Writer: Cinnamon Lion

Writer Ratings:
Overall:
Cast:
Plot:
Effects:
Cinematography:

Watch this if you liked: “X-Men: First Class”, “X-Men: Days of Future Past”

The Good, the Bad and the Apocalyptic End:

Looking at the runtime (which to be fair, is pretty standard for blockbuster movies nowadays), one would be wary of the movie feeling draggy and being overlong. But that thought will soon be dismissed from the moment the movie opens and introduces the young Cyclops.

Action-packed and emotionally charged, before you know it, the movie's ended and you're left wanting more. Some would argue that the movie has too many characters to focus on, which isn't wrong - some of them do get relatively disappointing amount of screentime, especially Ben Hardy's Angel and even the much hyped Olivia Munn's Psylocke, Lana Condor's Jubilee doesn't even get to show off her superpowers or real character in any way.

But in a way, it does make the story more interesting. Instead of seeing things from a few (or one) select perspectives, here we can see how each of the X-Men comes to term with their powers. The new younger cast members: Tye Sheridan (Cyclops), Sophie Turner (Jean Grey), Alexandra Shipp (Storm), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Nightcrawler), make their perfect debut as X-Men. Of course, the returning cast members play their role to a tee and there's a reason why they're playing their recurring roles.

Much like how it was in "Days of Future Past", Quicksilver's presence lightens the mood of what would've been a sombre movie. Here he gets to shine more than in his last appearance and, of course, you know the cue when he's about to go all heroic as his somewhat laughter-inducing choice of music (it is rather a contrast to the situation) fills up the air right before bullet time kicks in and everything slows down - his way of seeing things when all everyone else would see are blurs whizzing by in seconds.

The "X-Men" movies may have their bullet time down pat but this doesn't mean their CGI is perfect. It is easy to spot scenes with very false-looking images, one destruction scene particularly would make audiences wonder why the editors even bother making it longer than it should be, as it only highlights the fact that the CGI was poorly crafted.
Apocalypse makes for a very interesting villain, though it's somewhat of a let-down that his evilness doesn't particularly make him stand out among other big screen villains, making him quite forgettable for someone so powerful.

The costumes this time around may be a bit more satisfactory than previous movies, especially the much-lauded Psylocke outfit. While we still don't get to see the superheroes donning costumes like their comic book counterparts, there's at least a reasonable explanation for the X-Men's black suit.

Cameos are, of course, to be expected in the movie. Not just by Stan Lee in a more silent appearance, but also Wolverine (what's an "X-Men" movie without this guy) in a rage-filled cameo.

The movie has now completed the trilogy that began with 2011's "X-Men: First Class", though it may leave some wanting more as the ending, or at least the final fight sequence, could be unsatisfactory for some. Still, it is an enjoyable movie and as is the norm, never leave the cinema as the credits roll, there is always a post-credits scene.

Look Out For:

• Stan Lee, of course.

Trivia:

• The movie was supposed to be called "Age of Apocalypse" like the comic book, but was later changed to avoid similarities with "Transformers: Age of Extinction" and "Avengers: Age of Ultron".

• The first live-action movie to feature the Summers brothers, Scott/Cyclops and Alex/Havoc together.

• James McAvoy shaved his head to play Professor Xavier.

Cinema Online, 19 May 2016