X-Men:Apocalypse

2016's addition to the beloved X-Men franchise trademarks its way by cute visual & audio hints right from the runtime 0:00. The last-to-fade-out 'X' & the tailgating theme music at the end of 20th Century Fox's grand intro card, Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) poking fun at the 3rd Star Wars film referring to X-Men: The Last Stand and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) blocking the entry of Apocalypse with a pair of X-shaped metal railings are the servings meant. Till today, it's goosebumps all over to hear the title track of X-Men!

This installment recounts the tale of the very first mutant who ever lived known as En Sabah Nur or Apocalypse. The inciting incident is brilliant, with a monumental Egyptian backdrop setting at Nile Valley showing the Transference process. Some of the background extras seem artificial, as with the set pieces & props which look like obvious set pieces & props!

But, let's discuss about the primary problem, before delving into the minor ones. This script has the burden to:

Due to these 2 tasks, scene allocations are plenty too. There are subplots after plots, with the screenplay trying to cram in as many information as it could to firm the grounds first. Therefore, it ends up jumbled & quick. The flow isn't smooth, with little help from the film editorial department either. Scenes that are trapped in this phase of the writing are:

On papers, when reading these, would have sounded mysterious & wondrous. But, it doesn't work quite as predicted in picture format. The one storyline that prevails from this crowd is Erik Lehnsherr's. His normal life with a wife & kid, provoked yet again by the killing of his family is a great shocker sequence! You feel pity for the man. You could touch his pain & cry for him. He is cursed by the same fate every single time! And Michael Fassbender is a masterclass actor who reprises the role! As an amplification to his feelings through glimpses of past, the ruination of the Auschwitz camp ensues! You understand his turn-back against Apocalypse at the end, because Erik's not performing the actions because he wants to. En Sabah Nur to Erik at realization, is just a stranger who's using the latter to achieve his own needs, similar to Storm (Alexandra Shipp). It's nice of a hidden clue for him that he still has a family member, a son left in the form of Quicksilver (Evan Peters). Like Charles (James McAvoy) says, it would have been nice if Erik stays in the X-Mansion.

Oscar Isaac as Apocalypse is no short of awesomeness! Legacy Effects has crafted one of the best looking costumes of all time for the character! Goodness gracious, the Byzantine details & expensiveness! We get to see how the being became the most powerful mutant who walked the face of Earth, by displaying his method of merging rare abilities from various individuals & embodying it through the Transference which relocates his consciousness from one body to another. The ways he kills normal people & builds costumes for the Horsemen are amusing to watch, particularly Angel's (Ben Hardy) metallic wings! He learns the contemporary state of world through television history, which is acceptable. The aim to his requirement of Charles' powers to disarm the nuclear weapons & send message to the global population is well done. However, him meeting Ororo Munroe is a conveniently interjected occurrence. The fact that he has always had 4 Horsemen at all eras in the names of War, Pestilence, Famine & Death to accomplish goals is fascinating!

Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) has a slight yet beautiful revelation. Her mission to rescue her kind from wrong hands continues from Logan till Nightcrawler. It is a small but highly noticeable character moment when she comes to know how much she has inspired teen mutants. Jean & Scott bonding over similarities is a start we see to a long lasting relationship. We see Jean strafing back the papers to her arms & Scott splicing Professor X's favorite tree to our glee. Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult) is important too. Wonder no longer of how Cyclops gets his unique sunglasses.

He did it once, he does it again! Yes, Maximoff saves the inhabitants of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters during its destruction is a phenomenal scene! Of course, it's a itty-bitty long, but the entertainment value is immensely priceless! He mans up to strike Apocalypse in the perspective time mode & it's comical as hell! You'll have to catch how he explains to Mystique about his father.

There isn't a need to include William Stryker (Josh Helman) in this story. The only reason why it happens is to enforce Wolverine's (Hugh Jackman) cameo in it, which is a good scene by the way, nevertheless. This segment is by far the weakest element in the script, with the isolated X-Men team conveniently finding planes & suits at the Weapon X facility. Cyclops, together with Jean & Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee) attempt to cut the current connection, only to release Logan & not doing what they came for in the first place. Later on, Cyclops frees the rest just by blasting the vault door with his optic beams. Why was this not the initial plan? Like mentioned earlier, the sole purpose for this whole situation to exist is for the audiences to see the Adamantium animal onscreen. It's entertaining, but is it necessary? Does it make the film better in any ways? Brought down the grade, it did for sure. Wolverine confronting his younger future love interest is the intermediate delight to note.

Climax in this movie is special as it manifests closure through prodigious actions! Jean unleashing Phoenix, intertwining a mind battle between Charles & Apocalypse post the halfway-interrupted Transference is whopping! An enlarged incarnation of En Sabah Nur is imposing! After all these years, the script still manages to con you with Mystique's impersonations! You can say Moira's memory being returned is unnecessary, but it's an action done by Xavier after a series of emotional & physical grapple & torment to bring conclusion to characters that are in the motion picture. With new suits & the beginning of simulation trainings, there's hope to see the X-Men returning to silver screens soon.