Apocalypse Users Rate, Review, and React to X-Men: Apocalypse (TAG SPOILERS) - Part 1

[Thread Manager]

This is a continuation thread, the old thread is [split]514281[/split]

 

[Smilodon]

Suppose we should get this thread going now that the film will premier today!

A mod can edit this however they wish to, but I just wanted to create a place where the events of the film could be discussed freely as others await the premier in their respective countries.

Can also post other fan and critic reviews/reactions here.

 

[ciscostudent561]

what kguillou said!!

 

[james-in-cali]

I think I am broken or I am out of the target demo for these movies. I loved apocalypse, hated BvS and was meh about civil war. Going in I was the most hyped for BvS and apocalypse was sort of an afterthought, now I like the movies in the opposite order of what I was hyped for. I am shocked this is getting the reviews it is getting.

 

[kguillou]

Re-Posted for new thread:

I just got out and guys, I LOVED IT. As a kid from the 90s who grew up with the Xmen this movie made me smile. It is not perfect and there are flaws. The first half is kinda slow with a lot of build up of the characters and plot ( which I suspect is what turned off critics) but there is PAYOFF and it delivers one HELL of a third act. We finally get to see the Xmen act like X-MEN.

Apocalypse was a great villain. He was menacing, be was powerful and formidable. He was what I wanted out of En Saba Nur.

Best of all, it had heart. The characters were very likeable and Scott and Jean in particular outclassed their older counterparts by far. Macavoy and Fassbender turned in great performances and Fassbender in particular made you really feel for him.

Wolverine's cameo....DAMN. I had goosebumps.

All in all. To me, this is either a 8.5-9/10. I gotta wait to calm down and let the hype settle in so I can properly score it. However, I CANNOT fathom why anyone would call this anything remotely close to a bad film. I can see some flaws that maybe irked some people but a bad movie??? In what way? What in this movie was so egregious that it would warrant some of the vitriol I'm hearing such as "worst comic book film ever"?

I am a very, very happy Xmen and comic book fan right now. This was an awesome film and a great close to the First Class trilogy and a hopeful, exciting start to a new generation. I cant wait to ser more of these Xmen.

8.5-9/10.

 

[squeekness]

I think I am broken or I am out of the target demo for these movies. I loved apocalypse, hated BvS and was meh about civil war. Going in I was the most hyped for BvS and apocalypse was sort of an afterthought, now I like the movies in the opposite order of what I was hyped for. I am shocked this is getting the reviews it is getting.

They are all different films with different feels so I'm not that surprised. I've had the same thing happen to me where the movie I was most looking forward to disappointing me while another really rocked. I'm not surprised by the reviews only because art is in the eye of the beholder. One person's trash is another person's gold.

 

[Marvel]

.

8/10

Concludes what is a very well structured and refreshing trilogy. I thoroughly enjoyed most everything about this third installment. Maybe I think more fondly of this film because that’s how I view it, a third arc in an incredible story.

Singer’s shift to a more comic book feel may come across as awkward at times because he’s clearly not a comic book guy and is out of his element but the result still works quite well. Events feel epic and confrontations carry real weight. The first act of the film does fall victim to a few cheesy shortcuts. Side characters that stay subsidiary characters are introduced and not fleshed out at all. Character motivations for Psylocke, Storm and Angel are non-existent. Apocalypse himself is a one dimensional villain yet given his credo of “survival of the fittest” it works for this film. It’s clear what he wants to accomplish and that his level of power is off the charts.

Where the movie really shines is when it focuses on Charles and Eric’s roles. What started in X-Men: First Class pays off nicely here and that includes Moria’s pivotal involvement. This film delivers the best action in the trilogy and that includes more scene stealing Quicksilver sequences. It also delivers the best one scene extended key cameo the series has seen. Jean and Scott are introduced perfectly and Jean’s role is everything any true X-Men fan dare hoped.

Overall, a few logic flaws creep in to the plot but are easily overlooked because the results of odd character decisions lead to a rewarding story and amazing action set pieces.

 

[ApophènX]

Got back for a second row. I enjoyed Apocalypse as a vilain more, he was so ridiculous but in a way i could really enjoyed. He was like so serious but a bit alone in is crazy ideas, all the horsemen who followed him were a bit dumb and fooled by his speech. He had great vilain monologue, dramatic litughies of opera glimpse...

