Movie Brief: X-Men Apocalypse

The much anticipated “X-Men: Apocalypse” is finally here and there’s a nemesis who threatens to destroy the world. All the X-Men will need to band together—good and bad—to stop the evil force. Here’s how the sequel measures up on my radar rating.

Plot: In this film, as with “X-Men: First Class” (2011), we get to see the young version of our favorite X-Men mutants including Xavier (James McAvoy), Magneto (Michael Fassbender), and Raven (Jennifer Lawrence). It’s set a few years after their epic mutant battle in “X-Men: Days of Future Past” (2014). They’ve all settled into their new lives—Xavier and Raven are heroes and Magneto, is a feared villain in hiding. But in Magneto’s new life, he’s found love and has a young daughter, which leads him to try and live a peaceful life beneath the radar. But this will prove to be challenging when his true identity is discovered. Meanwhile, an ancient evil force, and self-proclaimed “God” of the mutants, surfaces and is on a course to divide the mutants and conquer the world.

Engagement: It seems like a never-ending story of man vs. mutant and mutant vs. mutant. This sequel, or shall I say sequel to a prequel, sets the stage for the ultimate mutant battle. The notion of an omnipotent mutant is quite intriguing, but not as entertaining as I had anticipated. Although this movie served up a healthy dose of special effects and swift combative scenes, the plot was lacking. But there were some highlights including the discovery of how Cyclops (Tye Sheridan) comes into his power, how Storm (Alexandra Shipp) becomes acquainted with the X-Men, and how some of the future X-Men unwittingly helped Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) escape Colonel Stryker (Josh Helman), years before they would join forces with him.

Style: The visual effects and costuming are stunning, from Jean Grey’s (Sophie Turner) fiery persona to Storm’s electrifying presence. But most impressive are the steel wings of Angel (Ben Hardy) and, of course, Magneto’s crimson suit of armor—it’s magnificent!

Release: Friday, May 27th

Image source: Twentieth Century Fox