REVIEW: X-Men: Apocalypse

     "Mutants are very real.  We must know who they are, and above all, we must know what they can do."  It's been sixteen years since that phrase kicked off the marketing campaign for the original X-Men film, which in turn kicked off the massive superhero film craze that's been dominating cinema screens ever since.  X-Men: Apocalypse can be seen as a third, sixth, or ninth film in the X-franchise, depending on how you view the series.  It's the third of the 'semi-prequel' Origins series, the sixth overall main X-Men movie, and the ninth in that particular universe, when factoring in the two stand-alone Wolverine movies and Deadpool.

   So this is a franchise with some legs under it, in other words.  Let's take a look:

The Good

    X-Men: Apocalypse (XA) is set in 1983, continuing the trend of these newer X-films by jumping ahead ten years from the previous entry.  In one scene, several of the characters leave a showing of Return of the Jedi, and have a conversation that goes a little bit meta, in which they discuss the virtues of first, second, and third entries in a movie trilogy.  The conversation is nominally about Star Wars, but it's clear that director Bryan Singer is being oh-so-cute, as the characters are actually referencing the original X-Men trilogy.  Jean Grey has a line to the effect of "Well, we can all agree the third is the weakest".  This little bit of smirking smugness is a reference to the much-derided third film in that series, which was the only one Singer did not direct, and which has been largely precluded by the time-traveling effects of the most recent X-film, Days of Future Past (also directed by Singer).   However, there's a presumably unintended bit of irony in play in this dialogue, as Jean has pretty accurately summed up the state of this prequel trilogy at the same time.

The Bad

    X-Men: Apocalypse is not a good film.  It's not necessarily a bad film either, but it is by far the weakest of the new trilogy.   Much of the dialogue is banal - perhaps a side effect of the film being thrown into production immediately upon the release of its predecessor.   It is absolutely packed with characters, many of whom are there for no discernible purpose or are thrown in for the hell of it.  The movie jumps all over the place, and very few of the characters are given adequate development or even explanation.  There are sixteen principle characters in the story, and a few other minor ones, and in trying to get them all shoehorned in, Singer comes close to giving the audience whiplash, flying back and forth between them, and as a result giving far too many short shrift.   Angel and Psylocke are particular casualties, as they have little dialogue and no character exposition; their only function in the film is too look (admittedly) cool in battle sequences.

     It's also pretty clear that the continuity of these movies has become somewhat disposable, which is not necessarily a problem, but relies on the audience having to make a number of assumptions.  The way XA ends has a nice bit of resonance circling back to the ending of the original movie, but the actions of at least one of the major characters, possibly two, make the premise of the first film seem unlikely to play out in the same way.   So who's to say even X1 and X2 happened the way we'd originally seen?  Most of the changes can be explained away, but we would have to assume that certain characters, like Jubilee or Angel, must have been born at earlier times in this revised timeline.

    All that said, XA has one enormous, glaring, movie-thrashing problem with it, a problem that makes the entire film suffer.

    That problem?  In a word:  Apocalypse.

The Ugly.  Alas, poor Isaac.  I knew him, Magneto.

   In the comics, Apocalypse is an incredibly powerful, deadly character, born in ancient Egypt, powered by alien technology, and determined to create a world order driven by a survival-of-the-fittest philosophy with mutants vying for supremacy over an enslaved or extinct human population.  He is the overlord of one of the most famous X-Men stories of all time, the year long epic "Age of Apocalypse".  He's a nigh-unstoppable megalomaniac whose presence, more than any other X-foe, causes the protagonists nightmares.

   In this film?  He's a melodramatic blue goofball with a propensity for graphic design.

   Oscar Isaac, the fantastic up-and-coming actor most recently seen in Star Wars: the Force Awakens, is all but unrecognizable as the titular villain, whose voice is heavily modulated and whose costume and makeup are just...silly.  I appreciate that Singer tried to give us a comics-accurate look for the character, but the X-films have been somewhat more visually grounded, and designing Apocalypse the way they did makes the villain seem cartoony.  In close-ups, it's all too clear that Isaac is wearing makeup.   He bellows at the drop of a hat, he repeats himself an awful lot, and he comes across not so much as evil as he does...cranky.

