“All is revealed” From the opening moments of Ancient Egypt all the way down to the closing seconds of this most recent installment to the 16-year-old franchise, ‘X-Men Apocalypse’ had me on the edge of my seat. Filled with chills, thrills, tears, bloodshed, and enough fan service to super soak your undies, ‘X-Men Apocalypse’ is another worthy addition to this long lasting and very much alive X-Men universe. Coming hot off of what is to be considered two of the best comic-book films to date in 2014’s ‘X-Men Days of Future Past’ and 2011’s ‘X-Men First Class’, ‘Apocalypse’ had a very tall order to complete. While the film isn’t hitting all the right notes with critics and a good portion of audience members, I found ‘X-Men Apocalypse’ to be a fantastic film. I’ll delve into the positives and negatives in just a moment but thanks to the middling reviews, my excitement for the film was at an all-time high and an all-time low. I had a slew of mixed emotions coursing through my veins; I had been thirsting for this film for two years and it was finally time to see what all the hubbub was about. Some have claimed this film to be the beginning of the end for a franchise and others have claimed it to be the best comic-book film of the year. Fortunately and unfortunately, I’m one of the few who believe that ‘X-Men Apocalypse’ is indeed the best comic-book film 2016 has had to offer. Maybe I have a bad taste in film. Maybe I’m no longer credible. Maybe I should stop watching film altogether. Maybe I’m being a bit melodramatic here and victimizing myself too much but you know what? At least I’m honest. I’m going to take this opinion, hold onto it for dear life, and stand my ground until the real apocalypse begins to rain down on this Earth. Okay, time to cool down and dive headfirst into what isn’t so great about this film. No one really enjoys the meat of a review to begin on a negative note but there aren’t nearly as many negatives about this film than there are positives, so why not get it out of the way right now. The most disappointing aspect of this film has got to be with the titular character Apocalypse (portrayed by Oscar Isaac), A.K.A En Sabah Nur, the first mutant known to man. Isaac’s performance is quite inconsistent throughout and many moments come across extremely corny. I’m not sure what it was about Apocalypse that came across as being corny but the performance and character didn’t sit well with me. With that being said there are still multiple moments where I found Apocalypse to be one of the scariest and most frightening villains in any comic-book film. The one thing that makes this negative not stand out as much as it should, is how much you understand Apocalypse as a villain. Another problem in ‘Apocalypse’ is how mediocre a good portion of the CGI is and this comes as no surprise because the X-Men franchise has always had that problem. I don’t mind CGI at all when used properly but when it’s painstakingly obvious that I’m seeing a CGI-built docking yard it really bothers me. Why couldn’t this multi-billion dollar studio drop another couple hundred to thousand dollars on taking a few cameras, some lights, and a small crew to a docking yard in the southern parts of the United States? This is just one of the annoyingly obvious examples and I understand that this X-Men film is more of a summer blockbuster film that relies heavily on spectacle but at least make your CGI believable. It’s understandable that you can’t practically replicate metal surfacing from an ocean floor but at least show us that you’re trying to give an effort to give us the most believable CGI possible. I expected better CGI from this installment considering what type of film was at hand here. Although the bigger moments have some questionable CGI there are some smaller moments of excellent CGI that added a little bit to the film’s spectacle. A majority of viewers have claimed that the first half-hour of this film is narratively unfocused and structured weakly and at first I had to agree with that statement but after much thought I found the first half-hour to be really strong and full of risks. This complaint is understandable and I won’t argue it with anyone but I do believe that this half-hour is ultimately what hurt most people’s experience with ‘Apocalypse’. Without a doubt the most important part of a film is the beginning. The beginning is supposed to hook its audience in with a promising start and to get people on board with this adventure you’re about to take. The opening sequence is exceptional but everything after the opening credits slows down and takes its time rebuilding this world and introducing new characters and re-introducing previously met characters. This could turn people off from the get go and now their experience has slowed down to a complete halt. Everything else in the film could then be seen as dull, boring, or lifeless. I’m not objectively saying this is why people disliked this film but I think there’s a chance that the first half-hour turned people off subconsciously and it ultimately killed the experience for those that dislike it. Earlier I had mentioned risks that the film takes in its earliest stages and by that I mean the film takes its time doing what most comic-book films don’t. Director Bryan Singer has stated that ‘Apocalypse’ is the climax of this new X-Men saga with three more films to follow. Knowing that heading in I happened to find that the film does exactly that. It feels like the peak of what everything the X-Men universe has been building up to and it also starts a new trilogy with a new generation of mutants. We get introduced to these characters early and at first it takes a while to get used to these actors in the roles but as the film progresses the more you get attached to these characters. Cyclops has always been a character in the X-Men universe that has gotten the shaft but now we have a brand new portrayal of Cyclops and he’s better than ever. Actor Tye Sheridan (‘Mud’) steps into the role of Scott Summers/Cyclops and he kills it alongside Sophie Turner (HBO’S ‘Game of Thrones’) as Jean Grey. Obviously James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender do Professor X and Magneto justice once more but Turner and Sheridan step into these two fan favorite characters and knock it out of the park and almost steal the show. Their chemistry is really strong and in one film it finally feels like Jean and Scott are being treated with the respect they deserve. Also re-entering the franchise is another fan favorite known as Nightcrawler, portrayed (extremely) well by Kodi-Smit McPhee (‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’). Nightcrawler had previously made his appearance in ‘X-Men 2’ played by Alan Cumming and everyone instantly became a fan because of how incredible the