Just when we thought peace would reign, remnants of the ancient world awakens to destroy humanity's modern foundations. En Sabah Nur's slumber is finished, the Apocalypse has begun.
The Story
Continuing their quest to undo mistakes from the early 00's, X-Men: Apocalypse follows the growth and progression of Professor Xavier's "School for the Gifted".
Although the original X-Men Trilogy tapped into the full potential of favoured Marvel characters, this instalment follows the flashback plot of X-Men: First Class.
We see Jene Grey (Sophie Turner), Scott Summers (Tye Sheridan) and Ororo Munroe - "Storm" (Alexandra Shipp) not only discover their powers, but find mentors who teach them how to unleash their abilities.
Original First Class and Days of Future Past characters are given meatier background stories in this instalment. This allows their stories and character development to blossom in ways that are both familiar and refreshing for long-time X-Men readers and viewers.
Apocalypse offers viewers a psychological journey into morality and spirituality. It pushes mental boundaries without offence, allowing you to think deeply and question the foundations of your own choices and abilities - even as a human.
The Cast
As always, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult did a magnificent job in reprising their roles. I cannot wait to see what they do next - that is if they do reprise their roles for another installment.
Evan Peters, Rose Byrne and Lucas Till receive special mentions for their reprisals too! It was nice to see Byrne and Till back in action, I missed them after the first film! Peters is still as funny as ever, but it was good to see a slight seriousness when it comes to the curiosities about Quicksilver's father.
Now, for the noobs...
Sophie Turner is a great Jene Grey. Not only does she capture the essence of the character that Famke Janssen created sixteen years ago, but she also brings a new air of mystery to the abilities that Jene Grey posses.
Tye Sheridan distractingly looks like Charlie Puth in this film, but this is permissible considering he does a great job bringing a more vulnerable side to Cyclops. Unlike James Marden's super serious take on the role, the teenaged Scott Summers is understandably struggling with being an adolescent and a mutant all at once - what an evolution in puberty! Sheridan was funny, serious and emotional, everything you need from a character who's been set up as a the typical Rebel Without A Cause who later becomes a real team player.
Alexandra Shipp's version of Storm is quite unique in the sense that she starts on the wrong side of the fight. We see a more naive version of Storm that is completely different to Halle Berry's stern, cool, calm and collected portrayal. Shipp beautifully portrayed a young girl finding her way in a harsh world.
Kodi Smit-McPhee gets top marks, not only for holding a German accent, but for adding to the comic relief in this film. It's not easy to play a character "poofs" on demand, and he made it look easy! Smit-McPher is a brilliant younger version to Alan Cumming's original portrayal.
Ben Hardy's characterisation of Angel is vastly different to Ben Foster's original character. Although reviving the role doesn't make much sense in the timeline, he did a great job making the character his own.
Olivia Munn brings Psylocke to life nicely. Unlike the rest of the newbies, Munn has a lot of leeway in terms of breathing life into the character. Since Psylocke is a fairly new addition, there's not much to say, but Munn did a great job in making her an enigma - one that needs to be watched for future reference.
Oscar Isaac plays an excellent contrast to McAvoy and support to Fassbender in his role as Apocalypse. Although, you can't help but draw similarities between his character and James Spader's portrayal of Ultron (Avengers: Age of Ultron). He is as menacing as he is intriguing.
Overall...the film is one for all ages. It deals with family, friendship and morality in a way that you'd never imagine.
sL Star Rating: ★★★★
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