     What's worse, though, is that his plans and powers are all rather nebulous.  The movie establishes his age and level of powers well enough, but his technology -somewhat key to the plot - is never explained or even touched upon, and his big plan appears to be the rather stale "let's destroy everything and start over"...as Eddie Izzard would call it, the "Etch-a-Sketch Ending of the World".  I counted two offhand bits of dialogue where he alluded to his 'only the strong survive' credo, and they're throwaway lines - and he comes across as a less of a character and more of a big 'ol plot device.  His appearance, demeanor, and lack of gravitas makes him lack all menace, even with his power levels.  The film wants us to understand that he's really, really dangerous, but frankly he comes across as a dork on steroids.  When the entire movie is built around the premise that this is an omega-level threat, it trivializes the whole thing and makes much of the action seem rather specious.

Apocalypse's main gripe in this movie can, in all seriousness, be summed up as "You damn kids, get off my lawn!"

   The movie's not without its good points, though...in fact, there are a lot of moments within the film that are enormously fun.  In fact, most of the time when the camera's not on Apocalypse, the movie's quite enjoyable, even if it is sloppy and crowded.  The action sequences are all incredible, and the score and look of the film are otherwise top-notch.  The opening credits, traveling through time via the usual inner workings of Cerebro, are particularly cool.  The lighter tone of this movie does allow for some flexibility in the costume design of the characters, and much as X-Men First Class featured movie versions of the classic blue and yellow basic X-costumes, so does XA offer cinematic takes on some of the more distinctive outfits from the comics.  The final scene of the film is actually a bit of welcome fan-service in that regard.  Psylocke, in particular, looks like she walked right off the pages of the comic.

   The cast is decent - the returning actors are all solid; Michael Fassbender's Magneto is, as always, a particular highlight and has the best emotional arc.  I understand that Jennifer Lawrence's rising star has led to a greater amount of attention on Mystique, but I have to say that Mystique-as-hero is still somewhat disconcerting from a comics background.   I enjoyed the new actors playing youthful versions of the heroes we've already seen as adults: Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Alexandra Shipp as Cyclops, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler and Storm, respectively.  Their presence gave the movie a bit of flavor from the X-Men Evolution cartoon, and a welcome jolt of energy. 

Strangely, there are a LOT of blue characters in this movie.

   As much as I wanted to enjoy this film, especially as I've really liked the X-Men franchise overall, I can't help but feel that XA comes across as rushed, sloppy, and over-the-top.  There are certainly elements to like, but in general the film is something of a letdown, particularly in coming after two such thoroughly enjoyable entries.  I suspect that Bryan Singer, who comes across as glib and self-satisfied in interviews, may be falling into the 'Lucas trap' in overestimating his own abilities, and is therefore not working as hard or carefully as he could or should.  Too much of this movie is shallow or phoned in; it lacks diligence and craft, and it's not his usual caliber of work.

  Still, the X-Men universe marches forward.  This movie does have a post-credits scene which presumably heralds the now-in-production Wolverine 3 (and which teases a character I have very, very much wanted to see on screen ever since the X-Men films began), and we can also look forward to Deadpool 2, a Gambit film, and The New Mutants, which will presumably be the sequel to XA.  But at the moment, Jean Grey has proven to be correct.

   The third film is the weakest.

FINAL RATING: 5 PAWS (OUT OF 10):

REVIEW: Captain America: Civil War

    ....and we're back, after a month off.  Sorry, I know you've all been feeling deprived, so to remedy that, let's take a look at the latest entry in the MCU - Captain America: Civil War.

      The third movie in the Captain America franchise, the thirteenth (!) feature film in the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the first entry into "Phase Three" of said MCU, Civil War (CW), directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, sends the Avengers into an ideological schism which threatens to tear the team apart.  So how does it fare?

