X-Men: Apocalypse

X-Men: Apocalypse
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Bryan Singer
Screenplay by	Simon Kinberg
Story by	Bryan Singer Michael Dougherty Dan Harris Simon Kinberg
Produced by	Bryan Singer Lauren Shuler Donner Simon Kinberg Hutch Parker
Starring	James McAvoy Michael Fassbender Jennifer Lawrence Oscar Isaac Nicholas Hoult Rose Byrne Tye Sheridan Sophie Turner Olivia Munn Lucas Till
Cinematography	Newton Thomas Sigel
Edited by	John Ottman Michael Louis Hill
Music by	John Ottman
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release dates	May 9, 2016 (2016-05-09) (London) May 27, 2016 (2016-05-27) (United States)
Running time	144 minutes
Land	Vereinigte Staaten
Sprache	Englisch
Budget	$178 million
Box office	$180.4 million

X-Men: Apocalypse is a 2016 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics characters of the same name, and is the ninth installment in the X-Men film series. Directed by Bryan Singer, with a screenplay by Simon Kinberg from a story conceived by Singer, Kinberg, Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris, the film stars an ensemble cast, led by James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscar Isaac, Nicholas Hoult, Rose Byrne, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Olivia Munn and Lucas Till. In X-Men: Apocalypse, the ancient mutant Apocalypse awakens, and plans to cleanse the human race and take over the world, leading the X-Men to try to stop him and defeat his team, the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse.

The film was announced by Singer in December 2013, with Kinberg, Dougherty and Harris attached to develop the story. Casting began in October 2014, while principal photography commenced in April 2015 in Montreal, Canada, and ended in August of the same year. X-Men: Apocalypse premiered in London on May 9, 2016, and was released in North America on May 27, 2016, in 3D and 2D, and in IMAX 3D in select international markets. The film received mixed reviews from critics and has grossed over $180 million.

Plot

The powerful mutant En Sabah Nur rules ancient Egypt until he is betrayed by his worshippers, who entomb him alive. En Sabah Nur's four lieutenants die preserving him.

Awakening in 1983, and believing that without his presence humanity has lost its way, En Sabah Nur decides to destroy the world and remake it. He recruits Cairo pickpocket Ororo Munroe, who can control weather, and upgrades her power.

In Poland, the metal-controlling mutant Erik Lehnsherr lives with his wife and young daughter, Nina. When authorities attempt to capture him, his family is accidentally killed and he retaliates by murdering all the policemen. En Sabah Nur later approaches the disheartened Erik and takes him to Auschwitz, where Erik's power first manifested. Erik destroys the camp and joins En Sabah Nur.

In East Berlin, shape-shifting mutant Raven investigates an underground fight club and discovers mutant champion Angel, who possesses a pair of large feathered wings on his back, and Kurt Wagner, who can teleport. Raven rescues Kurt and employs the services of black marketeer Caliban to safely transport him to the US. En Sabah Nur recruits Caliban's enforcer Psylocke, who leads him to Angel. En Sabah Nur enhances both their powers, transforming Angel's wings into metal.

Alex Summers takes his teenage younger brother Scott, whose own mutation for shooting optic beams is manifesting, to Professor Charles Xavier's educational institute in Westchester County, New York, where Xavier and Hank McCoy will teach him how to control his abilities. Scott meets the telepathic and telekinetic Jean Grey, and the two develop an attraction. Raven brings Kurt to the institute, and informs Xavier about Magneto as she learned about his attack in Caliban's hideout. En Sabah Nur's powers cause disturbances around the world, leading Xavier and Alex to consult with CIA agent Moira MacTaggert, who has been researching the legend of Nur.

En Sabah Nur hacks into Xavier's mind while Xavier is using the mutant-locating computer Cerebro, and co-opts Xavier's powers to force all global superpowers to launch Earth's entire nuclear arsenal into space to prevent interference. En Sabah Nur and his lieutenants arrive at the mansion and kidnap Xavier. Attempting to stop them, Alex accidentally causes an explosion that destroys the mansion. Peter Maximoff – having learned that he is Erik's son, and hoping that Xavier can help to find him – arrives in time to use his super-speed to evacuate the students from the mansion, but Alex is presumed dead as he was closest to the blast. Colonel William Stryker's forces subsequently arrest Hank, Raven, Peter, and Moira, and take them to a military facility for interrogation. Scott, Jean and Kurt covertly follow and liberate their comrades with help from Stryker's mind-controlled and brainwashed experiment, Weapon X, whose memories Jean partially restores.

