REVIEW: X-Men Apocalypse (12A)

The X-Men reunite for a final foray to conclude the Bryan Singer trilogy started by X-Men First Class and then, by default, meets up almost with the 2000 smash hit X-Men. X-Men (2000) was a movie that redefined superhero movies as genuinely good movies... rather just an exercise in punching baddies and over powered people in brightly coloured suits. Unlike that particular part three, X-Men: The Last Stand, this trilogy's conclusion is well, how shall I put it? First class.

Well balanced with chatty exposition and interspersed with action, this movie continues 10 years on from the 70's to 1983. Various X-Men are doing their thang - Erik Lensherr (aka Magneto) is now earning a living in Poland and is a family man. A number of mutants are still fretting about their place in the world including a girl in Egypt who can control the elements and another lady who sports an amazing latex purple outfit. 

The movie starts though many years before - in fact in Egyptian times - where some dude with powers (we discover is Apocalypse very shortly into the movie) is getting on a bit. In order to keep him living forever he must take the life force of a younger, stronger person - human or mutant, to continue on. Apparently if he snaffled a mutant he also gains their abilities. A suitable host is found - a very unconscious Poe Dameron (Oscar Isacc) who draws the short straw and gets shlucked up by the evil megalomaniac. I'm joking, it's not Poe Dameron but is certainly the same actor. Even back then he has four horsemen and some of the people take umbrage to this shucking of people's souls or whatever it is so end up destroying the place he is performing the ritual and he's buried under rocks until some silly people on 1983 decide to bring him back. Once he returns the quest is on for him to find four powerful mutants to take on the world as his four horsemen.

Meanwhile some lad is having problems at school with his eyesight, goes to the toilet and zaps the wall with his eyes - so his brother Alex, take him to Professor Xavier's school for the gifted to help him control his eye lasers. This is where we meet most of the others including Jean Grey (Sophie Hunter - Sansa from Game of Thrones), Hank McCoy/Beast (Nicolas Hoult reprising his role) and a Chinese girl  I would put money on is Jubilee but is never name checked. 

Mystique returns and is out and about and discovers Angel and Nightcrawler and that is pretty much the main selection of characters. Until Quicksilver appears too. Other mutants are referenced or mentioned with one notable cameo; but the roster, as you can see is huge. For all there are many of the it does a good job of trying to balance them all. Sadly the new additions to the roster - like Storm, Psylocke and Angel aren't very well developed and Storm is never mentioned by name. Nightcrawler is great comic relief but it's hard to take him seriously with a very stereotypical German accent and a jacket right out of a Michael Jackson music video.

Jean Grey is played well by Sophie Turner, at times looking like she's raided Dr Beverly Crusher's wardrobe for inspiration. McAvoy and Fassbender are great as usual and they have settled into their characters well and made the characters as believable in their younger years as Stewart and McKellan have in their later ones.

As the film approaches it climax, it does not disappoint. The film is great and I really enjoyed this one. My only complaint was that some of the dialogue was very predictable. For example there seem to be a lot of sentences with a long pause in the middle of then and you just knew what they were going to say.

Unlike Prometheus, which seemed to shoe horn the aliens reference in within 10 minutes in the end of the film, this movie is different. Singer seems to have really thought out the links to his original movie so it all goes together. This is Singers episodes 1,2,3 and they are all really very good movies. Maybe this one is the worst of the three but saying it like that does not mean it is a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination.  Overall, a strong conclusion to the latest X-Trilogy and will be up there with the best.

X-Men Apocalypse is out now at all good cinemas.

POPSCORE: 8/10

What am I talking about? X-Men: Apocalypse movie
Where can I find out more? http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/x-men-apocalypse
If you liked this try: Any of the other X Men Movies really

Anything else?

This has the biggest cast of heroes yet.
This movie is not officially part of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) because the movie rights currently belong to Fox.
It's on for quite a long time - nearly 2hrs and 30 minutes!