The X-Men series has been on a long road to recovery. The Last Stand was an underwhelming ending to the original trilogy. Since then, the success of ‘’First Class’’ & ‘’Days of Future Past’’ have seen the fortunes of the franchises improve, the latest chapter to the saga looks to seal the revival.
Apocalypse picks up following the events of DOFP. Magneto is trying to reintegrate into a normal human life secluded away in Europe. Mistique is now seen as a hero to many mutants, and Professor X’s school is up and running.
The story follows the return of Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac). The ‘’original’ mutant, dating back to the Egyptians.
Following Civil War, this is another ensemble cast, with various characters getting show time. The lead duo of McAVoy and Fassbender are fantastic as they have proven before. The chemistry between to two works well, and they have become a capable replacement for Stewart & McKellen from the original trilogy. This film also sees characters such as Cyclops (Tye Sherian), Jean Grey (Sophia Turner) & Storm (Alexander Shipp) all get recast. This gives all the characters a second chance, one which Cyclops most definitely needed. The supposed leader of the X-men played second fiddle in his previous incarnation. Quicksilver once again returns, and his cameo is even better than his set piece from DOFP. Nightcrawler’s (Kodi Smit-McPhee) addition also worked really well, and provided moments of comic relief, especially his interaction with the fellow young X-Men students.
The main part of the plot was that Apocalypse will recruit 4 warriors, he so called ‘4 horseman of the Apocalypse’ to be by his side during his reign. It’s here where the film loses some of its edge. Apart from Magneto, the rest don’t really have a serious agenda. Storm, & Angel all seem unnecessary, and compared to Magneto, a real step down. They spend most of the film posing by the side of Apocalypse. The main antagonist himself is a bit one dimensional, he is just evil for the sake of being evil. No real reason to why to wants to rule the world. The role of Mistique is also a bit perplexing; it looks like they forced Mystique into being one of the main characters, solely down to Jennifer Lawrence’s name. Her attempt to lead the X-men feels much like her character in The Hunger Games!
Overall Apocalypse is a thoroughly entertaining film, the set pieces are amazing, the characters are mostly well done, and there are several humorous moments. The cameo from a certain X-Men was good to see, although it was spoiled in the trailers! If your after a great popcorn flick, this certainly delivers.
Silver Screen Show 
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