Lost in the hype around Deadpool is the fact that another X-Men movie is set to grace the screen this year. The sixth X-Movie in the never-ending saga of alternate timelines and different actors and the fourth X-Movie to be helmed by Bryan Singer, X-Men: Apocalypse aims to bring this latest trilogy to close. Today we’ve gotten the latest trailer for X-Men: Apocalypse and its just as serious and dour as any other of Singer’s X-Men films.
It may seem like a distant memory, but this latest incarnation of the X-Men started out with some pop. Matthew Vaughn reignited the series with First Class before Singer returned to the reigns to bring the series back to its ultra-serious roots. And, boy, is this trailer taking itself really, really seriously. No jokes. No levity. Just grim colors and somber music.
There’s no denying that Singer has assembled an all-star cast for X-Men: Apocalypse, including James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence, the trio of which having anchored the last two X-Movies. Adding to the mix this time is the great Oscar Isaac, though he’s virtually unrecognizable under layers and layers of makeup. Since the last two movies were set in the ’60s and ’70s, respectively, X-Men: Apocalypse is set in the ’80s because it just works that way. But the ’80s setting seems to just make room for characters that were popular in the ’90s, with Olivia Munn as Psylocke and Lana Condor as Jubilee. Perhaps Singer and company are just aiming for the magic of layered nostalgia, both for the ’80s and the characters popular in the ’90s cartoon.
Perhaps my skepticism is misplaced by a misleading trailer. After all, Days of Future Past was much lighter than its trailers made it seem. It still remains that X-Men: Apocalypse is a Bryan Singer film, and we’ve seen plenty of those over the years that all the surprises he may have in store are all behind us. We’ll know when the Four Horsemen rise and team up with Apocalypse when X-Men: Apocalypse hits theaters on May 27th, 2016.
The official synopsis for X-Men: Apocalypse:
Following the critically acclaimed global smash hit X-Men: Days of Future Past, director Bryan Singer returns with X-MEN: APOCALYPSE. Since the dawn of civilization, he was worshipped as a god. Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel’s X-Men universe, amassed the powers of many other mutants, becoming immortal and invincible. Upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor X (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction.
