{"id":586,"date":"2016-05-26T10:54:08","date_gmt":"2016-05-26T10:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lifeatthemovies\/?p=586"},"modified":"2016-11-30T11:38:23","modified_gmt":"2016-11-30T11:38:23","slug":"x-men-is-back-with-an-apocalypse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lifeatthemovies\/2016\/05\/x-men-is-back-with-an-apocalypse.html","title":{"rendered":"X-Men is back with X-Men Apocalypse"},"content":{"rendered":"

The X-Men is a film series, based on Marvel characters, about the emergence of mutants.<\/p>\n

There are two trilogies and we are currently at the end of the second trilogy with the X-Men Apocalypse<\/em> (2016, USA).<\/p>\n

Though the actors in the trilogies are different, the characters are the same, as younger versions in the second trilogy.<\/p>\n

For example, The Hunger Games<\/em>\u2019 Jennifer Lawrence plays Raven\/Mystique. Rebecca Romijn played the older Mystique in the first films.<\/p>\n

And there are many others that would take too long to mention.<\/p>\n

Onto the story of X-Men Apocalypse<\/em>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Image<\/a>
Image sourced via google images (Flickr).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

An Egyptian god En Sabah Nur (Oscar Isaac) wants to make-up for his loss thousands of years ago when shot down as a \u201cfalse god\u201d.<\/p>\n

In the 1980s, the god awakens with a lust for power. Called Apocalypse, the powerful mutant desires to cleanse the world.<\/p>\n

Survivors of his worldwide cleansing will serve under him. Other mutants must stop him from taking over, but the god recruits a few mutants for his own purposes, leading to a showdown, the apparent apocalypse of the film\u2019s title.<\/p>\n

X-Men Apocalypse<\/em> leaves you in suspense for what is going to happen next. Several interlinked story-lines converge, but the action showdown is not as effective as it could have been. I\u2019m left asking what has gone wrong.<\/p>\n

Life at the movies moment:<\/p>\n

There is the usual \u2018with great power comes great responsibility\u2019 theme that has marked other Marvel films.<\/p>\n

The emergence of what\u2019s called a \u2018false god\u2019 on the world stage must be stopped. The god ala mutant thirsts for ultimate godhood. Perhaps this could be filed under ‘lust for power’.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, Erik (played convincingly by Michael Fassbender, one of the better performances) has an identity crisis when he loses what is dear to him, causing him to take on his mutant alter-ego Magneto. \u00a0Erik is a good person, but bad things can happen to good people and change their entire destiny. But, as we know, it doesn\u2019t have to be that way.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

With apocalypse in the title, the film should be big, but there is less than enough scope.\u00a0There promised an exciting finale, but it is just visual fireworks gone up in smoke. The action may be better appreciated in 3D, though.<\/p>\n

X-Men takes an unsuccessful turn into straight good versus evil territory.<\/p>\n

\n

Warnings<\/strong>: violence, sometimes intense, and brief coarse language.<\/p>\n

Notes<\/strong>:\u00a0 Starring: James McAvoy (Charles Xavier), Michael Fassbender (Erik Lensheer\/Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (Raven\/Mystique), Nicholas Hoult (Hank McCoy\/Beast), Oscar Isaac (Apocalypse), Director: Bryan Singer, Screenwriter: Simon Kinberg<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The X-Men is a film series, based on Marvel characters, about the emergence of mutants. There are two trilogies and we are currently at the end of the second trilogy with the X-Men Apocalypse (2016, USA). Though the actors in the trilogies are different, the characters are the same, as younger versions in the second…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":602,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[239,17,57,53,49],"tags":[6,8,9,16,7,24,11,129],"class_list":["post-586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2016-movies","category-action-movies","category-family-films","category-fantasies","category-science-fiction","tag-action-movies","tag-film","tag-film-reviews","tag-life","tag-movies","tag-problems","tag-visuals","tag-x-men-apocalypse"],"yoast_head":"\nX-Men is back with X-Men Apocalypse - Life at the Movies<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With apocalypse in the title, the film should be big. 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