I think they really wanted something light and fun after DoFP wich was more complex and full of reminiscence. There is no real fight in the movie, not in a choregraphic way, but great team work at the end. Singer choose the power of the image, more comicbookish.

I also came upon some little details of symbolic order. In jean's room when she has her bad dream there is: - a tree burning, referencing to Scott experience and memory, also the forest possibly(and apocalypse reference a forest being burned to rebuilt) -mans on horses with arrow, possibly linking ot the scene with Erik daughter wich is right after if i remebe well -and paper birds, Erik daughter's summon the birds in the forest.

Seeing Charles fighting Apocalypse in his head space was great. It shows how Charles head is right on his heart, his headsoace is his school, where is family lives. Apocalypse getting big awesome but the momentum was really when Charles let go of controling Jean. What he does then is embrassing his dark side, Apocalypse and Mystique both said during the movie that people should unlish their powers. When Jean came out the cerebro room i felt like a really litlle thing, so much heroic greatness ...

the movies has flaws but i don't think it was meant to be a really serious movie (i mean even if there is drama, they balance emotions, action and kitch in a funky way). When i watch Avenger movie i felt like being in front of a well oiled machine, XMA felt mire organic.

It is still a change from the previous, Singer's filming is no the same (maybe being in a cinema played a role), where the first Xmen movie had this noir paranoid feel, here we have a more tech-colored world. Wich goes well with the period there re-writing, it would be a good moove to make the most colorfull movie out of the 90's in the next movie, meaning it has really changed.

The scene where Erik is soeaking to Charles/cerebro was great, the games of colors coming as the emotions evolved. Awesome, same vibe as in DoFp when the two professors met. And Apocalypse crafting the armor of his horsemen in the back was hilarious, the guy is on another planet. It's like his pyramid, there is nothing but a big statue of him, kinda suit the personnage hehe.

 

[TheMEXzilla]

X-men apocalypse is the kind of movie that weaves scene after scene without effort. That is much credit to Bryan Singer, but with that said each scene is left wanting more. Perhaps the film wants to provide spectacle only, but when religious and family are themes being played out here I expect more from it. The film stumbles in every scene to build something worth seeing. From the introduction of Scott Summers to the not named Storm. Each scene gives but a taste of what a good X-Men film could've been.

With a running time of 2 hours and 27 mins, no min felt boring, but rather each felt like a half glass full kinda ordeal. The film starts by presenting its villains origin which I won't get into, let's just say it's a nice change up to the introduction and character of the villain roles in the X-Men films (this one is way more colorful and out there). Soon after the film delves into the new characters (Cyclops, Night Crawler, etc.) and old, each is given a reason as to why there are there. Each actor is well casted but isn't given much to do here which is a waste since the cast is great. Most of the big moments come from the veteran cast members such as Fassbender, Mcavoy, and that Quicksilver kid. But again each big scene felt rushed or not that important. Take for instance the moment in which Magneto gets dragged into the story, the scene felt meaningless since there really wasn't that much build up to it. You accept the moment due to the actors bringing their "A" game,but the writing and plot are not the things working.

Alas, a good action film should always come with a great hero and a great villain, alongside great action scenes. This X-Men film does not hit the mark in any of those requirements. The heroes are still playing the same roles that worked on the previous X-Men films but without the scenes to make them progress. As a result it simply feels like a retread of past character moments. With the villain, Apocalypse, simply is a by the numbers "world dominance" kinda mutant. This type of character can be interesting if done right but Singer and co. Simply made a dud. As for the action the film fails miserably. Never did the action feel real or did it give any investment to the characters. Simply put, no character felt threatened. As a result the scope of the film felt small which is odd considering the title and villain.

In the end, the film was not boring but it is forgettable. It's definitely a shame since many returning characters were not done justice in the original trilogy and they still are waiting to be done right. Maybe it's time for Singer to move on and let some new blood take the reigns.

On a side note. This film looked terrible. Aesthetically speaking it felt and looked boring.

 

[carpenter82]

All in all. To me, this is either a 8.5-9/10. I gotta wait to calm down and let the hype settle in so I can properly score it. However, I CANNOT fathom why anyone would call this anything remotely close to a bad film. I can see some flaws that maybe irked some people but a bad movie??? In what way? What in this movie was so egregious that it would warrant some of the vitriol I'm hearing such as "worst comic book film ever".

The thing that leaves me scratching my head is the critics that call this film "cliche", "generic", "muddled", and "soulless" are the same people that gave a positive review to Avengers Age of Ultron.

