powerful they can be. Oscar Isaac's work as Apocalypse was excellent. He is one of the best actors in the industry. His take on the character made him truly menacing. He knows how to manipulate those around him to follow commands. I like his speech about following blind leaders. Isaac really helped the audience to understand Apocalypse's motivation. He is an intimidating presence that has unlimited power, because of the souls he has amassed over the year. He's basically absorbed other powers to become a supreme mutant. That is the reason he has a mutated voice. It's the voices of all the souls. It's a fitting villain for a final movie in a trilogy. As he's marching with his Four Horsemen (Magneto, Storm, Psylocke, Archangel), you just feel intidimidated.
James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are incredible as Charles Xavier and Magneto. Fassbender's Magneto in general makes you understand his struggle with humanity. He has suffered so much pain since he was a boy. McAvoy's Xavier shows you his struggle with his message of helping humanity, but also shows his hope that mutants and humans can live together in harmony. By opening Xavier's School for Gifted Youth, he is trying to help mutants hone their abilities to help mankind. Their performances have deep layers and create complex characters that are interesting to study.
Sophie Turner's Jean Grey was really well done. Turner's performance showed the complexity of Jean Grey. We see how events around the world affect her. The movie shows that her power is truly unlimited and exceedingly dangerous. I really liked how the movie focused on the fact that she is the most powerful mutant in the X-Men universe. She's a Class 5 mutant, which is more powerful than Xavier. Her telepathy is on a different level. Jean Grey has always been one of my favorite characters. It was great in general to see young versions of X-Men characters we know like Cyclops, Storm, & Nightcrawler as well. I thought both Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, and Kodi Smit-McPhee did well with these roles. Sheridan shows a Cyclops that matures over time to become the leader of the X-Men. Shipp uses her respect for Mystique to make a difference. We watch how important Nightcrawler is in terms of saving the X-Men as well as his religious beliefs (which works really well for this movie based on the antagonist). It's also great to see more layers added to Nicholas Hoult's Beast. I also think Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique was developed better than ever here. Lawrence was on both sides of the fence here, ultimately choosing loyalty to Charles and Eric over everything. She also realizes the true potential of the X-Men. The whole movie is about realizing potential, so this is great. That's her journey-to accept her role as a mutant and a leader of the X-Men.
Some of the best scenes in comic book movie history are on display here. Apocalypse taking over Charles Xavier's mind, Quicksilver's rescue, Alkali Lake (great connection to X2 with a fun cameo by Wolverine), Apocalypse's formation of his Horsemen, the incredible telepathic battle between Xavier & Apocalypse, and the huge final battle between Jean Grey & Apocalypse (which results in a fun surprirse for fans that know what happens when Jean really taps into her power) are all incredibly well done. The battle scenes are brilliant. There is raw emotion in these scenes. You feel the emotion when Magneto looks into Raven (Mystique's) eyes. You see the physical and mental exhaustion on Xavier's face as he battles Apocalypse. Every scene flows well and creates an epic final battle which ultimately finds a way to incorporate each character well. Everybody gets a chance to shine in some ways. What you're seeing during this final battle is the true formation of the X-Men. Each member of the team is working together to take down a huge threat to the security of the world. It's incredible to watch.
The battle scenes loaded with intense, dark emotion, the complexity of each character, the performances of the cast, and the writing and directing by Bryan Singer make this one of the best movies of 2016, and one of the all time great comic book movies. It's an amazing movie capping off a tremendous trilogy. It's a definite 5/5 for me.
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