X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
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The X-Men must stop the ancient mutant Apocalypse from reshaping the world in his image after his accidental revival in 1983.
The story
In 1983, the ancient mutant En Sabah Nur, also known as Apocalypse, is inadvertently revived. He believes humanity has lost its way and intends to remake the world in his own image. This awakening causes global turmoil, leading the X-Men to confront his threat. Amidst the chaos, the team must navigate a landscape of rising tensions and a desperate struggle to stop Apocalypse from fulfilling his destructive plan to reshape the world.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 3600 BC, the powerful mutant En Sabah Nur rules ancient Egypt before being entombed alive. In 1983, Scott Summers discovers his powers and joins Professor Charles Xavier's school. Simultaneously, En Sabah Nur is awakened by Moira MacTaggert and recruits Ororo Munroe. In Poland, Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) loses his family to the authorities during the chaos of the awakening. En Sabah Nur finds Lehnsherr and takes him to Auschwitz, where Lehnsherr joins him. Apocalypse then takes over the school's communications, forcing nations to launch nukes into space. The X-Men, including Jean Grey, Scott, and others, eventually confront Apocalypse in Cairo. During the battle, Lehnsherr and Ororo turn on Apocalypse, while Xavier fights him telepathically. Jean Grey ultimately unleashes her full power to incinerate him. The film ends with the X-Men training new recruits and a post-credits scene involving the Essence of Weapon X.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 144
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Bryan Singer
- Writers
- Simon Kinberg · screenplay; Bryan Singer · story; Michael Dougherty · story; Dan Harris · story
- Cast and characters
- James McAvoy · Professor Charles Xavier; Michael Fassbender · Erik Lehnsherr / Magneto; Jennifer Lawrence · Raven / Mystique; Oscar Isaac · En Sabah Nur / Apocalypse; Nicholas Hoult · Hank McCoy / Beast; Rose Byrne · Moira MacTaggert; Tye Sheridan · Scott Summers / Cyclops; Sophie Turner · Jean Grey
- Genres
- superhero; action; adventure; science fiction
- Themes
- survival; evolution; identity
- Tone and mood
- action-packed; tense
- Setting
- Various locations including ancient Egypt, 1983 America, Poland, East Berlin, and Cairo.
- Premise and plot tags
- multigenerational; superhero; time-jump
- Source material / true-story basis
- Marvel Comics
- Franchise connections
- X-Men
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and was described by some as a 'franchise killing disaster' while others called it a 'thinking person's action movie'.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 52 · scale: 100 · review count: 48; PostTrak · score: 81% · scale: percentage
- Production trivia
- The film features a cameo by Stan Lee and his wife Joan B. Lee.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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