Ever since he was teased in the post-credits scene of X-Men Days of Future Past (DOFP), I’ve been excited to see Apocalypse make his big screen debut.
There’s just something about the introduction of an uber-villain that raises the stakes a little, especially in a universe that brings popular comic book characters to life.
Serving as the third part of X-Men’s ‘First Class’ generation, returning director Bryan Singer fast-forwards the story ten years to 1983.
Charles Xavier (James McAvoy – The Last King Of Scotland) has his school for the gifted very much up and running, while Magneto (Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs) is in the wind with a new identity having become the world’s most wanted man after the events of DOFP.
All seems to be going well for the mutants, with Xavier and Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult – Mad Max: Fury Road) welcoming younger versions of Jean Grey (Sophie Turner – Game Of Thrones), Scott Summers/Cyclops (Tye Sheridan – Joe), Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver (Evan Peters – Kick-Ass) to the prospering school.
Hell, even Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games) is playing ball (in her own way).
That is, until ancient villain (and indeed the first-ever mutant) Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac – Star Wars: The Force Awakens) wakes up from centuries of slumber and decides he wants to rebuild the world from scratch.
There’s nothing overly complicated about his plan, he simply wants the strongest mutants to join him in watching the rest of the world burn.
Able to enhance the abilities of fellow mutants, he’s backed by Psylocke (Olivia Munn – The Newsroom), Storm (Alexandra Shipp – Straight Outta Compton) and Angel (Ben Hardy – Eastenders), while also coveting an emotionally compromised Magneto.
Xavier and his team seek the help of Moira Mactaggert (Rose Byrne – Bad Neighbours) as they bid to learn more about their foe, but don’t have to wait long for the battle to be (quite literally) brought to their front door.
As you can gather, the storyline is a simple one; stop Apocalypse before he destroys the world.
With this essentially being the last part of the planned First Class trilogy, Apocalypse does feel surprisingly like a bridge to future films.
It’s a very enjoyable action offering with some hugely memorable scenes, including another showcasing the awesome Quicksilver in slow-motion.
There’s also a superb cameo from an uncredited character that really delivers.
Other major positives are the seamless introductions of the fresh faces. Turner, Sheridan and Smit-McPhee all make fine younger versions of iconic characters, while I loved Munn’s look as Psylocke.
As ever, McAvoy, Fassbender, Lawrence and Hoult are on point as the big four – but it was a shame to see one of the them make a decision that felt way out of line with how they’ve been built up in the previous films.
Isaac, whose stock continues to grow, is on-song as Apocalypse, who really does bring the pain with some strong destructive scenes.
I was disappointed that the worldwide ramifications of his actions weren’t fully explored, which sadly left the story feeling a little hollow.
But, overall, I very much enjoyed this latest X-Men outing. With a talented young team now in place, I’m looking forward to seeing where the franchise goes next.
Voice Verdict: 8/10
+ Typically stellar cast
+ Quicksilver scenes
+ New characters introduced well
– Hollow plot