 

[NotSoLongAgo]

Not as bad as I expected, but not as great as First Class or DOFP. Or deadpool for that matter.

I'd give it a 6, maybe 6.5 out of 10. Jean, Scott and Kurt were all awesome. I wish there was more of them. The rest were all decent too. Same ol same ol. The horsemen were all completely pointless and tbh Apocalypse felt completely pointless too. I still had a problem with his design. Dude looks silly as hell. And there was no weight to the movie. Once it finishes it just feels so empty. I think Singer knew what direction the movie was headed in to throw in that line "at least we all agree the third is always the worst". It's not the worst cbm ever by any stretch though. It felt like part 1 in a 2-part movie but they changed their minds last minute and just wrapped it up. So yeah, good elements like the

Spoiler

phoenix unleashed and team-up

but for the most part it just feels empty and pointless.

 

[FeedOnATreeFrog]

Just got back from the theatre (it just came out here in China). I wasn't really excited to see it as I wasn't huge on DOFP, but I had a really good time.

The movie is kind of a mess, yes, with a so-so overall story, a lot of weird tone shifts, underdeveloped characters, unnecessary plotlines, light on substance, sloppy green screen, etc, but at the same time, I found it really exciting, fun, and nostalgic.

I am hugeeeee fan of X1, and this movie felt like I was watching a true extension of one of my favorite childhood movies with young Scott, Jean, and Storm (even if it's a different timeline). Sheriden is really likeable. And this Wolverine felt like that same Wolverine we first saw in that cage fight (still the best Wolverine moment to date, though this Weapon X fan service comes close). The Angel/Nightcrawler scene totally reminded me of that cage scene as well.

Speaking of which, I really dug Angel. Loved the hair. Felt like an old comic come to life in a way none of these superhero movies do, and the 80's setting totally makes it work. Love the 80's metal he listens to. Hilarious. Loved his transformation scene. I only wish he had a final scene setting up his future. Could have just had him and Psylocke scurry away together (future X-Force members?)

Loved Apocalypse. Everything about him. The history, the performance, the look, the sound design for his voice, what he said, what he did, everything. I only wish they didn't have the Quicksilver beatdown, though they made up for it somewhat by having Apocalypse overcome it.

As I said before, the overall story is so-so. Despite the amount of time they spend on character work with Magneto and Mystique, it doesn't amount to much, and it isn't that deep. So many unearned 'single tear drop' moments. I felt similarly about DOFP. The drama has to be more complex than just a sad dude being told to get over it. I also wish the amount of destruction Apocalypse caused left a bigger impact on our characters. Mystique should have died, and that's what should have turned Magneto back.

I don't really know what score to give. If I want to be objective, it'd be around a 6 I guess. But for me, at least right now, it's near the top of the list of my favourite superhero films.

 

[ironman29758]

8/10



One thing, I do have to compare it to is Last Stand. While Last Stand left me drained and done with X-Men, this left me hopeful , excited at the world building accomplished here and set up for the future movies.

Apocalypse was a better villian than. I do agree, there should be some changes in this scenes, instead of just relagating it to dialogue scenes, I would love to see more detailed power displays to showcase why he was a threat, instead of just getting told he's a threat.

Spoiler

- Wolverine honestly was the most Wolverine in terms of Weapon X, this is what we should have gotten . A minor Quip is I wish was that he had the fyll helmet. But it did clashed with the movie a bit, except for a few elements, I can see why people argued it wasn't needed but at the same time, it was a bonding between the teens and in a way the FC X-Men, give them the flight suits and led to the revelation of Magneto being Quicksilver.

-Mystique wasn't as important as assumed in the trailers. But how people revered her, just annoyed me. Beast making the Cerebro color blue because of Mystique. Come on now. Storm finding Mystique as her hero slightly made sense, but at the same time, I wish she was given more personality and development beyond liking Mystique, criticizing Apocalypse, and asking Caliban where the mutants were.

I liked the interaction between Nightcrawler, Cyclops and Jean. It felt great and really just enjoyable. I personally wished the mall scene was kept, simply to see more of their respective interaction and playing against each other.

- Quicksilver, honestly the whole Mansion scene felt out of place, removing the tension out of it. I honestly couldn't sympathize when he told Mystique, "For someone so fast, I'm always late." , especially with how they chose to handle his abilities. They should have handled Havok's death with more gravitas to be honest.

