Critics had been given an early screening of the movie X-Men: Apocalypse but hadn't been aloud to write about it...until now. While the reviews are mixed, they are mostly positive. All the critics agreed that Evan Peters' Quicksilver steals the show again, and the scene that features Wolverine was, to quote one person, "f**king bananas!" After going through a long list of reviews, many of which are magazines or websites that know nothing about comic books, I put together a few of the reviews of the most fanboy-centric sites. Here's what they said:
We Got This Covered
X-Men: Apocalypse does nothing to discredit an already enormous franchise, and will appease fans who want more of the same mutant thrills. Comic diehards get their dug-in references (Wolverine mirrors an entrance straight from illustrated pages, Jubilee flashes her legendary yellow jacket, Xavier finally goes bald), movie lovers have some tremendous set pieces to gander at, and X-lovers spend more time with earlier versions of characters they already enjoy. The film isn’t underwhelming, it’s just same old free-wheeling, Cerebro-smashing, Wolvie-berserker style antics that basely sustain franchise advancement. The X-Men are back, without a doubt. I can’t say they’re better than ever, but they’re certainly back! Rating: 3 stars out of 5
ComicBook
X-Men: Apocalypse has a lot of action, balanced with humor and emotion that make you think of more than just “When’s the next superpower?” There’s a ton of fan-service, especially for longtime fans of the X-Men (whether from comics, videogames, the 90s animated series, or the films) and in-jokes (including one laugh out loud one at their own expense) that should make X-fans extremely happy. From the climactic battle all the way through the final scene of the movie, my inner ten-year-old was screaming out loud. The audience of oft-jaded press and guests were whooping and left the theater smiling – a telling indication of a flat-out fun time.
Den Of Geek
X-Men: Apocalypse is by no means a terrible film - the quality of the cast, from Fassbender to McAvoy to Lawrence to Kodi Smit-McPhee to Evan Peters (again great as Quicksilver) ensures there’s always someone worth watching in the quieter moments. But compared to this year’s last big superhero movie, Captain America: Civil War, Apocalypse feels less assured, less fleet-footed at moving between the earnest, the dramatic and the outright camp. When a superhero gets all these elements right, the result can seem effortless; when the balance is wrong, the difference is plain to see. Rating: 2 stars out of 5
Empire
Messier and heavier than Days Of Future Past, this is not so much the next step in the X-Men’s evolution as a failed callback to past glories. Rating: 2 stars out of 5Bleeding Cool
But for the most part, X-Men: Apocalypse weaves its ongoing plotlines from previous films and new characters in a fun and spirited manner. Anchored by Isaac’s strong performance as En Sabah Nur, the film also has a momentum as the essential group of characters form up to face down the threat of Apocalypse. And with these characters, the X-Men film series finally feels like the X-Men comics of the era … even if some of the mutants are younger or older than they should be.
JoBlo
At this point the X-MEN movies have really settled into a predictable rhythm; while you could of course say the same for some other big franchises, these particular movies just don't inspire a lot of excitement in me. That said, if you really enjoyed the last two films, you'll likely find plenty to appreciate in APOCALYPSE, even though its villain is a drag and the heroes are going through the motions once again. I'm giving it a 6, but you may well bump the grade up higher if you're an X-Men fanatic.
I wouldn't put too much stake in what other people say about the movie. My best advice to you is to go out and see it for yourself. If you like it? Go see it again. If you don't? Well, then don't go see it again.
X-Men: Apocalypse comes out May 27, 2016.
No comments:
Post a Comment