At En Sabah Nur's behest, Erik uses his powers to control Earth's magnetic poles, causing widespread destruction across the planet and mass casualties. Following a telepathic distress call secretly sent by Xavier to Jean, the others arrive in Cairo to battle En Sabah Nur and his lieutenants. They rescue the professor before En Sabah's consciousness is transferred to his body, but Xavier loses his hair as the process was nearing completion. Angel is defeated and incapacitated in the battle. Erik and Ororo are convinced to turn on En Sabah, keeping him occupied physically while Xavier fights him telepathically in the astral plane. Finally, Xavier pleads Jean to unleash the full extent of her powers and appears to disintegrates En Sabah Nur. In the ensuing chaos, Psylocke flees from the destruction.

In the aftermath, Xavier restores Moira's memories of him. Erik and Jean help reconstruct the school, but Erik turns down Xavier's offer to stay and help teach. Under Raven's tutelage, Scott, Jean, Hank, Ororo, Kurt, and Peter become the new X-Men and train for the battles ahead.

In a post-credits scene, the Weapon X facility is visited by suited men retrieving data on Stryker's mutant research, including an X-Ray and a blood sample marked "Weapon X", on behalf of the Essex Corporation.

Cast

Cast of X-Men: Apocalypse at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con International. Top to bottom (scrollable): McAvoy, Fassbender, Lawrence, Isaac, Hoult, Munn, Peters, Smit-McPhee, Turner, Sheridan, Shipp, Condor, Till, and Hardy.

• James McAvoy as Professor Charles Xavier / Professor X

A mutant pacifist and the world's most powerful telepath. He is the founder of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and the X-Men. McAvoy shaved his head for the role.

• Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto ("War")

A mutant with the ability to control magnetic fields and manipulate metal who becomes the last of Apocalypse's horsemen, known as War. According to Fassbender, Lehnsherr has fallen in love with a woman in Poland and is trying to live a normal life there. Bill Milner appears in archival footage as a young Erik Lehnsherr.

• Jennifer Lawrence as Raven Darkhölme / Mystique

A mutant with shapeshifting abilities. According to Singer, Raven is on her own, helping rescue mutants who are oppressed or enslaved, including Nightcrawler. Lawrence said "she hears about what happened to Erik and she wants to seek him out and help him."

• Oscar Isaac as En Sabah Nur / Apocalypse

The world's first and most powerful mutant, born in ancient times with a variety of superhuman abilities such as telekinesis and telepathy as well as technopathy, super-strength, and size-control, each power augmented after merging with Celestial technology and a special cyber-suit. Isaac described Apocalypse as the "creative-slash-destructive force of [the] Earth." He added, "When things start to go awry, or when things seem like they're not moving towards evolution, [Apocalypse] destroys those civilizations." Isaac had to go through extensive makeup and prosthetics aplications, and wore high-heeled boots to appear taller and a 40-pound suit. The full costume, which Isaac described as "basically doing Kabuki theater", was uncomfortable, particularly in the humid environment of the outdoor scenes, which forced Isaac to go to a cooling tent between takes.

• Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy / Beast

A mutant with leonine attributes, prehensile feet and superhuman physical abilities. Hank acts as a teacher in Xavier's school and he builds inventions for troubled students. He also built the X-Jet.

• Rose Byrne as Moira MacTaggert

A CIA agent who first met and fell in love with Xavier in X-Men: First Class, where he wiped portions of her memories of him and the X-Men at the end. Simon Kinberg said they are "essentially, strangers" when they meet in this film.

• Tye Sheridan as Scott Summers / Cyclops

A mutant that fires uncontrollable, destructive optic beams and wears a visor or sunglasses to stabilize and contain them, and the younger brother of Havok. Sheridan describes Cyclops as "angry and a bit lost." He added, "He's now learning about being a mutant and trying to handle his powers." Havok brings Cyclops to Xavier's school so that the professor can help him with his powers.

