An epic film and a fitting tribute to the comic

Rating: 9/10 (19 May 2016)

I really really really enjoyed this movie, I remember sitting in the cinema watching it thinking "I need to watch this again, quickly!" This was a roller-coaster of film which did justice to both the comic world and the world of film, and that's something I haven't said about other comic inspired films much. This is the best of the X-Men films, even better than "Days of Future Past" which took some doing, because that was previously the best of them. If I'm honest, the reboot/ new timeline has done the X-Men franchise the world of good, the films are bigger, better and darker - something the X-Men definitely deserves. I personally think they are partly responsible for the success the current MCU and DCU are having. This is the 4th superhero/comic film of the year, I personally think this is better than "Batman vs Superman" and "Cpt. America: Civil War". As an immersing spectacle to tantalize the senses this is on par, for me, with the "Deadpool" film, and I really enjoyed that, but for different reasons. The film was set in the 80's and delivers for the actual time period with feelings of fear and nuclear war, as well as the colour and the sound of 80's fashion and popular culture. It also delivers on the feeling of early X-Men comics, fear of mutants and man's need to control them, with characters looking to find and understand themselves and what they are capable of.
Brian Singer directs and has used the new timeline created in "X- Men: Days of Future Past" to wonderful effects to weave a great story. The film introduces En Sabah Nur, or Apocalypse, the first mutant, woken from a deathly slumber about thousands of years. Events transpire that allow him to enlist his regular 4 horsemen to serve him and bring down humanity. His aim is to cleanse the world of the weak (humans and anyone that opposes him generally) and build the world again with him as it's ruler. Standing in his way are the X-Men, who themselves have journeys and story's unfolding at he same time. I don't want to spoil anything so that's as far as I'm taking the synopsis.
The cast is brilliant and believable throughout, not just can they act but as an Englishman it's nice to see a Brit heavy cast delivering sublimely. Established characters as well as new appearances make great showings, nobody seemed out of place here. The emotional variances and deliveries were brilliant throughout, giving you everything from love to tragedy, fear to fascination, comedy to conflict. The action scenes were top notch and suited the characters in the film very well. With each unique character, a different power, and each variant is acted and delivered with class. Sometime the CGI and cabled action shots were a little obvious and overdone, but it was still damn fine eye candy and didn't ruin things. It actually served to offer the comic book physics that I'd expect. The film isn't afraid to set up a story at over two hours but it didn't drag at any point, I couldn't wait for more to happen and I certainly look forward to more X-Men films like this one. Stay tuned for the usual post-credits scene, if you know the MCU and X- Men comics you'll figure out who might be pulling some strings in the next movie and like me you'll be ready and waiting.
A thoroughly well deserved a 9 out of 10.