X-men Apocalypse Movie Review

A small part of me really wishes that Bryan Singer was not the most consistent director of the X-Men movies. X-Men, the summer blockbuster from 2000, came out at a time when comic book movies were at an all-time low and basically kick-started a lot of the comic book movies we look up to today. So, no X-Men, no Captain America: Civil War. With that in mind, though, it really doesn't hold up all that well today; the production looks cheap, the actors, despite a great cast, deliver underwhelming performances, and its plot line is pretty simplistic. Singer's not what I would call a bad director, but he is pretty uninspired. Even his slightly superior sequel doesn't exactly rank up as one of my all-time favorites. (That title belongs to Matthew Vaughn's prequel, X-Men: First Class, an amazing adaptation that relies on his energetic and crisp style, along with a powerhouse screenplay, to look past an admittedly rushed production to deliver one of the gems of comic book movies.) What I do realize after seeing X-Men Apocalypse, however, is that Singer knows the film franchise from front to back and is willing to utilize that knowledge to his advantage, and that's precisely what he did with this film, delivering one of the more well-paced and well-developed entries into the franchise, even if it's not the most well-constructed.

This time around, the team, still in their young First Class incarnation, has to fight against the world's first mutant known as En Sabah Nur, otherwise known as Apocalypse, who's brought back to life after thousands of years and seeks to destroy the world and start life anew. He gathers up a series of followers to assist him in his havoc, including Magneto and a woman named Ororo Munroe (known to fans as Storm).

.... I can't really talk about any more plot without diving into spoilers.

I feel like the biggest reason why critics were split on this movie is because it's not very traditional storytelling, at least not for comic book movies. Most of the time, a comic book movie is able to go from point A to point B, much like the recent Deadpool. However, this film is more like jumping back and forth between points A, B, and C, with all of them eventually pointing to D. This is the kind of "in-cohesive" complaint that comes across blockbusters like Spider-Man 3 or the third Pirates of the Caribbean. However, I didn't mind this as much for two reasons: One, it did all have a point, and it was at least all about the X-Men; they didn't cut away from the main plot to focus on some snobby teen job hunting (LOOKING AT YOU, TRANSFORMERS 3); and two, every plot line had time to develop and breathe as it needed to, most likely the reason why this turned out to be the longest of the X-Men movies, which gave it a rather epic feel to it that made it one of the most emotionally powerful of them all.

That's not to say the film doesn't have a few problems either. For one, Apocalypse is kind of a bland villain; he's mostly there to spew out this "EPIC" dialogue, as if he thinks he's quoting the Bible or something, and his costume and make-up look like a Power Rangers getup. Alongside that, though, Bryan Singer's bland, smooth style really makes me wanna beg Vaughn to come back.

On the whole, though, I do appreciate how well they handled the emotional side of the story. I almost feel like this was the powerhouse epic that the franchise was building up to, and I suppose it did take a director that was there for most of the movies to assemble it consistently and properly. I'd say check it out!

Money Monster Movie Review (SPOILERS!)

This has been a very strange experience for me, folks. I had to sleep on this, I had to work my way through every bit of what I've experienced, and now, I'm just sitting here asking myself "How?" How could these top-notch, Oscar-worthy actors say yes to such a nonsensical, absurd, blown-out-of-proportion screenplay? How could Jodie Foster bring her well-constructed style to such a mess of a story? Frankly, there's really only one way I can break this down, and that's to.... Well, break this down. Beyond this paragraph, my review is going to hold major spoilers, as I look at the plot scene-by-scene and attempt to explain why this film doesn't work. But to put it bluntly now: I like the performances, I like the directorial style, and there's a few funny lines every once in a while, but honestly, I'm too baffled by the plot to recommend it. But if you want to see it and you don't want to be spoiled, stop reading from here.

Captain America: Civil War Movie Review

What can you say about this one? Marvel has beaten all odds by this point. Most franchises die after the fourth movie, but Marvel has made thirteen movies without failing once, in box office, critical reception, or even fan reception. Now, we have a long line-up of characters that we would love to see in the ultimate showdown, and that's what Marvel ends up delivering on. The strange thing, though, is that even if you didn't follow these characters and you weren't concerned about them brawling, Captain America: Civil War would still be a gripping story with well-developed, fleshed-out, relatable characters that marks the high point in the Marvel legacy (yes, even better than The Avengers).

The film picks up where the last Captain America film, Winter Soldier, left off. Steve Rogers, played by Chris Evans, receives word that his friend, Bucky Barnes, is out to kill him. However, things get complicated when the United Nations decides to pass the Sokovia Accords, which will allow them to supervise and better control the Avengers. Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., gives his consent to this, feeling guilty for a lot of the havoc (as well as death) that occurred in the events of Age of Ultron. Because of this, Steve feels that the government won't give Bucky the trial that he deserves, so he decides to detain him himself and help him get his head straight and remember who he is. Stark, simply trying to follow the law, takes action against Steve's rebellious actions, resulting in the Avengers splitting apart into two separate teams and going to war against each other in one of the biggest clashes in comic book history.

What sets this apart from being a basic clash of superheroes that we could have seen in a Youtube parody is the compelling drama in place. You know there's a disagreement going on, you know there's no contrast, and yet you agree with both sides. Conflicting ideals and high-stake drama like this make the action that much more gripping, something Snyder missed with Batman v Superman a month ago.

But while we're on the matter, let's talk about the superhero roster here. The old characters from the previous movies are well-handled and stick to their previous personalities, but the new characters are surprisingly given just enough development time as well. Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther delivers a well-developed origin story that fans most likely didn't expect to get until his stand-alone movie, and while Tom Holland's role as Spider-Man is brief, it's well-served and believable. I was even pleasantly surprised by the appearance of Paul Rudd as Ant-Man.

I would say that I recommend you check this out, but let's be honest, you probably already did. What, you didn't? WELL, GO SEE IT THEN!

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