In 3600 BC, ancient Egypt, a mutant with the ability to transfer his consciousness into the bodies of others, known as En Sabah Nur (Oscar Isaac), is in the process of assuming a new body when a resistance group destroys the pyramid where he and his followers, including his Four Horsemen, are in, causing one of his followers to seal him in the rubble and put him in a sleep. Thousands of years later, in the year 1983, his remaining followers accidentally awaken him from his sleep. Meanwhile, Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) has opened a school for mutants to help them control their powers. When En Sabah Nur, a.k.a. Apocalypse, recruits four powerful mutants, Angel (Ben Hardy), Psylocke (Olivia Munn), Storm (Alexandria Shipp) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to help him in his quest for world domination, it is up to Charles and the X-Men to stop him before it is too late.
I have enjoyed the X-Men series since the beginning and though I had worries about Apocalypse, the movie doesn't disappoint for those who have been on this 16+ year ride. Those of you who have not seen the previous movies or those who are not familiar with the series will not enjoy the movie as much as the diehards, but you will still have a great time especially if you are coming off Days of Future Past.
The parts of the movie that work the best are the ones that viewers are most familiar with. Michael Fassbender delivers a powerful performance as Magneto once again. His story is one of pain and suffering since WWII and has yet to let up. Just when he thinks he has found happiness, it is ripped away in one of the saddest scenes in the movie. Tye Sheridan does an awesome job of stepping into the role of Scott Summers and really lives up to the characters potential; James Marsden would be proud. Finally, though it lasts 2 minutes tops, is the cameo from Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Sure it's a bucket list thing, but seeing Jackman escape the Weapon X facility looks as if it was ripped from the pages of the Weapon X comic.
However, there are a few hitches with this installment. Jennifer Lawrence feels burned out as Mystique and doesn't give as good as a performance as Days of Future Past. The timeline is again altered in a way that makes it really hard to continue thinking of these as a prequel to the original. And lastly It leaves you wondering where they could possibly go from here. But the final entry into this series has yet to be written and when Wolverine 3 is released next year, then I guess we will know where we stand.
Overall this is one that fans, casual or diehard, don't want to miss. It may not be the opus that was Days of Future Past, but it is a solid fun entry none the less.
Rating: 8/10 Stars
Rich Stile @TheDevilsEyes1