By Liz Lopez
Rating: B-
I had heard and read that Oscar Isaac is in X-Men: Apocalypse (as the mega-mutant Apocalypse), and my anticipation to view the film was high. I thought I would enjoy the entire film, following the previous X-Men: Days of Future Past, but I did not walk out of the theater fully satisfied and it is not because of the cast. They are awesome. I enjoyed the performances by each cast member and there is quite an extensive list of returning actors/characters and a few new. I expected more from the story, but instead there appears to be a vast use of visual effects. For some viewers, that may be enough, but the story falls short. I viewed this film about a week after the other comic-book franchise film that opened at the beginning of the month and did not have the same entertainment value.
X-Men: Apocalypse features the ensemble of characters, including Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), Erik Lensherr, a.k.a. Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult) and CIA agent Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne). Aside from Oscar Isaac, the new cast includes Tye Sheridan as Scott Summers/Cyclops, Sophie Turner and Kodi Smit-McPhee. They are indeed invigorating in the story.
The film begins in the Nile Valley (way, way back BC), as Apocalypse is planning to get re-energized, but his plan fails and remains entombed until he is resurrected in the 20th-century. In order to carry out what he believes is a cleansing of the world as he sees fit, he finds individuals who will be at his beck and call: Ororo (Alexandra Shipp), Psylocke (Olivia Munn), Angel (Ben Hardy) and Magneto. I won’t relay much more about the story, because the film is worth viewing for the special effects and performances by the newbies in the film.
The film has an MPAA rating of PG-13 and is 143 minutes long. There is a variation of dialogue as the story takes place in different parts of the world, so anticipate English, German, Polish, Egyptian and Arabic.
—
Director: Bryan Singer
Screenplay by Simon Kinberg; Story by Bryan Singer, Simon Kinberg, Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris.
Cast (not listed above): Lucas Till, Evan Peters, Josh Helman, Lana Condor, among others.
The film opens nationwide on May 27th, 2016
Source: 20th Century Fox