• Sophie Turner as Jean Grey / Phoenix

A mutant who is scared of her telepathic and telekinetic power, and one of Charles Xavier's most prized students. Turner states that she was cast in the film because of the "dark side" of her character Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones. She compared Jean to Sansa and described being an outcast in the human world, who struggles with her power and gift, the same way Sansa, who wanted to live a normal life, felt. Turner learned archery in preparation for the role.

• Olivia Munn as Elizabeth Braddock / Psylocke ("Pestilence")

A mutant with telepathic and telekinetic abilities, who becomes the second of Apocalypse's horsemen, known as Pestilence. Her abilities also include projecting purple psychic energy, usually into the form of an energy blade that can burn through metal. When using her telepathic powers, a butterfly-shaped purple aura appears around her face. Munn described Psylocke as "very lethal, very powerful and very strong." She practiced sword fighting in preparation for the role. According to Singer, Psylocke is working behind the Iron Curtain for the mutant-broker Caliban.

• Lucas Till as Alex Summers / Havok

A mutant who has the ability to absorb energy and release it with destructive force from his body, and the older brother of Cyclops.

• Evan Peters as Peter Maximoff / Quicksilver

A mutant who can move, think, and perceive at supersonic speeds, and the son of Magneto. Describing the relationship between Quicksilver and Magneto, Peters stated, "I have learned that he's my father at this point and I am trying to ... I don’t know what I can say. I'm trying to ... Yeah. It's like an adoptive child or any kind of child who has a strange father trying to ... He knows who he is now so he is trying to find him. He's been searching for him. It's been 10 years and he hasn't found him and then something happens."

• Kodi Smit-McPhee as Kurt Wagner / Nightcrawler

A German teleporting mutant and one of Charles Xavier's new students. Singer said that Nightcrawler is rescued by Raven and is a source of comic relief.

• Alexandra Shipp as Ororo Munroe / Storm ("Famine")

An Egyptian mutant orphan who can control weather who finds a father figure in Apocalypse and becomes the first of his horsemen, known as Famine. Shipp shaved her head partially, and sported a Mohawk for the role. According to Singer, Apocalypse finds teenage Storm living on the streets in Cairo, Egypt and immediately recognizes her potential. Recruiting her for the goddess she is, he offers her sanctuary. She joins him under the pretense that he can provide her with the guidance she has been longing for.

• Josh Helman as William Stryker

A military officer who hates mutants. Ten years since Days of Future Past, Stryker has been developing his own plan for how he wants to proceed with the "mutant problem".

• Ben Hardy as Warren Worthington III / Angel / Archangel ("Death")

A mutant with bird like feathered wings who becomes the third horseman known as Death, gaining metallic wings which can also be used as razor sharp projectiles as a result. He is based on a famous X-Factor storyline in the comic book event Fall of the Mutants. Hardy practiced indoor skydiving in preparation for his role.

• Lana Condor as Jubilation Lee / Jubilee

A Chinese-American mutant student at Charles' school who has the ability to create psionic energy plasmoids. Discussing her first day on X-Men: Apocalypse, Condor says: "I was very new and it was my first role. I'd never been on a set before or in front of a camera, so I didn't know what to expect. The first day we shot scenes in an 80s-themed mall with hundreds of extras in 80s gear, plus crew and cameras. It was surreal." She also discussed the character of Jubilee and how she became the mutant: "It's a lot easier when you have the costume, as that helps bring everything to life. She has her iconic yellow jacket, which is a staple. It's very bold and confident, like her. A lot of her costumes are super 80s. I also listened to music from the 80s and that helped."

Additionally, Hugh Jackman makes an uncredited appearance as Logan / Wolverine, in his Weapon X form. In that scene for the first time in an X-Men movie, Wolverine is shown going into a full-blown berserker rage, something that has only been glimpsed briefly in previous installments of the series. Tómas Lemarquis portrays Caliban, a mutant with the ability to sense and track other mutants. X-Men co-creator Stan Lee and his wife Joanie Lee make a cameo appearance together, in a more serious role than any of Lee's previous cameos, as bystanders witnessing the launch of nuclear missiles worldwide. The Blob makes an appearance in the film as Angel's opponent in an underground fight club, portrayed by wrestler "Giant" Gustav Claude Ouimet. Carolina Bartczak and T.J. McGibbon portray Magneto's wife Magda and daughter Nina respectively. Archive footage was used of Caleb Landry Jones, Éva Magyar, Georg Nikoloff, and Bill Milner as Sean Cassidy / Banshee, Erik's parents Edie Lehnsherr and Mr. Lehnsherr, and young Erik respectively. Alison Baire / Dazzler makes a brief cameo appearance on a record album which Jean and Scott are shown holding at a music store. Kinberg confirmed that the after-credits scene mentioning Essex Corporation by name will affect and set up the upcoming Wolverine sequel, as well as Gambit, and the next X-Men film following those.

