X-Men: Apocalypse Review

X-Men: Apocalypse 


Release Date: 19th May 2016 - Australia


Production Companies
20th Century Fox
Marvel Entertainment
TSG Entertainment
Bad Hat Harry Productions
Donners' Company
Kinberg Genre

Distribution
20th Century Fox Australia


Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 144 minutes


Budget: $178,000,000

Box Office Gross: $543,934,787
(Worldwide)

Plot Summary

As the fate of the Earth
hangs in the balance,
Raven with the help
of Professor X, must
lead a team of young
X-Men to stop their
nemesis, the villainous
En Sabah Nur, aka
Apocalypse. (Source - Metro Cinemas)


Cast 

James McAvoy - Charles
Xavier/Professor X

Michael Fassbender - Erik 

Lehnsherr/Magneto

Jennifer Lawrence - Raven
Darkholme/Mystique
Nicholas Hoult - Dr. Hank
McCoy/Beast
Oscar Isaac - En Sabah Ner

Rose Byrne - Moira MacTaggert

Evan Peters - Peter
Maximoff/Quicksilver
Josh Helman - Col. William
Stryker
Sophie Turner - Jean Grey
Tye Sheridan - Scott Summers/Cyclops
Lucas Till - Alex Summers/
Havok
Kodi Smit-McPhee - Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler
Ben Hardy - Angel
Alexandra Shipp - Ororo Monroe/Storm
Lana Condor - Jubilee
Olivia Munn - Psylocke
Hugh Jackman - Logan/
Wolverine (Cameo) (Uncredited)
Carolina Bartczak - Magda
T.J. McGibbon - Nina
Tomas Lemarquis - Caliban
Berdj Garabedian - Old Apocalypse
Zehra Leverman - Mrs. Maximoff
Giant Gustav Claude
Ouimet - Blob
Stan Lee - Himself (Cameo)
Joanie Lee - Herself (Cameo)

Crew
Story/Producer/Director -
Bryan Singer
Based on Characters
(Uncredited)/Executive
Producer - Stan Lee
Based on Characters
(Uncredited) - Jack Kirby
Story/Screenplay/Producer -
Simon Kinberg
Story - Michael Doughtery
and Dan Harris
Executive Producer/Additional
Second Unit Director: Splinter
Unit - Todd Hallowell

Executive Producer/First
Assistant Director - Josh
McLaglen
Producer - Lauren Shulen
Donner
Co-Producer/Film Editor/
Music - John Ottman
Co-Producer/Visual Effects
Producer - Blondel Aidoo
Co-Producer - James Taylor 

Casting Director - Roger
Mussenden
Production Designer - John Myhre
Supervising Art Director - Michele Laliberte
Set Decorators - Eve Boulonne and Anne Kujilan
Costume Designer - Louise Mingerbach
Makeup Department Head - Rita Ciccozzi
Special Effects Makeup Department Head - Adrien Morot
Director of Photography - Newton Thomas Sigel
Second Unit Director - Brian Smrz
Stunt Coordinators - Nick Brandon,
Jeff Habberstad, James M. Churchman and Paul Leonard

Special Effects Supervisor - Steve Hamilton
Special Effects Supervisor: Second Unit -
Tom Blacklock
Visual Effects Designer - John Dykstra
Visual Effects Supervisor - Lou Pecora
Visual Effects Supervisor: Rising Sun Pictures -
Tim Crosbie
Visual Effects Supervisor: MPC - Anders Langlands
Additional Visual Effects Supervisor - Matt Sloan
Visual Effects Producer: Digital Domain - Daniel Brimer
Legacy Effects Supervisor - John Rosengrant
Digital Effects Supervisor - Nikos Kalaitzidis 

Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editor - Craig Berkey
Sound Designers - Warren Hendriks and
Chuck Michaels
Film Editor - Michael Louis Hill

Review 

After 'Days of Future Past' and 'Deadpool' have revitalised the entire 'X-Men' blockbuster series. Director Bryan Singer has again pushed the envelope even further to continue the growth of mutation in 'X-MEN: APOCALYPSE'. The characters that he introduced back in his first two originals have been given new personalities and development. Especially Cyclops who is no longer a mere presence being overshadowed by Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. The quality, however is starting to drop in comparison to the earlier hits. The film is now saddled with a bit too much over-inflated scale of action and a few mutants like Angel and Psylocke who were added to the story-line in a last-minute decision and are once again underdeveloped and reduced to underlings. Bryan Singer's influence still remains intact on 'X-MEN: APOCALYPSE', but it appears he may be losing his golden touch with the movie franchise. 

I was not convinced by the title antagonist since his evil intentions are less than original and anyone who has seen 'X-Men' films would quiet easily know where his character development was going. It offered no new surprise at all. Despite having the character with cliche motives, Oscar Isaac is surprisingly fitted in a meritorious portrayal of a villain as his newfound fame as Poe Dameron in 'Star Wars' landed him the role as the god-like Apocalypse. Tye Sheridan and Sophie Turner were looking more youthful than James Marsden and Famke Janssen who replaced both of these original actors as Cyclops and Jean Grey. Jennifer Lawrence is still stealing the thunder from the other characters as Mystique. Whilst James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are still continuing to be as Xavier and Magneto, albeit differently to their predecessors. 

This movie is nowhere near the weakest of the film series unlike 'The Last Stand' and 'Origins: Wolverine'. It's worth the time to watch and did very well with some fans who consider it a solid film. 

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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