The X-Men are back for an all new big screen adventure "X-Men: Apocalypse." Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy have returned too. Time Warner Cable News’ film critic Neil Rosen has the review.
Apocalypse is the name of the world's first and most powerful mutant who ruled ancient Egypt over 5,000 years ago. Woken from a deep sleep in 1983, he has an agenda.
A small group of mutants, including Magneto, join Apocalypse on his quest to wipe out the world; while Professor X and his band of X-Men try and stop mankind's destruction.
Groups of superheroes fighting each other is a theme that's cropped up in a lot of comic book films lately, from "Batman vs. Superman" to "Captain America: Civil War." However, what makes this film better than those movies is a certain level of intelligence.
Director Bryan Singer, who helmed the first two X-Men films - which are the best in the series - as well as the last one, always infuses his movies with a good story, and that is what makes the difference. Since Singer knows the characters, there's clever nods to previous X-Men films as well as explanations that fans will appreciate as to why certain characters evolved the way they did.
On the negative side, this movie does overly rely on action scenes, and there are also too many characters on board.
Still, even though it is not in the same league as the first two X-Men films, there is a lot to enjoy here for fans of the series. Apocalypse himself, played by an unrecognizable Oscar Isaac, is a villain you will love to hate. Fassbender, Lawrence and McAvoy class up the proceedings, and along with a cast of younger mutants and a surprise cameo, make it a lot of fun.
Neil Rosen’s Big Apple Rating:
Three Apples