X-Men: Apocalypse is the third and final part of the new X-Men prequel trilogy headlined by director Bryan Singer. Despite the film not performing to the standards set by First Class and Days of Future Past, the younger cast of characters shines in the midst of the film’s shortcomings and looks to become the main staples of the X-Men franchise moving forward.
Warning: Minor spoilers for the film are contained below. A full, in-depth review of X-Men: Apocalypse can be found here.
What X-Men Apocalypse delivers to viewers is a younger, solid cast of inexperienced X-Men that fans deserved, as the original trilogy of movies gave viewers a veteran team whose journeys to that point had been left largely untold. Now, fans will get an opportunity to grow with this cast moving forward. The likes of Tye Sheridan (Cyclops), Sophie Turner (Jean Grey), Kodi-Smit McPhee (Nightcrawler), Alexandra Shipp (Storm), and Evan Peters (Quicksilver) are a group that, moving forward, figures to aid in revitalizing a franchise around the next generation of X-Men.
Sheridan’s portrayal as Scott Summers/Cyclops and his development in the film was one of the more positive aspects of the film. He is far from the confident leader fans know. In fact, he is very angry and lost in life as he adjusts to his powerful, yet unstable mutant ability. With the death of his brother Alex Summers (Havok), Scott is suddenly left to live up to his brother’s expectations while adjusting to life with his powers.
This was an interesting twist to add to his storyline, as he must traverse this new world of mutants and his great power without his brother’s guidance. The film gives us an indecisive and hesitant Scott, unsure of himself and certainly very different from the James Marsden version, who grew into one of the main leaders of the X-Men.
On the other side, Sophie Turner is a great fit as Jean Grey. We get a Jean that, despite her talents, appears to harbor more internally than she lets on. For all of Jean’s apparent control over her abilities, she hesitates to embrace who she is, for fear of losing control of herself, and must walk a fine line compared to her mutant comrades. Through the film, we see her reluctance to engage in direct combat with her powers, opting to use more subversive means to avoid getting in a direct fight. Her particular brand of powers make her an outcast even among her fellow mutants, as she must be subconsciously aware of how she uses her gifts more than anyone else.
There is clearly more to Jean than meets the eye, signs of a darker side that she would rather keep at bay. The film gave viewers, particularly those familiar with X-Men lore, a hint of Jean’s capabilities at the film’s climatic scene, where we get a small dose of Phoenix in all its glory. Just as she has with Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones, Turner appears to make the red-haired telepath all her own within the X-Men franchise.
Meanwhile, Evan Peters continues to dominate as Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver, and was certainly worthy of his increased screen time. His pursuit of Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto, whom he has since learned is his father, added a different kind of fold into his character. Despite his speed, we get a Quicksilver that, as fast he can think on his feet, is a little slower when it comes to actually approaching the man he now knows is his father.
Lacking that paternal figure in his life, it feels as though Quicksilver wants nothing more than to not only know his father, but have his approval. Magneto becomes that figure who Quicksilver aspires to be and live up to. In addition, Peter’s laid-back attitude when using his powers were some of the best moments in the film, and provides a much-needed dash of comedic relief for a movie that could have used a little more of it.
If anything, it was great to see Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler back in the fold, considering he hasn’t been in an X-Men film since X2: X-Men United. Once again, his teleportation ability served the team well, and he was certainly able to serve up some comedic moments of the film that weren’t stolen by Quicksilver. Unfortunately, we did not get too much into Nightcrawler’s character outside of a few laughs here or there, but McPhee’s portrayal of the character was a nice change from the more serious tone of Alan Cumming’s portrayal in X2.
In addition to his signature teleportation, Nightcrawler has been known for his comedic and light-hearted nature in comparison to the rest of the team, and it was refreshing to see his character return to those comic-book roots.
And finally, the film gave fans a young Storm in Alexandra Shipp that many should be happy with, especially with the mohawk the character sported in the 1980s comics. Being an orphan in the streets of Cairo, we find a Storm that is scraping by to survive on the streets and looking for guidance in a world very short on it. Lacking a true role model, she’s just trying to figure out where her meals will come from every day. Unfortunately, she believes that joining Apocalypse will provide some purpose and becomes one of his Four Horsemen.
Outside of that, she was nothing short of boss in her display, and outside of Magneto easily had the most impressive display of power among the Horsemen. Shipp does a fabulous job in restoring excitement for the weather-controlling mutant and providing a fresh iteration of the character as she begins to come into her own as a member of the X-Men.
X-Men Apocalypse officially closes the door on the First Class trilogy with McAvoy, Fassbender, and Lawrence appearing to have their stories come to a close. Despite the film’s shortcomings, we are left with a new, younger generation of X-Men with a solid cast behind it, which should make many excited for the future direction of the franchise.
