X-Men: Apocalypse is the latest installment in the X-Men franchise. If you don’t count the Wolverine spinoffs or Deadpool, this is the sixth film in the series which seems strange. The first one was released 16 years ago. Somehow, they’ve managed to keep things somewhat coherent despite having a reboot that wasn’t a reboot in 2011’s First Class, then another reboot that wasn’t a reboot with 2014’s Days of Future Past that made up for mistakes made in both sets of X-Men franchises through a convenient “alternate timeline” plot line. Basically, they needed a clever way for Hugh Jackman to keep playing Wolverine which he has done in 8 movies.
Back to X-Men: Apocalypse…
Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2VipiNWMWQ
Although he’s never called by that name in the film, Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant in years was worshipped as a god in Egypt. One of his abilities is to take on the powers of other mutants by transferring his spirit into their bodies thus giving him the ability to live forever. When he wakes a slumber that has lasted thousands of years, he is not happy with the world he discovers and decides it must be “cleansed” of the weak. To help him do this, he recruits a team of mutants to be his “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”. One of them is Magneto who has been in hiding after the events of Days of Future Past and is on the run again after the life he has built is destroyed. Back at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, Raven/Mystique is trying to convince Professor Xavier that a war is brewing and his youngsters need to be able to fight it. Of course, Apocalypse shows up and things go pretty bad. Now, Raven is forced to lead a young team of X-Men into battle against their greatest nemesis to save mankind from destruction.
Act 1 of X-Men: Apocalypse was great. It sets up the villain in an interesting way and gives a nice update on what most of our favorite characters are doing. Magneto has started his own family in Poland. Xavier’s school is gaining more students by the day. It gives us our first look at some classic characters like Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Angel. Even Jubilee makes a brief appearance. Act 1 is great.
Then there’s Act 2…
Act 2 has some great moments but it also has some bad ones. There’s a portion of the film involving the classic baddie Colonel Stryker that feels out of place and nearly brings the main story to a halt. It only serves the purpose of (insert spoiler, which is in the latest trailer, here). Then the big climactic battle kicks off, the baddies show up in a way that feels like a cheap video game and the final battle ran a little long. The best moment was seeing Jean Grey finally unleash her powers. The Magneto being a good guy, then a bad guy, then a good guy but still a bad guy bit has been going on for three movies now. It’s getting old.
The bottom line is that it’s better than Batman V Superman but it’s not as good as Captain America: Civil War. It falls right in the middle.
Also in theaters…
In Disney's Alice Through The Looking Glass, Alice returns to the whimsical world of Underland and travels back in time to save the Mad Hatter. Alice has spent the past few years following in her father's footsteps and sailing the high seas. Upon her return to London, she comes across a magical looking glass and returns to the fantastical realm of Underland and her friends the White Rabbit, Absolem, the Cheshire Cat and the Mad Hatter, who is not himself. The Hatter has lost his Muchness, so Mirana sends Alice on a quest to borrow the Chronosphere, a metallic globe inside the chamber of the Grand Clock which powers all time. Returning to the past, she comes across friends - and enemies - at different points in their lives, and embarks on a perilous race to save the Hatter before time runs out.
Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anvGUW-vsLE
In Last Man Club, WWII veteran, John "Eagle" Pennell, is a day away from being sent to a retirement home. He escapes in his late wife's 1958 Ford Fairlane and embarks on a cross country journey to find the last surviving members of his B-17 crew with the help of young accomplice. The fulfillment of an oath is Eagle's destiny, but what he discovers along the way is a life affirming view of himself and forgiveness for his family who is trying to stop him. Once reunited with his remaining crewmen, they venture through the backroads of America, in a race to complete their mission, as the police, the FBI, a dangerous gangster and Eagle's family try to figure out this band of geriatric's next move.
Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xx6j1EOOs70
In A Bigger Splash, rock legend Marianne Lane is recuperating on an island getaway with her partner when iconoclast record producer and her old flame unexpectedly arrive with his daughter and interrupts their holiday, bringing with him a blast of nostalgia from which there can be no rescue.
Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRQioAYem3o
And in our last movie of the week, Kate Beckinsale stars in the adaptation of Jane Austen's comedy, Love And Friendship as the Beautiful young widow Lady Susan Vernon who visits the estate of her in-laws to wait out the colourful rumours circulating through polite society. Whilst ensconced there, she decides to secure a husband for herself and a future for her eligible but reluctant daughter. In doing so she attracts the simultaneous attentions of three men which complicates matters severely.
Trailer Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9NhSmvb-mg
Here’s what new on Home Video and Streaming:
- Dementia
- A Girl Like Her
- Hail, Caesar!
- Eddie the Eagle
- The Finest Hours
- The Other Side of the Door
- Risen
- How To Be Single
- Zoolander 2
- The Player
I recommend Hail, Caesar!, Eddie the Eagle, The Finest Hours, and Risen. Hail, Caesar!, is a Coen Brothers film that isn’t as good as their other work but like their other work, the strength is in the characters and actors portraying them. Channing Tatum and Alden Ehrenreich steal the show. Eddie The Eagle is based on a true story, was fun to watch, and served as an homage to the underdog stories of the 1980’s. The Finest Hours is also based on a true story and while it’s not great, it does have a pretty good cast and the story it’s based on is interesting despite the shortcomings of the film. Risen, while a “faith-based film”, plays like a period piece mystery about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.