X-Men: Apocalypse

All things considered I think the new X-Men movie was decent enough. I certainly had fun watching it. Having read all those early reviews about how horrendous it was , especially one article I read that actually said it was slightly better than Batman V Superman---a movie I really loathed--- got me to think twice about seeing it in the cinema. There are movies that are meant to be watched in the cinema and some questionable ones that are better suited to see at home via cheap pirated copies of DVDs or free downloads. Good thing I decided to watch it on the big screen. Sometimes those reviews have a way of taking the fun out of potential roller coaster rides simply because you decided to see things the way the author insisted you to see it.

The movie takes place in the 80s this time around. First Class was the 60s, Days Of Future Past was the 70s and I'm guessing the fourth one will be in the 90s. Expect some Nirvana and loads of flannel on that one. 

They certainly had enough pop culture references during that decade: Return Of The Jedi, Nightcrawler's 'Thriller' jacket, and another one of those tongue in cheek soundtracks that  accompany Quicksilver's activities. This time around it's The Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of These) instead of Jim Croce's Time In A Bottle. Fun, but the novelty of that sequence worked a lot better the first time. 

Instead of indestructible robots we have a thousands of years old mutant as the major villain, plus four cohorts standing for the four horsemen and a much younger version of the original X-Men cast. And this  cramped party, I believe, is where the critics balked. There were just too much new faces and characters that a movie with a limited running time can accommodate. Even Magneto's motivation to do what he did in this movie seemed rushed and oddly detached compared to his quiet intensity and one-track mind in the previous two films. 

Oscar Isaac's Apocalypse is a good villain. A megalomaniac with delusions of being a god always looks great when he realizes he finally met his match. And we finally get to see how Prof. X gets his bald pate. Would have been more fun if the reason wasn't as serious as what the movie has shown. Like maybe simply shaving his head because of some counterculture fascination but that's just me.

Hang on tight for the fourth one set in the alternative 90s.