X-Men: Apocalypse - Snapshot

I was looking forward to X-Men: Apocalypse, and in usual tradition I set out to re-watch all 7 previous movies in the franchise, in preparation. Fresh with the knowledge of the entire X-Men movie timeline, I proceeded for the IMAX experience of Apocalypse. The opening credits sequence is true to the X-Men movie style, now with a little Egyptian Pyramid flavor, keeping in context with the theme. The 3D presentation of these opening credits are well worth the 3D moniker, truly drawing in the audience; on IMAX it was amazing. The narrative sets things up well, and plays out beautifully. One of the major successes of the franchise is keeping the timeline under control, aiding in the various movies seamlessly working with each other. While there are some questions if you really analyze things, they are miniscule at most. This may not seem like a big deal, but there have been past sci-fi entertainment efforts that have totally blown it in this department, the original Heroes TV series being a classic example. Beyond the first season it became pointless, owing to poorly managed time travel powers, making everything fairly pointless and irrelevant. Director Bryan Singer and writer Simon Kinberg deserve to be applauded, as the X-Men movies magically maintain the past, present, future, including various changes and iterations. What started with X-Men: First Class, in the sense of origins and backstories, continues with this movie. More new characters are introduced, and work their way closer to a future audiences are familiar with. The feeling of being able to relate, is truly rewarding for the viewer. The scale of the destruction is massive, in line with the absolute power that is the new Apocalypse character. As with old movies, Magneto has a key role; though it would have been nice to see the plot not have to rely on him as much. We welcome back Quicksilver, who contributes to perhaps the most standout scene is the movie. Supported by the music of Eurythmic's Sweet Dreams, the slow-motion montage combines memorable elements, including special effects, an effective story board, and narrative humor. Where the movie slightly disappoints is the action sequences; there are hardly any notable ones.  Mid-movie there is a nice little character appearance, without which perhaps the movie would have been incomplete as an X-Men movie. Being the 8th installment, its easily one of the longest running movie series, and kudos to the studio for managing to successfully sell another X-Men movie. In conclusion, while X-Men: Apocalypse failed to wow me, it was a great watch, and a great action flick.

My Recommendation: Watch It+ (16 years and going strong, with more X-Men to be Xpected)