Apocalypse Things you didn't like in X-Men: Apocalypse (Spoilers)

[Tymminator]

And, just in case anyone was in doubt that Storm and Psylocke got well and truly screwed over, here's who people were talking about on social media...

Also note the sheer excitement (NOT) over J-Law's Mystique.

This chart just highlights tone of the major problems with how the FoX-Men are done. There have been some X-films they have done that I love, but its almost as if they made a few good films buy accident, because their intent is not to really make a good X-men movie, but make a good movie that highlights certain stars and give them lots of screen time. Logan was the perfect way to put a period at the end of this sentence called the FoX-Men Universe, but since they decided to try once more with Kinberg, I really hope Dark Phoenix is a good send off.

Rewatching this now for the first time since theaters maybe.

There's no reason for this ten year age gap, the cast looks the same as they did back in the 60's so what was the point?

In case you didn't immediately figure out what would happen to Magneto's family upon merely learning of their existence, the first scene between him and his daughter just hits you over the head with it.

I think the first thing Mystique says is "I'm a nobody. I'm not a hero. Let's go." Storm sees Apocalypse glance over at the poster of Mystique and immediately says "That's my hero. I want to be just like her." Here's some free advice Kinberg: give your screenplays a once over and make sure nothing like that slips through.

I don't know what's more difficult: watching an actor as talented as MaCavoy bumble like a smitten schoolboy around Moira, or watching an actor as talented as Isaac try to make this character with that make-up work.

Lawrence reads every line like she's hungover at the table read.

The pacing is pretty atrocious. Every scene feels neutered and watered down, which does no favors to a movie full of wooden characters.

Yep.

Quite right. Only the four main characters (Charles, Erik, Raven, and Hank) get any real development across these prequel films, and they've already been done to death, so they're material has grown stale while the rest of the ensemble is largely ignored.

It hit me recently that Mystique doesn't need to be in this movie at all. You could do the whole thing without her. But because she's played by JLaw, she gets a ton of screen time and even gets to lead the team, which she never did in the comics.

Yep.

 

[Avenging Angel]

Yeah nothing about her Jean Grey especially impressed me. They didn't do much in terms of developing her character.

Because she wasn't given a lot to do and they toned down her character a lot for no reason. The Phoenix reveal wasn't needed Jean was a stoic. The character was just reacting and watching things being done as opposed to doing anything. I think Sophie is fine but I wasn't emotionally invested in this Jean like I had in X2. They need to give these characters more material, Charles, Erik and Raven should finally take a back seat.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

I think the first thing Mystique says is "I'm a nobody. I'm not a hero. Let's go." Storm sees Apocalypse glance over at the poster of Mystique and immediately says "That's my hero. I want to be just like her." Here's some free advice Kinberg: give your screenplays a once over and make sure nothing like that slips through.

She doesn't see herself as a hero. But others do.

 

[DawnWarrior]

I stand by my earlier argument that Mystique didn't need to be in the movie at all. Giving it some thought, it probably would have worked just as well to just subtract her from the second act. She rescues Nightcrawler, drops him off at the school, maybe has a short conversation with Charles, and then leaves. JLaw collects her paycheck and everyone's happy.

And then she's gone from the movie...until the fight in Cairo, Psylocke suddenly tries to take out Apocalypse, and is revealed to be Mystique. I kind of enjoy the notion of BigA being such a menace that old enemies are showing up to lend a hand.

 

[Jordacar]

The first image I always associate with this movie (as a weakness at least) is the sight of the Horsemen just kinda standing around with nothing to do for most of their screen time. It's supposed to be that the X-Men have a few scuffles with them so we can get a feel for everyone's power levels. But because they gotta do it all (and more) in one movie, the action gets all scrunched into the final act.

That's the second thing. The way they skip all of that after escaping Weapon X, there's no time left in the plot for everything I just said up there, which is why there's some convenient uniforms and a warplane right there for them to jump straight into saving the world.

 

[Frankeh]

The first image I always associate with this movie (as a weakness at least) is the sight of the Horsemen just kinda standing around with nothing to do for most of their screen time. It's supposed to be that the X-Men have a few scuffles with them so we can get a feel for everyone's power levels. But because they gotta do it all (and more) in one movie, the action gets all scrunched into the final act.

That's the second thing. The way they skip all of that after escaping Weapon X, there's no time left in the plot for everything I just said up there, which is why there's some convenient uniforms and a warplane right there for them to jump straight into saving the world.

Yeah, bad writing. They had no idea what to do with those Horsemen. They just stand around like mannequins.

