X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
- Bryan Singer originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
- Many of the practical effects used in the climax were achieved without any CGI.
- Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed a hidden easter egg referencing Bryan Singer's previous film in the background of the opening scene.
X-Men: Apocalypse is a 2016 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer, the ninth installment in the X-Men film franchise. Set in 1983, the film follows the awakening of En Sabah Nur, played by Oscar Isaac, the world's first and most powerful mutant who has been entombed for millennia. Awakening in the modern world, Apocalypse recruits four mutants as his "Four Horsemen" β including a young, grief-stricken Magneto β and plans to cleanse the Earth of human civilization to remake the world in his image.
The younger versions of the X-Men, including Jean Grey played by Sophie Turner, Cyclops played by Tye Sheridan, and Nightcrawler played by Kodi Smit-McPhee, must unite with Professor Xavier to stop the apocalyptic threat. The film received mixed reviews, with critics praising the Quicksilver rescue sequence β set to Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams" as he evacuates the Xavier mansion during an explosion in elaborately choreographed slow motion β as equaling or surpassing the celebrated equivalent scene in Days of Future Past. However, Oscar Isaac's Apocalypse was criticized as an underwhelming villain, with the heavy prosthetic makeup limiting the actor's expressiveness and the character's motivations feeling generic.
Michael Fassbender provided the film's most powerful dramatic moments as Magneto, whose devastating personal loss reignites his rage against humanity. X-Men: Apocalypse earned $543 million worldwide, a solid if unspectacular performance that represented a slight decline from Days of Future Past.