Production

Development

The film was announced by Bryan Singer in December 2013 via Twitter, before Days of Future Past was released to theaters. In the same month, Simon Kinberg, Dan Harris, and Michael Dougherty were revealed by Singer to be attached to work on the film's story. According to Singer, the film would focus on the origin of the mutants, and features the younger versions of Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Storm. Singer also said that he was considering Gambit and a younger version of Nightcrawler to appear. According to Kinberg, it would take place in 1983, and completes a trilogy that began with 2011's X-Men: First Class. In September 2014, 20th Century Fox officially announced that Singer would direct the film. Singer has called the film "kind of a conclusion of six X-Men films, yet a potential rebirth of younger, newer characters" and the "true birth of the X-Men".

Writing

"It will address historical mutant-cy, meaning the deep past, mutant origins and things like that. It’s something that's always intrigued me when we think about our Gods and our history and miracles and powers."

—Bryan Singer on what will be seen in X-Men: Apocalypse.

Singer said that Apocalypse is the main focus of the film. Kinberg said that the younger versions of Scott Summers, Storm and Jean Grey appearing in the film are "as much a part of the film as the main cast". He described Summers as "not yet the squeaky-clean leader", Storm as a "troubled character who is going down the wrong path in life", and Grey as "complex, interesting and not fully mature." Kinberg also said that the film delivers on the dramatic story and emotion of the last two films and that it acts like the culmination of the main characters portrayed by Lawrence, McAvoy, Fassbender and Hoult.

Casting

In October 2014, casting for X-Men: Apocalypse began. In November, Singer confirmed that Oscar Isaac would portray Apocalypse. In January 2015, Singer announced that Alexandra Shipp, Sophie Turner, and Tye Sheridan would portray young Storm, Jean, and Cyclops. The same month, Kinberg confirmed that Rose Byrne would reprise her role as Moira MacTaggert in the film. In February, Kodi Smit-McPhee was cast as Nightcrawler and Ben Hardy was cast in an unspecified role. In March, Singer announced that Lana Condor was cast as Jubilation Lee. In April, Singer confirmed that Hardy would portray Angel, Olivia Munn would portray Psylocke, and Lucas Till would return as Havok. In May, Singer announced that the mutant Caliban would appear in the film. In July, Hoult revealed on Conan that Josh Helman would return as William Stryker. In April 2016, Hugh Jackman confirmed that he would make a cameo appearance as Wolverine.

The Englefield House, Berkshire, England served as the X-Mansion.

Filming

Principal photography commenced on April 27, 2015, in Montreal, Canada. In late August, the first-unit production for the film wrapped, with second-unit production wrapping on September 4, 2015. Additional filming took place in January 2016.

Music

On March 2, 2015, it was announced that John Ottman, who composed the scores for X2 and X-Men: Days of Future Past, would return to write and compose the score for Apocalypse. On May 20, 2016, the official soundtrack was released as a digital download. In addition to Ottman's score, the film features Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)", during the scene where Quicksilver evacuates the X-Mansion.

Marketing

In July 2015, Singer, Lee, Hugh Jackman and cast-members McAvoy, Fassbender, Lawrence, Isaac, Hoult, Munn, Peters, Smit-McPhee, Turner, Sheridan, Shipp, Condor, Till and Hardy gave a presentation at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con International, together with the release of the film's first teaser poster, featuring En Sabah Nur and a wreckage of the X-Mansion. Footage from the film was screened.

In October 2015, Mars Chocolate partnered with 20th Century Fox for the marketing of the film, using M&M chocolates in their promotional materials. The deal included retail displays and special packaging markings, TV and cinema commercials, and social media posts featuring M&M's characters mixed with elements of the X-Men. The first image of M&M candies wearing Storm and Magneto costumes was released on the day of the announcement.

