Film: X-Men - Apocalypse

GENRE: Action, Sci-Fi

RATING: PG-13 for violence and some language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 24 minutes

STARRING: James McAvoy (Atonement, Wanted, Gnomeo & Juliet)

Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs); Jennifer Lawrence (Hunger Games)

DIRECTOR: Bryan Singer (Usual Suspects, Valkyrie, X-Men, X-Men 2)

WRITER: Simon Kinberg (Sherlock Holmes, Fantastic Four, Jumper)

PLOT: The first mutant resurfaces and wishes to ‘cleanse’ the earth. The X-Men must find a way to stop him.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I’m pretty much watching X-Men movies now because I already invested time in previous installments.

STORY STUFF: I wasn’t a huge fan of the story. There were some cool elements here and there but I didn’t care too much for the Apocalypse character. Also Oscar Isaac is a little too short to play the big bad here. He didn’t seem all that intimidating. I also got a kick out of a plan to turn off generators that fizzles because the X-Men get distracted by someone, way to forget your mission you ADD kids.

ACTING STUFF: Good dramatic acting by everyone but again it’s Evan Peters as Quicksilver that steals the show. His attitude and reactions are pitch perfect. Unfortunately, some of Sophie Turner’s work as Jean Grey reminded me of Sansa in Game of Thrones.

ARTISTIC STUFF: The pre-credit opening is beautifully shot. I was mesmerized by the cinematography and effects used in that sequence. The rest of the film is also well shot.

VERDICT: Three stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You’ve seen the other X-Men movies
UPCOMING REVIEWS: Popstar – Never Stop Never Stopping