8 Reasons Why X-Men: Apocalypse Is The Best Instalment In The Franchise To Date

The reviews for X-Men: Apocalypse have been pretty mixed, which comes as a genuine shock after the overwhelmingly positive response to X-Men: Days of Future Past two years ago. I, for one, loved the movie, and as someone who has always been highly critical of this franchise (Bryan Singer's work in particular), Apocalypse really does feel like the best instalment to date. While it's easy to see where some of the complaints are coming from, others are downright baffling, and between this and the overly harsh barbs aimed at Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice a couple of months back, it's beginning to feel like Marvel Studios are the only ones who can do no wrong in the eyes of most critics. Despite the fact that the X-Men franchise has been plagued by a lot of bad movies, there have been some pretty good ones as well, and I believe that it's this instalment which easily stands out as the best to date. So, with that in mind, what you'll find here is a breakdown of all the reasons why X-Men: Apocalypse isn't just a great X-Men movie, but also an amazing comic book adaptation. Needless to say, major spoilers for X-Men: Apocalypse will follow, but if you've already seen the movie or are just curious about what to expect, read on for details. If you'd rather walk in fresh, however, bookmark this page and come back later. 8) It Finally Feels Like A Superhero Movie X-Men was really the first superhero movie of the modern era, but neither that nor the sequels and reboots which have followed have ever really felt like a "superhero" movie (especially when you compare them to Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy or any of the Marvel Studios releases). X-Men: Apocalypse, however, does feel more like a traditional comic book adaptation, and that could explain why critics have responded to it the way they have. Personally, I don't consider the decision to take this franchise in that direction a bad thing, and in all honesty, it's about damn time that the X-Men are portrayed like the superheroes fans know and love from the comic books. The other good thing about this new tone is the fact that it's now much easier to imagine these heroes sharing Deadpool's world. 7) The Trilogy Is Brought Full Circle Considering the fact that he didn't direct X-Men: First Class and had little to no involvement in the reboot, it's surprising just how much Bryan Singer references that movie here. Using scenes from it as flashbacks and referencing it on a number of occasions, the filmmaker does an excellent job of bringing the trilogy full circle, which makes X-Men: Apocalypse feel like a really satisfying experience as a result. That's particularly the case with Magneto's story arc. While having him once again go off on his own feels like something of a mistake, his journey in particular feels like it's over now, even though there's definitely room for him to return. Touching on Charles' relationship with Moira MacTaggert also proves to be a wise move and ends up having a really satisfying payoff. 6) No More Mutant vs. Human Drama While it's certainly been interesting to see mutants persecuted by humans, five movies worth of it is more than enough in all honesty. That's why it's so great to find an entirely new status quo when X-Men: Apocalypse begins. Despite still being hated and feared by some, no one bats an eyelid when Cyclops, Jean, Jubilee and Nightcrawler go to the theater to watch Return of the Jedi, and as a result, the movie thankfully shifts the focus away from mutant vs. human drama. It's still touched on (as part of Magneto's story arc in a really emotional way), but it's no longer the focus and that absolutely needs to be the direction this franchise takes moving forward. It's time for these characters to be superheroes saving the world, not just stopping some human asshole. 5) The Phoenix Is Born The first two X-Men movies never really emphasized just how powerful Jean Grey is supposed to be, hence why it didn't feel earned when she lost control and became the Phoenix in The Last Stand. That was obviously the least of that awful movie's problems, but as Simon Kinberg himself has admitted, they really dropped the ball on the Dark Phoenix Saga. It's to X-Men: Apocalypse's credit then that it starts to make up for that. It does so by now just showing the young Jean struggling with the extent of her abilities, but eventually unleashing them to take down En Sabah Nur. Seeing the flaming Phoenix Force behind the young hero is a moment sure to make comic book fans happy and is an iconic piece of imagery which will definitely be remembered. 4) A Sinister New Threat Emerges X-Men: Days of Future Past did a nice job of setting up the impending arrival of Apocalypse in its after-credits scene, but that was really a moment which didn't mean all that much considering the fact that X-Men: Apocalypse had been announced and given a title months earlier. This movie's stinger takes things in a slightly more unexpected direction though, setting up not just the next X-Men movie, but The Wolverine 3 and possibly even Gambit. By introducing Essex Corp. (Essex is the surname of classic villain, Mr. Sinister) and the importance of Wolverine's blood, we have both a new big bad for this universe and a possible confirmation of rumours that we'll see X-23 - the young female clone of Wolverine - in Hugh Jackman's final adventure as the clawed mutant. 3) It Finally Delivers A Satisfying Take On Wolverine's Origin X2 did a pretty good job of teasing Wolverine's origin story, but X-Men Origins: Wolverine took that and just completely fucked it up in the biggest way possible. However, in the space of just a few minutes, X-Men: Apocalypse delivers a far more satisfying take than both of those in regards to how Logan gained an Adamantium skeleton and lost his memories. In a gloriously bloody and violent sequence, we finally see Wolverine as Weapon X (helmet and all) as he slices his way through Stryker's men in a bid to escape. This tells us all we need to know about what the hero has gone through and does so in a way which pays homage to the source material in a satisfying fashion. Simple, to the point, and a lot of fun, this is how you handle a cameo. 2) A Great New Villain In the past, the X-Men franchise has focused far too much on Magneto. Seeing as both Michael Fassbender and Sir Ian McKellen are so damn good that's not necessarily a bad thing of course, but it's about time someone new gets the spotlight (especially when Fox has so many great options to choose from in the source material). That's where Apocalypse comes in, and despite being covered in heavy prosthetics, Oscar Isaac's superb performance still manages to shine through. Despite his plan being a tad too simplistic, he's still a fascinatingly complex character, and his interactions with both his Horsemen and the X-Men are a real treat to behold. Bringing in a bad guy like this feels like a step in the right direction for the X-Men franchise moving forward, and hopefully it means we can expect to see Mr. Sinister next. 1) The X-Men Finally Get Their Costumes It's a shame that Fox decided to reveal this moment in the trailers for X-Men: Apocalypse, as it would have made for a great surprise. Regardless, seeing the heroes in costumes which pay homage to their classic comic book looks is a great moment for fans, especially as they feature a lot of colour. Bland and boring black leather suits have plagued this franchise for far too long, so the characters being given the kind of costumes which make them look like real superheroes is long overdue and hopefully something we'll see much more of in the next instalment of the franchise. Of course, with that likely to jump forward another decade into the 1990s, here's hoping the team won't have traded these in for what they were wearing when X-Men was released back in 2000.