Staring: The Movie

   First off, let me just say this:  the MCU has been on somewhat shaky ground with this humble blogger of late.  While most of the Phase One entries were quite solid, Phase Two was hit-and-miss, with a number of underwhelming entries, particularly Avengers: Age of Ultron.  If you've been following this blog, you'll know that AoU was the last appearance to date of Cap and Iron Man, and it is a film which I all but loathed.   Sloppy character arcs, ignored continuity, utter lack of consequence, trivial antagonists, sporadic sexism, cutesy dialogue that was both banal and precious, and an insipid cookie-cutter formulaic approach made me feel that the Marvel juggernaut (ahem) was about to self-destruct.

   I feel much better now.

    Civil War is a fantastic superhero movie, and rectifies most of the issues that have been plaguing the more recent entries in the MCU.   It's a well-paced, energetic, sharply written, perfectly-acted film that not only functions well as a summer blockbuster tentpole, but also has depth, character development, and yes...actual consequences.   It's smart, it's careful, and it's fun.  It's what Age of Ultron should have been.

Sharon and Steve ponder; Nat don't care.

   Drawing inspiration from the seeds of the now-famous 2006 comic storyline of the same name, Civil War sees the Avengers split down the middle of an ideological divide after the United Nations demands that superheroes agree to international oversight.   When the actions of the Avengers during a mission lead to the accidental death of a number of innocents, the UN, having witnessed large-scale destruction thanks to the the team in previous adventures, decides that the heroes must be reigned in.  Tony Stark, reeling with guilt over the consequences of his actions and what they've cost him, agrees.  Steve Rogers, feeling that both justice and his own conscience cannot be dictated by the whims of a changeable government, disagrees.  When the Winter Soldier is implicated in a bombing attack with personal ramifications, sides are taken, and problems ensue.

   Chris Evans as Captain America and Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man own this movie.  They both give performances that are nuanced and sincere, trying to overcome the growing divide between them.  There's a depth to both characters, a gravity which comes with the growth of the two over multiple films.  It's fantastic to watch both of them and reflect back over the turns that have brought them to this point.  Evans manages to convey sincerity without arrogance, and Downey is especially good, his gabby sarcastic nature belying the conflict with which he's wrestling.

  

Fans of the comics will recognize this shot.

   While Evans and Downey dominate the plot, this is very much an ensemble picture, and surprisingly, even with about eighteen other prominent characters, just about everyone gets decent screen time and several choice moments.  Standouts include Sebastian Stan as the tormented Winter Soldier, trying to piece his life together after decades of brainwashing and brutality, Scarlett Johansson as She-Who-Really-Needs-Her-Own-Movie aka Black Widow, caught between two friends and trying to find the middle ground, and Chadwick Boseman, playing T'Challa aka the Black Panther, in an incredible debut which cannot help but make me very excited about his forthcoming solo shot.  A few of the characters do feel a little bit thrown-in...Hawkeye in particular, but on the other hand we also get to see several characters showcased who haven't had as much screen time as yet in the MCU - Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Vision and Ant-Man most notably.

   Oh, and this guy:

"....does whatever a spider can..."

    Yes, Spider-Man finally makes his official entry in the MCU, and while he is sort of dropped into the movie about halfway through, every moment he has on screen is a gem.  As much as I liked Andrew Garfield in the role, Tom Holland absolutely nails it, crawling right out of the comic onscreen, with his signature dynamic agility on display no less than his incessant yakking and energetic humor.  This was a long-awaited treat, one which I wasn't sure we'd ever get to see, but Spidey's back and well worth the wait.   I can't help but continue to hold out hope the Fantastic Four or X-Men might someday find their way into the mix, but for now, having Spidey part of the gang is enough.

