Powers Beyond Our Control: Thoughts on X-Men: Apocalypse

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

Directed By: Bryan Singer

The X-Men movies tend to get mix reviews among audiences due to poor storylines, character development, and etc. But as a fan of the franchise, since I was younger, I am still a loyal fan of the movies.

In X-Men: Apocalypse, the first supposed mutant, En Sabah Nur, reawakens and plans to destroy mankind in order to create a new world where he’s the almighty “God.”

The plot is simple and direct—the basic good versus evil structure. I didn’t find anything wrong with the storyline, but some viewers may find it a bit bland and dull especially since there isn’t really any plot twists. However, it is great to see a new antagonist other than Magneto or William Stryker, who are the antagonists for a majority of X-Men films. So that was something new.

As for the character development, I agree that there isn’t enough time to fully flesh out each character. There are so many awesome mutants in the X-Men series that they each deserve some spotlight. Yet for this movie, I wished that there was more screen time for certain characters. One character that I think should get more screen time in future X-Men movies is Psylocke, portrayed by Olivia Munn. Psylocke had some epic battle scenes in this movie and it would be great to see more of that in upcoming films. Another character that I wish had more of an impact in X-Men: Apocalypse is Jubilee, portrayed by Lana Condor. In the interviews I watched prior to the film, they hyped up her appearance, and I was hoping that she would have more of an important role in the movie, but she just ended up having a few cameo scenes and lines. Well, I shouldn’t be surprised, though, since Asian actors and actresses don’t get enough screen time in Hollywood movies. However, I do hope that in the future, we will see more of these characters.

Despite the lack of screen time for certain characters, I did enjoy the casting of the young mutants: Cyclops, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, and Storm. They lived up to their youth and immaturity. They didn’t know how to control their powers, and you can sense this fear throughout the film which is the main dilemma for these youngsters. However, their mentors and teachers like Mystique and Professor X told them to embrace their gifts and use it as a source of protection.

X-Men: Apocalypse wasn’t an amazing movie, but in comparison to some of the other X-Men films, I would consider it pretty decent. I was entertained. I’m excited, though for what’s in store for the future of the franchise.

3.8/5