In December 2015, Kia Motors collaborated with 20th Century Fox to create a custom Kia Sportage to promote the film. Designed after Mystique, the car was revealed at the 2016 Australian Open. It is Kia's second "X-Car" project after the Kia Sorento customized for the home media release of Days of Future Past and the 2015 Australian Open. A trailer released in the same month received criticism from Rajan Zed, a United States-based Hindu cleric, who stated that the part where Apocalypse claims himself to have been called "Krishna" was an offense to the Hindu religion, and demanded that Singer remove all references to Krishna from the trailer, and the film itself. On January 4, 2016, Kia Motors released the first promo video of the car, featuring Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal.

In April 2016, Coldwell Banker partnered with 20th Century Fox to list the X-Mansion for $75 million. The fictional listing included a video tour of the mansion and stories of the home from the perspective of characters such as Charles Xavier and Scott Summers. The fake property was listed by agent Kala V. Rhomedren, an anagram for Raven Darkholme.

Release

X-Men: Apocalypse had its world premiere in London on May 9, 2016. The film was released in the United Kingdom on May 18, 2016, and in North America on May 27, in both 3D and 2D formats, and in IMAX 3D in select international markets, using the DMR process. It opened in Korea on May 25. Upcoming dates include China on June 3 and Japan on August 11.

Reception

Box office

As of May 27, 2016, X-Men: Apocalypse has grossed $26.4 million in North America and $115.4 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $141.8 million, against a budget of $178 million.

The film opened in the United States on May 27, 2016, alongside Alice Through the Looking Glass. The film is projected to gross around $80 million from 4,150 theaters in its opening weekend, and up to $100 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend. It made $8.2 million from Thursday previews at 3,565 theaters, besting its predessecor ($8.1 million). On its opening day it earned $26.4 million (including previews), the fourth-lowest opening day amount of the franchise. Through its opening weekend, it grossed $65 million in three days and $80 million in four days.

Outside North America, X-Men: Apocalypse was released in 76 markets (64% of its total marketplace) beginning on May 18, 2016, and grossed $101.5 million from 20,796 screens in its opening weekend. It debuted at No. 1 in 71 of those markets, with IMAX contributing $5 million from 246 screens in 57 markets, while RealD took in $18.4 million. It broke opening records for Fox in the Philippines ($4.9 million), India ($3.4 million), Indonesia ($3.1 million), Singapore ($2.8 million), Thailand ($2.7 million) and Colombia ($1.9 million), and had the biggest opening in the X-Men franchise in 33 markets, including Russia ($6.5 million). Its top openings were the United Kingdom ($10.5 million), Mexico ($8.6 million), Brazil ($6.6 million), Russia ($6.5 million) and France ($5.9 million). It will next open in China on June 3 and Japan on August 11.

Critical response

X-Men: Apocalypse has received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 48%, based on 235 reviews, with an average rating of 5.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Overloaded action and a cliched villain take the focus away from otherwise strong performers and resonant themes, making X-Men: Apocalypse a middling chapter of the venerable superhero franchise." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 52 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.

Mick LaSalle from the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film a positive review, calling it "a thinking person's action movie", and complimenting the movie for its high stakes. Bruce Kirkland from the Toronto Sun gave the film a positive review, acknowledging "Piece by piece, Singer fits this ninth film in the franchise (which includes Deadpool) into the X-Men universe like a master puzzle maker. He does it so well, at least in terms of storytelling, that the X-Men franchise still has a vigorous future."

Mike Ryan of Uproxx gave the film a negative review, noting it felt redundant and stale, writing, "I get it: Life is hard for mutants. We all get it. It’s literally the only thing mutants ever seem to talk about. It is odd that other superheroes seem to get to have some fun, but never the X-Men. Here we are, 16 years later, and everyone involved is still sad. It feels repetitive." Scott Mendelson of Forbes also noted the series felt repetitive, writing, "X-Men: Apocalypse is the kind of weightless, soulless trifle of a bore that makes comic book superhero movies look bad and makes me not look forward to the next installment."

Sequel

In May 2016, Kinberg stated that the next X-Men film will be set in the 1990s, and has talked about redoing "The Dark Phoenix Saga". Singer said he wants to do an X-Men movie in space.

External links

• Official website
• X-Men: Apocalypse at IMDb