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| Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) and his minions |
A Review of X-Men: Apocalypse by Nick Olszyk
MPAA Rating, PG-13
USCCB Rating, A-III
Reel Rating, Two Reels
The
latest venture in the X-Men franchise
tempted fate with the subtitle Apocalypse
and lost. While the stakes are incredibly high the film itself is terribly
underwhelming. It’s not the worst in the series – that dishonor goes to X-Men Origins: Wolverine – but certainly
near the bottom of the barrel. It has many problems, including an overreliance
on mutant superpowers and special effects rather than story and characters,
which in an amusing way is a nostalgic throwback to the days before Christopher
Nolan and the MCU. After sixteen years and seven superhero movies in 2016 alone
(not to mention television and Netflix), the genre is finally experiencing
burnout.
The
year is 1983, which means the first generation of X-Men (Magneto, Professor X,
Beast) is middle aged while the second generation (Nightcrawler, Jean Gray, Cyclops)
are just coming onto the scene in their late teens. This younger crowd of new
mutants is the closest yet in tone and appearance to the classic 90s television
show that made the X-Men a household name. The Professor’s school has been
running smoothly for a decade after mutants were first revealed to the world in
Days of Future Past. Now there is a
new enemy that threatens not only the human world but the X-Men as well. In
Egypt, an ancient mutant named Apocalypse has gathered four accomplices,
including Magneto, with the goal of completely destroying the Earth and
remaking it as a personal paradise. It’s not a creative scheme but lacks
nothing in ambition.
The
first thing that makes Apocalypse
exceptionally worse than its predecessors is the title villain, made all the
sadder by an uninspired performance by Oscar Isaac, perhaps the first bad role
of his illustrious career. His origins involve a sloppy mix of Dan Brown and Erich
von Däniken conspiracy theories. As the first mutant in existence, he led the
ancient Egyptians as a god. “I've been called many things over many lifetimes,”
he tells Storm. “Ra, Krishna, Yahweh. I was there to spark and fan the flame of
man's awakening, to spin the wheel of civilization.” It is even suggested that
St. John drew inspiration from Apocalypse’s followers in creating the Four
Horsemen. While these connections seem silly, the implication are quite
serious. It suggests that all religion is really just a misunderstanding.
Beyond
his past, Apocalypse’s personality is insufferably boring. His motivations are
unclear beyond simple megalomania. His powers are never well defined and acts
without emotion, almost like a machine rather than a creature. What made
villains like Magneto and Mystique so compelling was their humanity. Their evil
actions were driven by deep pain and prejudice. While they had amazing
abilities, they were still people. This struggle for mutant acceptance in a
non-mutant world is the heart of the X-Men
franchise. Professor X wants to live in peace and use their abilities to
protect humanity. Magneto sees man as the enemy that must be stopped, by
violence if necessary. It’s an effective motif but far overused by this point.
The
only silver lining in an otherwise droll narrative is the hip personalities of
the 80s teen mutants. Sporting Atari shirts and neon yellow sunglasses, they
are a welcomed oasis from Apocalypse’s grey attitude and color scheme. My
personal favorite is Quicksilver (Evan Peters) who once again steals the show
through fast paced cinematography underlined by groovy beats. Yet even these
characters are overshadowed by the constant focus on superpowers and 3D special
effects. The climactic scene lasts about twenty minutes too long and mostly
involves a display of Jean Grey’s telekinetic prowess rather than moral
justice. No one is impressed anymore by the amount of CGI; instead, it is how
the imagery is used to enhance the story which makes a film compelling. That’s
how Ex Machina could win an Oscar for
Visual Effects despite a budget of only $15 million.
Apocalypse was doomed from the beginning
by the silly premise that this could be “the end.” Every man, woman, and mutant
who has ever read a comic book knows that can’t happen, so why even pretend?
Even Days of Future Past operated on
a similar premise, but it had the advantage of superior writing and story
structure. It is not enough to make a film hoping for fan devotion alone. It is
the relationships among the characters that make all the difference. The only
way for the genre to move forward is smaller films that focus on good stories –
indie superhero flicks. Now that would be something.
This article appeared in Catholic World Report on May 31st, 2016.
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