The embargo on X-Men: Apocalypse reviews lifted on Monday afternoon, yielding our first look at what critics think of Bryan Singer’s latest X-Men movie.
All the usual faces return for the new X-Men (Yes, even Wolverine), and there’s no doubt that the film will be a major 2016 summer blockbuster. But how does it compare to other X-Men installments?
Most critics are in agreement that a highlight of the movie is a particular Quicksilver scene, and it supposedly tops his big moment in Days of Future Past. Other than that, any across-the-board agreement about this movie is that it isn’t very good.
There’s way less action in this action film than you’d expect. Quicksilver’s sequence is a highlight. But beyond that, there’s way more talk of war than actual war. And with so little character development in the villains and such ambiguity about what they are actually up against in Apocalypse, the final showdown is a mess of low stakes and confounding setups. More shocking — and to prevent spoilers I’ll be vague — even Wolverine’s (Hugh Jackman) big fight scene is a let down, with most of it happening offscreen!
This will probably come as a shock to nobody who has seen the trailer, but poor Oscar Isaac is completely wasted as Apocalypse, a powerful mutant who has been awakened after about 5,000 years of being buried alive – which is fitting because Isaac is buried under a ton of makeup. To be fair, he seems to be having a blast, way down there under all of that makeup. So maybe it shouldn’t be “poor Oscar Isaac” and more like, “poor us, who don’t really ever get to see Oscar Isaac, yet he’s in this movie a lot.”
Once Apocalypse begins fulfilling his promise to “wipe clean this world” by destroying world cities, shown in the usual pornographic detail for this sort of film, the X-Men and women go about doing their thing once again. But the weight of so many characters defrays the impact and interest, just as it deprives key veterans of the franchise, most notably Jennifer Lawrence (more often seen as Raven than Mystique), of much chance to contribute. Despite the undeniable presence of a huge amount of action, X-Men: Apocalypse is decidedly a case of more is less, especially when compared with the surprising action and more interesting personal interactions (including the temporary subtraction of some characters) in other big Marvel franchises.
From the opening prologue, set in the Nile Valley circa 3600 BC, it’s clear that Singer aims to take audiences on an eye-popping roller-coaster ride, though in doing so, he leaves behind any pretense of coherent storytelling or character development, as an aging Apocalypse prepares to transfer into a younger body with the help of four devoted minions. The character narrowly pulls it off, as the massive pyramid he had constructed crumbles spectacularly around him, killing his followers and entombing him for the next several thousand years.
Vox:
… at times it feels like it’s cutting corners in exchange for a gigantic, action sequences. There’s no through-line to underscore the movie’s themes. We’re often jumping from one scene to the next without much character building, and then there’s exposition and narration in excess. The movie is more obsessed with the big fight than addressing why anyone is fighting. There are a few moments in Apocalypse that rival the best ones in Days of Future Past, But there just isn’t the emotional impact in Apocalypse as there are in the very best X-Men films.
The idea of an apocalypse means every dial has to be turned up to 11 and this film certainly provides bangs for your buck, although there is less space for the surreal strangeness of the X-Men to breathe, less dialogue interest, and they do not have the looser, wittier joy of the Avengers. But the more playful episodes with Cyclops and Quicksilver are welcome and everything hangs together. But in the future X-Men films have to mutate into something with fewer characters and more characterisation.
Director Singer handles the traffic earnestly and well, with a modicum of snark and 1.5 teaspoons of levity. There’s a joke at the expense of the long-ago, far-away third “X-Men” picture, the lousy one directed by Brett Ratner. But this one’s no gem. It’s simply large, and long (two-and-a-half hours, the usual length lately with these products). I remain unpersuaded and slightly galled by the attempts to interpolate the history, locale and tragic meaning of Auschwitz into what used to be known as popcorn movies. The dialogue has a metallic, tinny ring (where’s Magneto when you need him?).
While many are disappointed in Apocalypse’s development, one character who gets lots of time is Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique. As ScreenCrush puts it:
Unsure where she fits between Xavier’s pacifism and Magneto’s aggression, this Mystique gets to carve out a unique space in the mutant landscape, and Lawrence brings depths to the character that she’s rarely had in the pages of X-Men comics. (Meanwhile, the franchise eye candy role now passes to Munn, who dutifully marches through X-Men: Apocalypse in her character’s comic-accurate bathing suit costume. She even wears it, quite inappropriately, on a field trip to Auschwitz!)
And a few more scattered reviews on Twitter:
X-Men: Apocalypse shoots for cartoony stars. Very campy, very twisted, very *fun.* Fassbender, Isaac & the kids alchemize goofy into gold.
— Maester Patches (@misterpatches) May 9, 2016
Biggest complaints about Apocalypse are the first act feels like it's 75 min long and there's a needless swipe at Last Stand. Mostly dug it.
— Kristopher Tapley (@kristapley) May 9, 2016
I've joked about this, but in a way, #XMenApocalypse really is an X-Men First Class movie. I enjoyed that part too.
— Linda Ge (@lindazge) May 9, 2016
Despite a few cool scenes (Quicksilver again, Wolverine/Weapon X, Magneto/woods), X-MEN: APOCALYPSE is a mess. Horrible script. Zero heart.
— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) May 9, 2016
APOCALYPSE isn't great, but its boldest ideas offer a Stark contrast from the cowardice and compromise that make the MCU movies so dull.
— david ehrlich (@davidehrlich) May 9, 2016
X-Men: Apocalypse opens May 27, 2016: “Since the dawn of civilization, he was worshipped as a god. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel’s X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor X (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction.”
We want to hear your thoughts on this topic!
Write a comment below or submit an article to Hypable.