   Civil War is not, like some previous MCU entries have been, simply an excuse to sell the franchise and promote the next upcoming movie, although there are the inevitable carrots being dangled.  CW stands on its own merits, with a compelling story that asks tough questions about the natures of heroism, justice, guilt, and responsibility.  There's no real 'right' or 'wrong', and the protagonists find the ground constantly shifting under them.  Some characters display more certainty than others, but all of them are clearly uncomfortable with the situation in which they find themselves.  The character motivations are well established, and the conflicts which had arisen in prior movies, which Age of Ultron glibly ignored, are brought back and addressed.  This is the kind of thing I've been wanting to see, because if you're going to develop an intricate continuity, and ask your fans to follow along, then there needs to be payout to that investment, and CW delivers admirably.

Team Iron Man (with Spidey edited out of the shot for promotional secrecy)

     The movie bounces all over the globe, but manages to pace itself well.  The airport showdown, a centerpiece of the film's marketing, is a tremendous sequence, with the various superpowers of twelve individuals trying to subdue the others without hurting them, is one of the most fun scenes I've ever seen in an action movie.  (Added to the category of  "I Can't Believe I Get To See This Onscreen":  Hawkeye firing an arrow with Ant-Man perched atop it.)   The interplay in the action sequences as well as the less high-octane moments is on point - the dialogue is clever where it needs to be, as well as potent, and never comes across as "Look We Are Bantering Wittily."  There are some surprisingly funny bits as well - the interactions between Winter Soldier and Falcon are a highlight.

Team Cap:  Not afraid to do the classic two-teams-charging-each-other moment.

   One of the few criticisms I have is that this movie isn't exactly Captain America 3.  It's also not exactly Avengers 3, either, though - it's something of a cross between the two, which is a little disappointing, but necessary.  I had been hoping for a different direction for the Cap franchise (early rumors pointed to the film being about the Serpent Society), so I feel a bit that Cap's series was sacrificed in favor of the Avengers.  On the other hand, this movie needed to exist in the greater scheme of the MCU, so I can't begrudge it.  I do hope we get another non-Avengers Captain America movie at some point down the road, though, since we know we'll be seeing more of the Avengers themselves soon enough.

  The other criticism I have is one which I've had about most of the other movies, and it's becoming frustrating: the lack of quality villains.  Now, in the case of CW, it's not quite as glaring because the heroes themselves are their own antagonists, which makes for a great conflict.  But CW also features two classic Cap foes - Crossbones in an all-too-brief appearance as the MacGuffin following up on his arc from Winter Soldier, and Baron Zemo...who is here "Doctor Zemo", and has almost no connection to his comics counterpart, as a character or in design.  He could, quite frankly, be absolutely anybody...he has as much connection to the classic character as most of Michael Bay's Transformers have to their original counterparts.   Like most of the other MCU villains, Zemo is not much of a character.  He's given a few lines of backstory to give him some kind of motive, but he's only there to be a plot device, not a fleshed out character, and given the complete rewrite of his backstory, he might as well have been a completely new creation.  And unlike previous two-dimensional foes like Whiplash or Yellowjacket, Zemo doesn't even look all that interesting...he's a guy in a sports coat.  No action figure for you, Zemo.

"Oh, yeah - I can totally see the resemblance", said no one.

   Despite this, I still found Civil War to be an incredibly enjoyable movie, rejuvenating the MCU as it heads up for Phase III.  This is Marvel's big entry for the year; Doctor Strange follows this fall but will likely not be on the same 'blockbuster' level as Civil War.   It's a breath of fresh air and a lot of fun, and it makes me feel confident in Marvel's decision to allow the Russo brothers to take the reigns of the overall MCU going forward.  As an aside, I'm getting the feeling that Joss Whedon may have long since peaked, but that's a potential blog for another day.  For the time being, though, I think Whedon standing down in favor of the Russos is an absolute plus.

     Captain America: Civil War delivers in a refreshing, energetic way, both as a superhero flick and as a character piece, and is a satisfying continuation of multiple storylines.  It'll be at least a year before we see any of these characters again, but CW is a great entry in the series to tide us over.   Marvel's got the train back on the right track, and it's making for a fun ride once again.

FINAL RATING: 9 PAWS (OUT OF 10):