- Cyclops, Phoenix, Professor X, Beast, Storm and Magneto attacking Apocalypse in both the physical and astral plane was pretty good, but honestly it could have been a BvS type fight with the right visual director to be honest to just bring that scene to life.

The Flight Suits, I wish there was some a combination of the First Class/Deadpool Blue and Yellow costume mixed with Wolverine & the X-Men original 5 costume and the Wolverine DoFP costume, it probably would have been recieved better. Apocalypse was decent looking, but if they combined the look they chose, with the Ironhead studio look, it would have been perfect, tbh

I do think the Horsemen who weren't Magneto should definetly been fleshed out, instead of simply the audience trying to gage and understand the characters through a few lines and dialogue. But I wouldn't go as far as say Singer doesn't know how to write or handle female characters or characters of different races because honestly it felt like Lady Deathstrike or the Brotherhood in the first movie with more visual personality and body language. I would have liked seeing them interact with the Professor, or each other.

There were some ideas that were perfectly sound in concept but in some sense, it was more small in scale then I would have preferred but it really did expand on what Singer did in previous movies in some ways. It was pretty well handled on the X-Men working together as a team, as opposed to most previous X-Men movies. I wished the X2 Writers/David Hayter(and maybe Chris Claremont or someone) helped worked on dialgoue and was there for the whole movie filming, so they could improvise and add details, like they did with X2, instead of just having Simon Kinberg work on the script by himself.

While there were some CGI problems, I would have to say this is visually, one of Singer's best movies ever. It felt like something out of the X-Men comic through and through . From the costumes to the set pieces to the power uses, etc this felt straight out of the comic only with Singer elements. The problem was the storylines didn't feel as cohesive, when it came to the storyline as it did in X-Men 1 or 2.


Honestly this is a perfect end to an Prequel/Inbetweenquel trilogy, and a good set up to future movies, if they happened to decide to revolve it around the new kids, with maybe the FC or the OT cast as cameos.

 

[A Necessary Evil]

This was ok. I really like the new cast, and hope to see them in a much better movie, next time around. Apocalypse was a waste. Jubilee was a waste. Storm was...basically, a waste until the final act. As per usual, Fassbender and McAvoy were great. JLaw sucks. God I wish she would exit the franchise. I can't stand her crap anymore, and she gave such a wooden performance in this, she made Olivia Munn look good....who also can't act. Not sure if the 3quel line was cause Singer thought he was being clever, or knew he had a stinker on his hands.

Meh. If I had to rank X-Men as a series [no spinoffs], I'd say:

XM: FC
XM: DOFP
X2
X1 / XM:A
X3

 

[sergeantbucky]

Coming off what I thought to be a very disappointing Civil War, I loved X-Men Apocalypse. As always, the characters make the movie for me. Fassbender and McAvoy were brilliant as usual. They truly are the heart of this franchise. Seeing young Kurt, Scott, and Jean (whose display of powers was handled so much better than the elder Jean) was so fun. I adored Peter, and was so glad he got a much larger role this time around. I'm looking forward to the inevitable "I'm your son" reveal to Magneto. Shipp's Storm was a badass and her accent was a million times better than Halle's.

Although it feels like the most "MCU" out of all the X-Men movies (the heroes face a global threat from a not-very-fleshed-out villain who's killed at the end), I thought it was a great movie and final entry in the First Class trilogy. I really hope we get to see more from these actors in the future.

8 / 10

 

[Paradox1]

I loved this movie it hit me in all my fanboy spots, from the new kids, to the villain himself I don't have much to complain about. Maybe the one thing being I wish I had more with the Horsemen in general. It was a 2hr plus movie, yet I don't know where you could of put more horsemen in. I just saw it so I'm really jazzed and maybe later I'll think differently but for now, I'd score it a 9.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Had my 2nd viewing tonight, loved it even more, I really don't get the hate for this movie or Apocalypse himself. It has the best action of the X-Men movies to date for me while still being deeper and with more meaning than some other CBMs. The characters were also great and the movie has a ton of heart.

CW is still the best CBM of the year, but Apoc may actually be my favourite. Score has gone up to 9/10 now.

 

[Vartha]

I only had one issue, the Horsemen weren't all the ones in the books. I still liked it alot and will be getting the Bluray.

