As we walked into the theater to watch X-Men: Apocalypse, the 5,000th entry in the X-Men film series and the 4th to be directed by Bryan Singer, my friend Richie pointed something out to me:
“How is this movie taking place 10 years after Days of Future Past, but none of the characters look any older? I mean, if Magneto was, like, 12-years-old in 1944 and this film takes place in the 80s, wouldn’t he be 60-years-old now?”
X-Men: Apocalypse never bothers to address this gaping hole in logic. It appears Singer was so enthralled by the idea of an X-Men film taking place in the 80s he forgot to offer any justification or reasoning for it. With the exception of some fashion styles and pop culture references, the decision to place the film in the decade is totally arbitrary. All style, no substance.
That’s probably the best way to describe X-Men: Apocalypse as a whole. Singer has traded the emotional subtext of his earlier entries for flashy superpowers and explosions. (I feel like he’s still desperate to prove he can make BIG summer movies after his 2006 film Superman Returns was chastised for containing so little action) And while the film is nowhere near as bad as the worst this series has to offer (I’m looking at you, X-Men: The Last Stand), and not even particularly bad in general, it is easily Singer’s least engaging entry to date.
Perhaps the biggest issue is an overstuffed script lacking in nuance. Singer developed the story with past collaborators Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris, who co-wrote X-Men 2 and Superman Returns, and Simon Kinberg, who penned Apocalypse’s screenplay. Within the film’s first 20-minutes, we’ve hopped all over the globe and been introduced to multiple characters, some familiar and some new. Nothing is given any room to breathe and the sheer amount we’re expected to invest in without any context weighs down any attempts at effective storytelling. It’s so focused on being BIG and EXCITING that it forgets to sweat the small stuff and give us something to care about.
On the plus side, Singer’s strong visuals are still present and accounted for, though I’ll admit they’re bogged down by an over-reliance on green screen and mediocre visual effects. He has the benefit of working with an extraordinary team of actors, who are able to pick up the slack, garnering empathy despite a weak screenplay. James McAvoy continues to be effortlessly charming as Professor Charles Xavier. Michael Fassbender gets by on raw talent, but is saddled with an illogical character arc and motivation. Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique is thrust into a leadership role (the X-Men series always gives that position to its Oscar winners), and thankfully Lawrence seems a bit more up to the task, her performance being slightly less sleepy than it was in Days of Future Past.
The excellent new additions to the cast Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner and Kodi Smitt-Mcphee, playing Cyclops, Jean Grey and Nightcrawler respectively, don’t get much to do. Their presence indicates the possibility of a much better film on the horizon that focuses on Xavier’s students - their relationships and their training. I couldn’t help wishing that was the film we ended up with instead of what we got. There’s also Olivia Munn as Psylocke, Alexandra Shipp as Storm and Ben Hardy as Angel. None of them are fully fleshed out and just stand around and try to look cool while having little to no impact on anything that happens.
And what of Apocalypse himself? He might be the film’s biggest problem. The character has no depth and remains painfully undeveloped through the entirety of the film. His primary motivation is (stop me if you’ve heard this one before) World Domination. Great. Why even bother casting Oscar Isaac in the role? The excellent and accomplished young actor disappears under layers of makeup, prosthetics and armor, and the character requires so little heavy lifting acting-wise, there’s no point to having such a talented actor fill the part. Such a waste.
So much of X-Men: Apocalypse feels like a waste. Singer and his team have involved just about every single character you could possibly imagine, but they’ve put forth so little effort to involve the audience. The storytelling focus and underlying emotional themes that made the first two X-Men films and even First Class and Days of Future Past so effective are nowhere to be found. It’s just another garish display of special effects, albeit a passively entertaining one.
So after all this, you might be shocked to hear that I didn’t hate X-Men: Apocalypse. I actually moderately enjoyed it. I know, right? I’ve gone on for so long about what’s wrong with it, that I’m actually pretty surprised myself. Its flaws are many, but weren’t substantial enough to deter my enjoyment. It just barely gets by on the talent of its cast and the competence of Singer’s visuals. There were action sequences that delighted me (gotta love Evan Peters' Quicksilver) and some intriguing ideas amidst the madness. I just wish Singer would have focused less on trying to compete with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and more on his own strengths. As much as I love Singer and appreciate what he's accomplished with this franchise, it might be time for a fresh young talent to take the reigns and steer it back on course.
FINAL RATING: 3/5
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