Latest 'X-Men' is here to answer the call
A full week has gone by without a release of a superhero film of some sort (though I would argue “The Nice Guys” are perfect anti-heroes). Thankfully, Bryan Singer’s “X-Men: Bright Lights and Loud Noises” is here to answer the call.
For those who are relatively new to the “X-Men” franchise, don’t bother taking the leap here, as you will merely leave with an apocalyptic headache. For those who have followed the series fanatically, don’t bother for any number of other reasons.
Picking up where the time-skipping “Days of Future Past” left off, “X-Men: Lots of CGI Money” finds us with another mastermind determined to destroy the planet, a gaggle of new freaks with freakish powers, resulting in a chaotic display of talented actors/actresses shape-shifting, shooting lasers from their faces, summoning beasts, hopping dimensions, and generally brooding over the chaos of their existence.
The X-Men franchise, as varied as its output has been over the eight films in its history, has always been strongest when it tackled social issues under the guise of characters forced to cope with their “mutant” powers. But instead of taking his lens to our current culture, director Bryan Singer decides to spend more time with the self-absorbed adolescents. And frankly, like hearing a solemn teen drone on for years about how the world is out to get him and blaming all around him for his woes, I am weary of his whining and wish he would just move on. Add to this a generic universe-threatening villain who must be stopped before he brings about the apocalypse. And speaking of, that is the name of the main bad guy in “X-Men: We’re Goths with Lasers!” Played by Oscar Isaac (fresh off being squandered in the latest “Star Wars”), he is perhaps one of the most bland baddies introduced in the Marvel film canon. Not that you can notice Isaac, as he is unrecognizable beneath his cloak and a metric ton of makeup. He joins a list of solid actors who share criminally too little screen time, as the film is busy ushering out its next wave of mutant martyrs. Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Rose Byrne, and James McAvoy all flash across the screen at various intervals, only to become enveloped by another round of CGI-rendered chaos which really holds no threat to anything but the viewers’ patience.
“Deadpool,” which was also born out of the “X-Men” universe, has demonstrated that a little levity can go a long way. And while previous “X-Men” films have demonstrated a lighter touch at times, “X-Men: Look Who’s Glowering” has no time to crack much of a grin. The final battle sequence looks as though it could have been cut from a dozen other previous final battle sequences, and it leaves us with little desire to see them assemble once again.
