X-Men: Days of Future Past, the seventh in the X-Men franchise, was arguably one of the series’ best. Loved by audiences and critics alike, it encapsulated what the Superhero Movie should be all about with tight storytelling, strong character development and a perfect mix of awe-inspiring action and genuine poignancy, emotion and humour coming together perfectly.
How do you top that? By making the next installment about the most powerful mutant villain in the X-Men universe. “Apocalypse poses a cosmic threat and that sense of scale appealed to (director) Bryan Singer and me,” says Simon Kinberg, writer/producer of X-Men: Apocalypse, in the film’s production notes.
The action takes us to 1983, where, after being entombed for several millennia, the invincible and immortal Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) rises once more. Enraged that his kind are no longer treated as gods, Apocalypse assembles a team of powerful mutants to destroy humankind and create a new world order. To stop Apocalypse’s scheme of global destruction, Charles Xavier/Professor X (James McAvoy) works to bring together a formidable team of young X-Men.
Of course, we first caught a glimpse of Apocalypse’s immeasurable power during a post-credits sequence in Days of Future Past, which took us back to ancient Egypt as he creates pyramids telepathically watched by adoring masses gathered at his feet.
It was this aspect of the character that director Singer found attractive. “I was fascinated by the notion of ancient mutant powers, and what a mutant would think if he or she was born 20,000 or 30,000 years ago. They would, of course, think they were a god and would behave as one.”
“Actually, Apocalypse imagines himself not just as a god, but as the god,” adds Kinberg. “That’s a very rich idea for a villain. It’s not a man versus mutant struggle, as we’ve seen in other films. It’s a world Apocalypse has envisioned, where only the strong survive.” It’s a storyline whose background is fascinating and rich in cinematic possibility.
Apocalypse’s 5,000-year absence began when human civilisation was at its peak. When he wakes up after millennia, his reaction to the modern world is one of repulsion and that he must rebuild it.
We never lose the heart and the characters. We cling to those because they are very important
Although events are set in the 1980s, three decades ago, the state of the world remains the same today. The story is set in “a time of conflict, war and destruction,” Singer elaborates. “Apocalypse sees this as a civilisation in desperate need of culling.
There are false idols... people now worship money and possess nuclear weapons, which gives them a false sense of godlike power. This does not work for Apocalypse. So he wants to put an end to it and start everything fresh again and to reshape Earth in his image.”
The filmmakers hope once more to capture the essence of the franchise – a franchise built on science fiction, action and adventure and crucially, character-driven drama.
Like their brethren in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the X-Men are emotional, intellectual and intelligent beings and Apocalypse is no different. Although he is a major force of destruction powered by cruelty and violence, Singer insists there is a spark of humanity there.
“You will see him bigger than life, so there’ll be that satisfaction,” says Singer. “But I also felt Apocalypse needed to exert his powers of persuasion. That’s why I went with a really fine actor – Oscar – instead of just throwing him in a digital costume and animating him. There are some pretty spectacular things that occur, but it was important to feel a sense of realness.. that Apocalypse is a physical being.”
Apocalypse sets out on his apocalyptic rampage aided and abetted by his Four Horsemen, inspired of course by the eponymous biblical characters. Magneto (the returning Michael Fassbender) is once more drawn to the powers of darkness and is joined by newcomer Psylocke (Olivia Munn), a powerful telepath and trained ninja assassin and the younger versions of Storm (Alexandra Shipp) an orphan raised as a thief on the streets of Cairo who possesses the ability to control the weather and Angel (Ben Hardy) whose mutation gave him large wings and the ability to fly.
Needless to say, the villains of the piece are matched by the good guys. Professor X, Jennifer Lawrence’s Raven/Mystique and Hank McCoy/Beast (Nicholas Hoult) are busy preparing an army of their own, including a mix of returning characters and newbies.
Familiar characters include telepath Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), Scott Summers/Cyclops (Tye Sheridan) ,who shoots powerful optic blasts from his eyes, Evan Peters, returning from his brief but extremely effective role in Days of Future Past and many more, each harnessing their powers for the epic showdown that is about to unfold.
“In terms of scope and visuals, Apocalypse is a much bigger movie,” Singer concludes. “Days of Future Past involved time travel, some robots, but mostly a lot of heists! This one is global destruction, godlike characters… a much bigger film. But we never lose the heart and the characters. We cling to those because they are very important. But there will definitely be a lot more spectacle this time round.”