Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

*This review will contain some spoilers* I have to say, I tend to award films star ratings based on what they are, rather than on what they are not, or indeed lack. In this case, X-men Apocalypse delivers well enough wonder to warrant a five star rating. I agree with other reviewers. How the critics got this one completely and abjectly WRONG. You absolutely must see this film if you are an x-men fan; it's astonishing. The newcomers are wonderful. Sophie Turner makes an excellent Jean Grey (perfect in fact), and although I really didn't think anyone could replace Famke Janssen well in the role, it's happened quite well here. I always said Famke Janssen was the perfect Jean Grey, but Turner is doing great; both clearly emulating Famke's wonderful original portrayal and bringing something new to the character. Mystique's role is not overplayed, and the villainous aspect of her character that's more prevalent in the source material is no longer missed; in fact, I quite like this Mystique now. Also, make no mistake; her presence does not overshadow the other characters in any way, which is something I think a lot of people were worried about. On the contrary, every character shines quite brilliantly here. Some of the more B characters don't get a huge amount of backstory, but that's to be expected in such a large universe of characters. This is especially true in a film with this monumental villain, a secondary arch villain, and seven or eight major X-men players, not to mention the core of Xavier, Storm, Jean, Cyclops, Magneto and in other places — Wolverine. So the critics are completely off base there again. Oscar Isaac's performance is fantastic, and contrary to what critics have stated, his on screen presence is not diminished by the makeup and costume; it is merely enhanced. The sonic affects on his voice create a visceral experience, and elevate the character to really menacing proportions. Apocalypse's design looks perfect in most places. It's not so great in just one or two moments, but it honestly doesn't matter — either way, this villain's transfer to the big screen is truly excellent. His commentary about the iconography and false promise of modern western culture struck a note that I frankly think has gone well over critic's heads. I mean, can anyone name a supernatural villain who actually wanted to launch nuclear weapons into space? Excuse me, but this is pure genius! The tension between him and Xavier as the film moves forward is riveting. His towering, overpowering presence during the psychic battle is awesome, and his mocking taunts here really bring the character to life — even going beyond the comic book. Jean's eventual entrance into this battle — coming to Xavier's rescue — has to be the most heroic moment in the entire franchise. Throughout the rest of the film, expect lots of great, explosive scenes, lots of intimate character building moments, and another highly memorable, sweet moment between Logan and Jean (during his excellent, extended cameo), which is truly beautiful. The emergence of Phoenix, finally, after sixteen years, is more than welcome. It has to be seen to be believed. Apocalypse's last words, "all is revealed" upon seeing Jean's power unleashed — this simple sentence is a work of genius, incredibly layered and with huge subtext. It's the perfect juxtaposition between a false God, who, in shock, speaks these words when he is presented after all that time with a young girl who could potentially have the power of a true God. So who wrote the line? Singer? Kinberg? Tell us! The scene also really gets to some truths about the original X-men team that were absent to a large degree before. For instance, we see just how close Jean is to Xavier. She is referred to as his 'star pupil' at one point in the Ultimate series I believe, and I think that sentiment was always there in the original book too. They truly have a very special, very unique bond, and it's paid homage to here in a really beautiful way. This is a truly wonderful addition to the X-men franchise. Can't wait for more. I'd also like to make a quick comment about the overall critical reaction to the film. First of all, if this film scores 48% on Rotten Tomatoes, and X-men: The Last Stand scores 58%, is this not unequivocal evidence that the tomatometer is a completely defunct and entirely useless object in our culture? Also, I'd like to make specific mention of Scott Mendelson, writer for Forbes, who referred to the film as "a franchise killing disaster." I'd like to suggest that this is quite a trite thing to say about a piece of work that took thousands of man hours to make, not to mention a colossal amount of risk. All this reminds me, personally, that critics are just people with jobs. You can attach the word 'professional' to that description, but it doesn't really change the fact at all. (Thanks Singer, Kinberg, Dougherty, Harris, Donner etc.)