X-Men: Apocalypse

Helming his fourth X-Men movie, Bryan Singer once again steers Marvel's colorful mutants through another adventure, this one set 10 years after 2014's Days of Future Past. This time, the supervillain is Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac), supposedly the world's first and most powerful mutant, known as invincible/immortal En Sabah Nur, who ruled ancient Egypt, circa 3600 B.C., before he was entombed in an immense pyramid—awakening in 1983 at the height of the Cold War in the Reagan era. After hibernating for 5,500 years, the petulant Pharaoh is not a happy camper. Vowing to “wipe clean this world,” he solicits disillusioned Magneto (Michael Fassbender), Archangel (Ben Hardy), Psylocke (Olivia Munn), and Storm (Alexandra Shipp) into becoming his legendary “four horsemen.” Working with Beast (Nicholas Hoult) and CIA agent Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) enlists rejuvenated Professor X (James McAvoy), who supplies younger versions of psychic Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) and laser-eyed Cyclops (Tye Sheridan) from his School, along with Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee), Quicksilver (Evan Peters), and Jubilee (Lana Condor). Singer desperately tries to blend a mediocre multitude of mutants, multiple time-shifts, and semi-coherent plotlines with loads of remarkable CGI, but there's no character development here, which means no emotional investment. Still, this will surely be popular. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Bryan Singer and producer Simon Kinberg, a gag reel (8 min.), a photo gallery, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are “Unearthed” behind-the-scenes featurettes (63 min.), deleted/extended scenes (28 min.), a “Wrap Party Video” (5 min.), and bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an overstuffed superhero flick.] (S. Granger)