White House sequence was at the beginning of the film. Cumming and Fox had then had a falling out afterwards and we hadn’t seen him since that film, but now Smit-McPhee gets into the role and he does an excellent job. He may have the least interesting arc between Cyclops, Jean, and himself but he works well with what he was given and it feels like the Nightcrawler we know and love. These three actors give us lots to be excited about in this upcoming trilogy and that’s because Bryan Singer did the right thing and took his time telling this story. Many have complained that the film sort of just drags on and it feels messy with no narrative focus but for me the film made it clear what it wanted to do. It wanted to give us this climax of the saga by telling a beginning, middle, and end while also taking the time to build this world and these character’s dynamics and friendships. Most comic-book films present us with some sort of conflict or plot point and then conclude that almost instantly, but with ‘Apocalypse’ we get a film that takes its time crafting so many different corners and characters of this universe. We spend the first 30 to 45 minutes bonding with these characters, bonding with this world and for me its something I’ve been craving for a film in the genre to do. Does it come at the expense of giving us a semi-bloated third act and finale? Sure, maybe that’s the case but once the film concluded I felt satisfied with what the film was trying to accomplish. ‘Apocalypse’ gets everything fleshed out all while still telling this epic tale with a beginning, middle, and end. What ‘Apocalypse’ basically is, is a set-up episode for your favorite long-lasting television show. Yeah the episode may feel dull and maybe it doesn’t get exciting except for a few moments, but when you look at it in hindsight you can say that the episode did a lot for your favorite characters and the story it wants to tell in the long run. This world feels lived in and it feels like this story means something to each character we see on screen. Right here I won’t delve into ANY (clear) spoilers but be warned that I’ll be scratching the surface of potential hints towards spoilers, character motivations, and plot points. You have been warned. While the titular villain Apocalypse was a disappointment overall you still got a good idea of what he wanted to accomplish. One of the steps to achieving his goal was to seek out four mutants and imbue them with power so that they could stand by his side when Apocalypse takes over the world. These four mutants, also known as the four horsemen, are the mutants known as Magneto (Fassbender), Psylocke (Olivia Munn), Storm (Alexandra Shipp), and Angel (Ben Hardy). Once more we see that Michael Fassbender is proving time and time again that he’s one of the best actors working today. He doesn’t carry the film on his back per se but his performance definitely allows this film to gain that much needed emotional weight. Magneto has always been a conflicted character and here we see Magneto reach his highest and lowest point. When Magneto is granted the chance to be a horseman you understand his motivation and there is a scene with Apocalypse and Magneto that will send chills up your spine. During the scene the motivation for Apocalypse becomes clearer and the film really begins to take off. Psylocke gets very little screen time but I believe she does a fine job with what she was given. Her motivation to become a horseman is very straightforward and isn’t that complex, but people still seem to believe that if a motivation for a character isn’t complex then that character has no motivation at all. Besides Magneto, Storm was an interesting horseman as well. She’s a teenager, she’s impressionable, and she has her role models and heroes to follow already, but once Apocalypse enters the scene everything changes for Storm. She is once more a character that has little screen time but excels in what she was given, plus her motivations are clear, simple, and not complex. Angel has to be the worst character in this film by far. There could be an excuse to why he’s a horseman but it is far too excuse-driven to even attempt to convince anyone he’s a decent character. He’s kind of just there and serves no real purpose of being there. Any other mutant could have filled this horseman position and Angel’s lack of presence wouldn’t have made a difference. Once the four horsemen, Apocalypse, and the X-Men take on each other in the third act it becomes clearer on who matters in this story, and who doesn’t. The third act has got to be the most divisive act of this film. Some have lost their minds saying how great it is and others have walked away scratching their head at what they saw. The third act falls in the middle for me. There is a lot of stuff to love but there is also a lot of stuff going on that makes it all feel very bloated. A good portion of the big finale feels like it wasn’t choreographed at all and it felt like things were happening just to fill up the screen with action. Usually, Singer does a good job of putting together cohesive and exciting action between these mutants, so it comes as a bit of a surprise that the finale wasn’t as good as the previous entries’ finales. Maybe it’s because Singer hasn’t tackled a film of this scale before but that doesn’t excuse the mistake of making it feel like bloated action. In conclusion, ‘X-Men Apocalypse’ isn’t your ordinary comic-book film, as it takes risks and it takes its time building this world and fleshing out its characters within this world first. There are also some amazing action sequences and thrilling character moments and dynamics that are built. With ‘Apocalypse’ you get a comic-book film that tries to accomplish a lot, and nine times out of 10 when films try to overdo things you get a disaster. ‘Apocalypse’ is far from a disaster and for me it is the best comic-book film to be released this year. I understand that it’s an unpopular opinion but unpopular opinion is my middle name and I’ll embrace it. I think this film is being approached in the wrong way and I’m a bit confused as to why it has received so much hate. It is a different type of X-Men film than the previous entries as those films utilize politics in its storytelling in a heavy way. In this film there are many subtle moments that really drew me in and there are definitely some commentaries on display here. Heroes, role models, idols, humanity, leaders, and false gods all have a part to play in this story and within its characters. Before I ramble on too much, all in all I found ‘X-Men Apocalypse’ to be an absolutely fantastic film from start to finish. I would highly recommend that you see this film so you can be apart of the discussion with your peers about such a divisive film. ‘X-Men Apocalypse’ gets an 8.9/10