“Everyone knows the third movie’s always the worst.”
Jean Grey, “X-Men: Apocalypse”
This latest installment takes a step back in time, with the introduction of Apocalypse (Oscar Isaacs), an ancient mutant who’s been hibernating since the time of the pharaohs in ancient Egypt.
Needless to say, he’s a little cranky when he’s resurrected in 1983, and sets about to complete his mission to “cleanse” the human race and take over the world.
Meanwhile, some of the X-Men have gone their separate ways — Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) & Magneto (Michael Fassbender) — while some have finally joined the current story arc — Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee), & Jean Grey (Sophie Turner). However, they all join forces (eventually), when Apocalypse starts his plot for world domination.
It’s not the tightest plot in the history of comic book films. There’s a lot going on, and at times it seems to succumb to the third-movie curse with way too many pro and antagonists (and the undecided). But it’s hard to mind too much when we’re getting reintroduced to so many beloved X-Men characters.
My personal favorite is Sophie Turner as Jean Grey. It’s hard to compare her performance to that of Famke Janssen in the original films, especially when we know what’s to come for the Jean Grey we meet in “Apocalypse.” However, I like this one better. Turner’s Grey is in control, even if she is still struggling to contain her immense power. She’s aware of all that she’s capable of, and as you’ll see, she’s capable of a whole lot.
While the film is by no means perfect, and “First Class” will probably go down in history as the best of the three, “X-Men: Apocalypse” stays true to what the X-Men films do best. It doesn’t take itself to seriously, and Wolverine makes an appearance. If you enjoy the X-Men films, expect to enjoy this one as well.
…just for fun: