X-Men: ApocalypseI feel like I come from a different POV when it comes to the X-Men as opposed to most comic book nerds. While I love comic books, I never really got into the X-Men as much as nearly every other comic book geek did, and I also just don't get why so many people love these films. I've only enjoyed two of them from start to finish--the first two--and that first film is actually not aging all that well upon a second viewing. The fact they've basically told everyone the third film was effectively erased should tell you all you need to know. The series has redeemed itself a bit with these prequels, but I always have to hunt for awesome moments in every one. And yes, they're there, but there's never a cohesive storyline to really hold everything together. I suppose in a way that's about the best nod they could give to the X-Men, as the source material was also a bit less-than-cohesive at times.
Anyhow, it always feels like a big bummer when they have a crack at a really cool character (Havok, Archangel) and clearly have no idea what to do with him/her. This also marks the third appearance of Havok on the big screen and he almost literally does what he did in the previous two films--fire stuff from his chest to blow shit up two separate times. And the script definitely struggled to fit the Beast into the action this time. I imagine Nicholas Hoult had to be just a bit annoyed given how little he gets to do here. Quicksilver, on the other hand, pretty much owns every scene he's in.
Apocalypse, when all is said and done, is really not that great a villain. He actually WAS a pretty interesting one when he started out, before they sucked him into all the X-books and we kept being told he was a big deal without ever really figuring out why. Same kinda goes here. And yeah, the critical backlash over the characters Power Rangers-esque design is definitely warranted.
Lastly, while I love Jennifer Lawrence and believe her to be a top-flight actress, I have absolutely hated her performance in these films. And that's really not her fault--when the producers stuck her in the blue paint they must've told the director and screenwriter to make her a central character, something she's never been in the comics. Even an Academy Award-winning actress can't make it look anything other than forced. Mystique's not a hero, never has been. That's what made her interesting. Hard to believe Rebecca Romijn seemingly had a better take on this character than Jennifer Lawrence, but that's really what it feels like.
All in all, I was looking for an excuse to get out of the house as the wife wanted to have a girls' night. I really didn't have high expectations for this one. I still walked away a little annoyed though.
There was, however, one supremely awesome moment the 90s teenager in me absolutely loved. This might be a bit of a spoiler, but really, if you think it is, fuck off.
Yup, after dicking around with leather jumpsuits and weird armor getups, the filmmakers finally give the X-Men their actual comic book costumes. Seriously, the faithfulness to these designs is kinda...uncanny.
Two pucks. Next up is Hugh Jackman's final performance as Wolverine, a take on the now-classic storyline "Old Man Logan." Seeing as how the Hulk is the villain in that story and Fox doesn't own the rights to that character, I'm somewhat curious to see what they do there.
P.S.: It really should be noted--the body count in this film is staggering. Just watch it. You'll see. If this movie was supposed to convince me that mutants shouldn't be rounded up and locked up, they did a pretty shitty job.