#X men apocalypse film dates series#

The back-and-forth between Xavier (in the “mutants and humans can live together” camp) and Magneto (in the “mutants and humans can never live together” camp) has grown increasingly tired over six films, even if we’re now witnessing a midpoint in their relationship. Apocalypse remains a one-note villain throughout, despite Isaac’s best efforts to imbue the godlike foe with authoritative menace underneath mountains of prosthetic makeup (whatever new fans the exceptional actor gained from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” will hardly recognize him here). Professor X’s school isn’t the only thing that blows up in the ruination-happy “Apocalypse,” but the storytelling never ignites. (It’s meant to outdo the “Time in a Bottle” sequence from “Future Past” but only reinforces what an ingenious and singular way Singer found to demonstrate Quicksilver’s power the first time around.) Metallica’s “The Four Horsemen” scores a wounded Angel’s rebirth via Apocalypse, and Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” accompanies an elaborate sequence of Quicksilver slowing down time to rescue Professor X’s students from an explosion. Pac-Man arcade game) and smartly utilized contempo music cues.

Several other key characters - including Raven, Nightcrawler, MacTaggert and Evan Peters’ scene-stealing Quicksilver - each make their way to the school in due time.Ī parallel storyline tracks Apocalypse’s 20th-century resurrection and subsequent recruitment of four new followers: African orphan Ororo (Alexandra Shipp), fierce Psylocke (Olivia Munn), winged outcast Angel (Ben Hardy) and Magneto, who has been quietly living under an assumed identity in Poland since his failed attempt to assassinate President Nixon in “Future Past.”ĭespite a handful of references to President Reagan and the Cold War, “Apocalypse” steers clear of ’80s politics, and instead leans on familiar pop culture references (“Knight Rider,” a Ms. That’s where McCoy takes Scott under his wing, and (shades of Anna Paquin’s Rogue in “X-Men”) the young mutant is introduced to a world where he can finally be himself - not to mention find a simpatico soul in Turner’s blossoming telekinetic heroine. His vision is starting to go, and after a rage-fueled encounter with a class bully unleashes a powerful laser beam from his peepers, Scott is whisked away to Professor Xavier’s school for “gifted” kids by big brother Alex (Lucas Till, another “First Class” holdover). Cyclops, winningly played by Terrence Malick discovery Sheridan). The film skips ahead to an Ohio high school classroom in 1983, where life is literally a blur for young Scott Summers (a.k.a. The character narrowly pulls it off, as the massive pyramid he had constructed crumbles spectacularly around him, killing his followers and entombing him for the next several thousand years. Except this time Singer and scribe Simon Kinberg give the players precious little to sink their teeth into.įrom the opening prologue, set in the Nile Valley circa 3600 BC, it’s clear that Singer aims to take audiences on an eye-popping roller-coaster ride, though in doing so, he leaves behind any pretense of coherent storytelling or character development, as an aging Apocalypse prepares to transfer into a younger body with the help of four devoted minions.

#X men apocalypse film dates series#

That lineup isn’t short on talent or charisma, and the addition of series newcomers Oscar Isaac (as titular mega-mutant baddie Apocalypse), Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner and Kodi Smit-McPhee (as younger incarnations of the original trilogy characters Cyclops, Jean Grey and Nightcrawler, respectively) only bolsters the ensemble’s appeal. Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (as shapeshifter Raven/Mystique), Nicholas Hoult (as brainy and brawny Hank McCoy) and Rose Byrne (as CIA agent Moira MacTaggert). The genetically-modified man of war’s absence from Matthew Vaughn’s well-reviewed prequel “X-Men: First Class” was blamed for that film’s relatively underwhelming performance.įollow-up “Future Past” mixed cast members from both “First Class” and the original “X-Men” trilogy, including Hugh Jackman’s hirsute hero, but “Apocalypse” returns to the core “Class” ensemble of James McAvoy (as Professor Charles Xavier), Michael Fassbender (as his frenemy Erik Lensherr, a.k.a. The wildcard in audience acceptance (and the box office ceiling) for this latest outing is the lack of fan favorite character Wolverine (at least as far as viewers know).