As the title Apocalypse applies, the stakes are greater than ever before, and director Brian Singer's cast of mutants is larger than ever before, outnumbering even the group featured in Captain America: Civil War. The film begins a decade after the events of Days of Future Past, where Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) has turned his School for Gifted Children into a thriving environment. Quick and effective backstories are given for young versions of Scott Summers (Tye Sheridan) and Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), who will go on to become Cyclops and Phoenix, respectively. Meanwhile in Poland, we catch up with Magneto (Michael Fassbender), who has assumed a new identity and enjoys a quiet life with his wife and daughter. Unfortunately, a careless act gives away his true identity and forces him to go on the run. And finally, CIA agent Moira McTaggart (Rose Byrne) investigates a cult in Egypt whose activities awaken a long dormant, God-like mutant named Apocalypse (Oscar Issac). After spending a little time catching up on history, Apocalypse deduces that humanity has wrecked the Earth, and he and his followers must purge it of humanity to "start over."
Apocalypse has a central narrative thrust, but it also spends ample time introducing new characters and fleshing out their personalities. With only 2 1/2 hours to work with, however, some of these are explored with more depth than others. Unsurprisingly, the strongest subplot is Magneto's, which is laced with tragedy and nuance that actor Michael Fassbender flawlessly brings to life. The new versions of Cyclops and Jean Grey also score high marks, as both actors offer more sympathetic portrayals than those of James Marsden and Famke Jansen in the original films. And Quicksilver (Evan Peters) is back as well with another showstopping slow-motion sequence (this time saving people from a burning mansion). Finally, while Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) indeed appears in what amounts to an extended cameo, his presence is much more effectively integrated into the story than Spiderman in Civil War or Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman.
Unfortunately, not every mutant shines. Surprisingly, the movie's most glaring flaw is the main villain. Apocalypse is certainly all-powerful, and there's certainly suspense as to exactly how the X-Men can defeat him, but the character himself is flat, uncharismatic, and poorly motivated. A physically overpowering villain of this stature deserves some pizazz along the lines of a Darth Vader or a Bane. But as played here, Apocalypse utters not a single line you can quote with any pleasure. Why bother hiring a man of Oscar Issac's considerable talent if you're not going to let him loose like in Ex Machina (or hell, even his small role in The Force Awakens)? Plus, his reasons for wanting to destroy the world aren't nearly as well-developed as they could be (it's confined to one scene of him "reading" human history through a television). This is where a miniseries could've fleshed out both him and his underused minions including Psylocke (Olivia Munn), Angel (Ben Hardy), and a young Storm (Alexandra Shipp). As is, of his Four Horsemen, only Magneto has a compelling reason to turn to evil.
In past X-Men films, the Civil Rights allegory played as much a role as the action. Of all superhero series, this one has done the best job with addressing the tension between a superpowered class of people and the rest of human society. The last two films in particular integrated mutants within historical events in very clever ways. Sadly, this aspect is on the back-burner in Apocalypse, and that's unfortunate given that this series' competitors are finally introducing political material. Here, the movie mentions that tensions have cooled but doesn't pursue this idea in any detail. This doesn't wreck Apocalypse by any means but it keeps the movie on a lower plane than most of its predecessors.
The problems with Apocalypse are larger than what we've seen before (excepting The Last Stand, the unquestionable runt of the litter), but the movie nevertheless soars in plenty of places. The action sequences, including the aforementioned Quicksilver sequence and a mutant-on-mutant skirmish late in the film, deliver the punch fans come to expect. Singer also delivers a strong sense of spectacle, especially in one scene involving a huge-scale nuclear launch. And the final confrontation with Apocalypse, though slightly contrived, cleverly involves Professor X in the action. Unlike Batman v Superman, these characters (excepting the main villain) are easy to connect with and enjoyable to spend time around. The momentum never flags, resulting in a faster-paced 2 1/2 hours than you might expect.
For anyone who enjoys the X-Men series, Apocalypse delivers the goods. It won't convert a non-believer and it doesn't do anything to transcend the superhero genre, but it fills a niche and gives us an appealing new cast to move forward with. But as the fourth superhero movie in four months, fatigue may become inevitable with some viewers. This outing needs a tighter focus and a better villain to rise above the pack. As it stands, however, Apocalypse still delivers an energetic, well-paced spectacle for its entire running length. For many who enjoy this type of movie, that's about what you can reasonably ask for.
Rating: *** (out of ****)
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