I feel like they had to come up with a better scheme for Apocalypse, period. He wants the strong to outlive the weak, so why not actually plot a war between mutants a humans? Add some political intrigue to it, how do the world's powers respond to his rally for war? Instead we just get a series of sequences of Apocalypse and Magneto showing off their powers. Meh. The Weapon X bathroom break sequence only adds salt to the wound.

 

[Jordacar]

Is Simon Kinberg the new Akiva Goldsman? I don't see Kinberg getting any Oscar noms for writing any time soon

 

[Kevin Roegele]

There have been some X-films they have done that I love, but its almost as if they made a few good films buy accident, because their intent is not to really make a good X-men movie, but make a good movie that highlights certain stars and give them lots of screen time.

.

That's how Hollywood works. The Avengers films highlight Robert Downey Jr, because he's the most popular one. The Mission Impossible films revolve around Tom Cruise. It doesn't stop you making a good movie.

 

[Neptune]

But most main X-men can be popular if they get enough screentime, the right characterization and a good actor. That's why RDJ's Iron Man became popular in the first place. At that timr RDJ wasn't the star he is (again) today.

People seem to forget that the X-Men are freaking huge. Arguably the most popular superhero group in comics history. Storm, Rogue, Psylocke, Nightcrawler, Beast, Colossus,Iceman, Gambit, Jean, Cyclops, Kitty at the very least could all be fan favorites movie wise, given the proper treatment. The succes of the MCU proves this. The X-men characters were more popular than the likes of Tony Stark, Black Widow, Ant Man, Dr Strange, Black Panther, Vision, Hawkeye and all the guardians.

 

[Hellion]

Instead of writing out the essay I had typed up, I'll be as brief as I can, I had a convo with the only other person I know who loves X-Men as much as me… I like the film, I like many aspects of the film, I especially loved the young X-Men, but the biggest issue for me is...

Apocalypse. The character. The title character. You know, the one with his name in the film. Everything about Apocalypse. The lore. The appearance. The powers. The motives.

I hated how he awakened. He should have had followers orchestrating this grand, ritual-like reawakening. Not an accident. I needed more to show he was this worshiped, revered, or feared god-like figure. In the film, Apocalypse awakens, he obliterates his worshipers and that’s it for his group.

When I first heard the cult leader stuff mentioned in interviews, I was so into it and feeling it. I think that colored the film I thought we could get. I thought, you know, Apocalypse will awaken, wherever he awakens, he'll brainwash and mind freak the population of wherever he is to be a new cult or group of followers. Just think of it, this rookie group of X-Men, first mission fighting off this ancient evil, they head to his location to find what… they have to fend off the brainwashed civilians. That would maybe have been an interesting moral situation for the characters, how to fight off this brainwashed group characters while also saving them, from Apocalypse… and of course, you'd have the Horsemen and Apocalypse along with that. Honestly, I would take that over the segue into Weapon X.

After that, the Horsemen, I wouldn't have used any known names for the Horsemen. Those characters were mishandled. For mindless lackeys, I would have used some of the Dark Riders for the Horsemen. They are Apocalypse-centric in their lore in the X-World. For me, it was just Storm, Psylocke, Magneto, and Angel as lackeys… and another misfire for Angel and Psylocke.

As far as his plan, I would have had him buried with a doomsday device, he wants to unearth it and activate it. What was given in the film, I would have had that under the city. This huge finale in this grand, sprawling, pyramid, temple, sarcophagus for Apocalypse, holding him and his most dangerous weapons for his awakening.

I'll stop there. Again, I like the film… minus the title character. And I love the series. This is how I view the "controversial" films of the X-Series: The Last Stand, I think the good outweighs the bad. Origins: I think the bad outweighs the good. And Apocalypse: it is somewhere in the middle.

 

[EnDz0n3]

All those things happened in the first X-Men and they also happened in Apocalypse. Cyclops has optic blasts, Storm got white hair, Jean was a red head. Just because those things were done right doesn't mean a thing. We all know who the leader of the X-Men is. It's always been Cyclops, if not him it's Storm. But the first X-Men movie was the only time we saw Cyclops lead. And Storm was supposed to be the leader in Last Stand but Wolverine was the leader. So it's not like they've ever kept it the way we wanted anyway. And now they've done it with Mystique anyway. In one movie where the X-Men were young and not in control of their powers, and they weren't the fully formed X-Men. So I don't see the issue. Ok if the next movie has her being the leader and not Scott then complain. But the setup is there for Scott to be the leader.

Look I'm a 100% with you. I don't want Mystique leading the X-Men either. But I feel like it was a one off for Apocalypse anyway. But if she's back in the next one and she's the leader I'll be pissed too. But I don't know if they'll go in that direction. Who knows if she'll even be back.

I can say this post didn't age well, but even today we're not allowed to complain about Mystique still being the X-men leader in Dark Phoenix so what's the point.