 

[CaptainWagner]

I FINALLY saw this. It was far from perfect, there was some questionable dialogue and sketchy CGI, but it felt more like an X-MEN movie than anything they've done yet. It's incredibly disappointing it isn't grossing more than it is. Hopefully Fox is able to get things together and deliver some truly great films with this cast. First step? Stop the idiotic time jumps!

 

[Gamma Goliath]

Finally saw this tonight. Jesus this movie was so boring. Everything was long and drawn out, action was too sparse, magneto plot line was bad, more wasted characters just like pretty much every xmen movie before it, they seriously tried but fell very flat 5/10

 

[Supernova]

Finally saw this tonight. Jesus this movie was so boring. Everything was long and drawn out, action was too sparse, magneto plot line was bad, more wasted characters just like pretty much every xmen movie before it, they seriously tried but fell very flat 5/10

Boring? There were some great drama and character moments. Magnetos story had more emotion and heartbreak then any other comic film this year. Actio. Was sparse but they blew there load in the final act to satisfy those demands.

 

[Supernova]

Loved the film overall. I loved the dramatic scenes as well as the interaction between the characters as well as the new comers. Just a quality movie from top to bottom.

 

[Gamma Goliath]

Boring? There were some great drama and character moments. Magnetos story had more emotion and heartbreak then any other comic film this year. Actio. Was sparse but they blew there load in the final act to satisfy those demands.

Sorry man, i just found the movie and its overly long final battle boring. The whole thing is pretty awkward and bland. The acting from most of the new comers was cringe worthy at time.

 

[Asr]

Just saw the movie yesterday and while it wasn't perfect, I didn't think it was as bad as some of the user reviews around the Hype have it made it sound.

For me it was easily the most "emotional"-feeling CBM this year so far with just the right amount of dramatic weight at the important parts. I at least have to give credit to Singer that he's consistently able to make his X-Men movies with heart and an emotional core where we're able to feel for the characters.

Also have to give credit that this finally and truly felt like an X-Men movie, instead of being like the "Wolverine and the X-Men" show or "JLaw as Mystique in name only and the X-Men" show. So glad that neither Wolverine or Mystique took up a huge amount of screen time, and hopefully going forward with the new cast we can have an actual "X-Men team"-based movie.

And speaking of the new cast, I really liked Jean, Cyclops, and Nightcrawler in particular who all injected the movie with an energy that was refreshing. I was really glad that we finally got a Jean and Cyclops who felt like they could be an actual couple and could eventually have mutant babies together. After the travesty that the original trilogy dished out to Cyclops in particular, I really hope that future X-Men movies will allow the Jean-Cyclops relationship to be developed further (especially given that end-credits scene!).

Oh and no disrepect to Stan Lee but his cameo (with his actual wife, I noticed) took me out of the movie. IMO he needs to stop cameoing in at least the Marvel/FOX movies.

 

[Mad Ones]

Just saw the movie yesterday and while it wasn't perfect, I didn't think it was as bad as some of the user reviews around the Hype have it made it sound.

For me it was easily the most "emotional"-feeling CBM this year so far with just the right amount of dramatic weight at the important parts. I at least have to give credit to Singer that he's consistently able to make his X-Men movies with heart and an emotional core where we're able to feel for the characters.

Also have to give credit that this finally and truly felt like an X-Men movie, instead of being like the "Wolverine and the X-Men" show or "JLaw as Mystique in name only and the X-Men" show. So glad that neither Wolverine or Mystique took up a huge amount of screen time, and hopefully going forward with the new cast we can have an actual "X-Men team"-based movie.

And speaking of the new cast, I really liked Jean, Cyclops, and Nightcrawler in particular who all injected the movie with an energy that was refreshing. I was really glad that we finally got a Jean and Cyclops who felt like they could be an actual couple and could eventually have mutant babies together. After the travesty that the original trilogy dished out to Cyclops in particular, I really hope that future X-Men movies will allow the Jean-Cyclops relationship to be developed further (especially given that end-credits scene!).

Oh and no disrepect to Stan Lee but his cameo (with his actual wife, I noticed) took me out of the movie. IMO he needs to stop cameoing in at least the Marvel/FOX movies.

Nice review. I don't think anyone in my theatre knew how to react to the Stan Lee cameo. His cameos are usually light hearted, so when he comes on you expect to laugh. But this cameo was... serious acting? A horrified Stan Lee watching as missiles get launched lol. Although it is awesome his wife got to cameo!