'X-Men: Apocalypse' Movie Review

Hello, fellow moviegoers!
   In this world of giant superhero cinematic universes, it is easy to forget that Marvel and DC aren't the only players in the game. Often forgotten and underestimated is the world of X-Men. (Yes, I realize that the X-Men are Marvel characters, but their film rights are owned by Fox which makes them separate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe run by Disney). Some of what are widely considered to be the best superhero films made come from Fox and the X-Men. (e.g. X2, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Deadpool) The latest film in this franchise to be released is X-Men: Apocolypse.
   X-Men: Apocalypse is directed by Bryan Singer, and it stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Oscar Isaac, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, and Evan Peters. When the first and most powerful mutant, Apocalypse, reawakens after thousands of years, Charles Xavier and his X-Men in training must band together to stop the end of the world. So does X-Men: Apocalypse reach the same level of prestige that some previous X-Men films have?

   X-Men: Apocalypse is a really good film that is brought down by minor flaws. As a whole, this is definitely an enjoyable film. However, there were some very simple mistakes throughout it that, while they weren't necessarily fatal, dragged the film down to a crawl at times. 
    Perhaps the most interesting thing going into the film was the newcomers to the franchise. X-Men: Apocalypse brings many new faces to the cast playing both younger versions of characters we've seen and classic X-Men on the big screen for the first time. As a whole, the new cast did great jobs. While most of them were good, there were several that stood above them. Tye Sheridan (Cyclops), Sophie Turner (Jean Grey), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Nightcrawler), and Alexandra Shipp (Storm) were each fantastic in their individual roles. In addition to that, the return of James McAvoy (Professor X), Michael Fassbender (Magneto), and Evan Peters (Quicksilver) made the film such a pleasure to watch. Aside from Jennifer Lawrence's lack of effort and enthusiasm for the character of Mystique, the cast as a whole did a really good job.
   Where the film suffers, however, is primarily with the length. This film feels half-an-hour longer than it needs to be; that's because it is. This is a film that was needlessly two-and-a-half hours long when it could easily have been under the two-hour mark.  X-Men: Apocalypse spends so much time setting up its villain that the audience gets bored in the process. They spend so much time with him being reawakened and gathering his horsemen that it causes the film to drag. You can spend as much time with a character as you like as long as it's an interesting character. Apocalypse, however, doesn't fit that description. It's never fully explained why he's doing what he is, or how he became what he is. For a character whose name literally is the end of the world, he felt like the flavor of the week. You've seen this villain before; there's nothing new here. 
   By far, the best part about this movie was Michael Fassbender's Magneto. Through a combination of fantastic writing, great direction, and a brilliant performance, Magneto in this film was a force to be reckoned with. Every time he was on screen the audience was fixed in a sort of trance because of what was unfolding in front of them. Fox Executives, if you're reading this, a film based entirely around this version of Magneto could potentially be one of the best products you ever produce. 
   The best decision made when making this film was to expand the role of Quicksilver from X-Men: Days of Future Past. Evan Peters as Peter Maximoff was brilliantly used in this film. While it is obvious that he's the comedic relief, you don't care because it is such a fun character. 
   X-Men: Apocalypse may not be the breathtakingly amazing film that many people hoped it would be, but it is still an extremely entertaining film that many can enjoy. That being said, it is about a half-an-hour too long, and the villain is a little meh. Michael Fassbender's Magneto and Evan Peters' Quicksilver may steal the show, but the new cast is a fantastic addition to this franchise. If you're a fan of the X-Men films, you'll absolutely love this movie. If you're not a big fan, you'll enjoy it. 

 7/10

​   So what did you think of X-Men: Apocalypse? Did you enjoy the villain or not? Let me know by commenting on this post! Also, if you enjoyed this review, share it on Facebook and Twitter. It really helps! Don't forget, I post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so check back then for more movie reviews and miscellaneous movie thoughts!

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