X-Men: Apocalypse

I feel like I start every movie review with a line about how, "I am a huge fan of X and it was one of the first comics I started reading". So I'm going to just skip my long history with the X-Men and just get right into what I thought about this movie. Spoilers ahead.

I've come to a realization with the past couple of comic book movies and I've decided the kind of comic book movie I like. I like a movie where there are low stakes. By that, I mean there is personal crisis for the main character, but it is not a world wide cataclysmic event. I don't need a movie about heroes trying to save the world. The personal stories that are more important to me. I know these movies cost a lot to make, but look at what Deadpool did. That movie encapsulates almost everything I want. It was personal, it was not about the end of the world and it remained within the confines of what it was.

Then there is this movie. Each X-Men movie has escalated to ridiculous portions in my opinion. I didn't hate the movie, but I didn't love it either. Like with most comic book movies, there are a lot of nerdy things I get. However, I really begin to think, "I may get this, but would a normal person get it?". The mark of a good movie is that it tells a good story without being exclusive. I do not hold on to an entitled belief that these movies are made for ME. I will not make the studio money. The masses will and these movies need to be accessible.

I don't think this movie is and I will go into some detail to explain what I mean. I am sorry, but you will see my using the phrase, "Checking a box". I mean this to say that there certain items that just HAD to be included in this film so much so that it felt like they had a list of items that needed to appear to be an X-Men movie.

They trot a lot of tried and true X-Men characters in this film. They expect you to get on board for them. I'm a fan of these characters, so I know their backstory. However, that is not relayed in the film. New additions Cyclops and Storm get some backstory within this movie. Characters such as Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Psylocke and Angel do not. Jubilee is even in this movie, but good luck knowing anything about her. You won't get any information. I would go so far as to say the main villain of this movie, Apocalypse has such a thin backstory and so little motivation that I have a problem with him throughout this movie. I'll get back to him in a moment.

With the characters I listed above, they expect you to care about these characters and want you to feel bad when they are in peril. The problem is, they have not earned that yet. I have to buy that Nightcrawler, Cyclops and Jean Grey are such a good team based on what? A shared trip to see a movie? They come together to form a team to save others, but we never see them spend any other time together. The back half of the movie turns into an almost singular reliance on Nightcrawler and his teleportation ability. The character of Psylocke is the most puzzling because if you remove her from this movie, nothing changes. She has zero impact on this movie and her inclusion is fan service at best. You have another great character who gets to show up, but ultimately does nothing. I hear stories of how Olivia Munn trained for this role and took a lot of martial arts. We see none of that in the movie.

Another horseman, Angel, shows up and his whole role is to be quickly turned into Archangel. He is pretty much ineffective in the final battle as well. Including him was checking another box.

What I think is the biggest tragedy is Apocalypse himself. He has been reduced down to a one note villain, hell bent on destruction. Why? Because he's evil. Really though, why? The opening sequence that serves as his origin really doesn't tell us much. So many questions are not answered. What is special about the new host? How did the original Apocalypse become Apocalypse? Then he just disappears for thousands of years and comes back and immediately tries to destroy the world. His motivations or his power set is never really explained. This movie does a disservice to him. They just wanted to include a major X-Men villain. Congratulations. Mission accomplished. 

The deifying of Mystique continues to puzzle me. I understand that now that Jennifer Lawerence is a huge star, these movies have shifted to focus more on her. She also spins a lot of time not in the blue makeup. Just like with the last movie, she gets a lot of screen time. My problem is that Mystique is supposed to be someone working in the shadows. She does little of that here. 

The last thing I want to touch on is Magneto. This guy cannot catch a break. He's already a tragic figure but they just keep piling on him. Either make him good or make him bad. He's gone back and forth so many times, how can you believe him any more? He is always simultaneously the good guy and the bad guy in each of the movies.

One shining bright spot in these movies is Quicksilver. He basically steals every scene he is in. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish there was more Quicksilver in the movie. Not something I came remotely close to saying in the Avengers movies.

There is a lot more I could say and I hate to sound like I'm dumping on this movie, so I'll stop. To finish on a positive note, I did like the nods to their costumes in the final scene and the inclusion of the Danger Room. The special effects are still pretty good. James McAvoy is a great Charles Xavier.

When we got X-men: First Class, I was excited for the direction this franchise was going in. Two movies later, that excitement is gone. Now I just hope they can right the ship because this was a surprisingly by the book, super hero movie. The kind that we need to move past.