The Usual Suspects | Fast Lane Film

X-Men are among my favorite movie superheroes and always have been. I’ve loved every edition in the series, with the exception of X-Men 2. Director Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, X-Men: Days of Future Past) has infused the franchise with fresh energy by adopting a sort of prequel format established in the last two or three movies. By introducing us to a younger Magneto, Mystique, Xavier, and company, Singer cleverly extends the life of the franchise. The only constant character is the perennial Wolverine (Hugh Jackman, Eddie the Eagle). Boasting additional new young iterations of our favorite characters, X-Men: Apocalypse did not disappoint.

The movie begins in ancient times, as the Egyptians engage in religious ritual. Their apparent ruler is a strange behemoth with purplish, leathery skin called En Sabah Nur (Oscar Isaac, Ex Machina). He will eventually come to be known as Apocalypse, and his existence proves mutants were around long before Professor X (James McAvoy, X:Men: Days of Future Past) became aware of them. Apocalypse and his followers attempt a supernatural energy exchange with another person, which is disrupted by dissidents seeking to overthrow his regime. Apocalypse is buried alive, left undisturbed until the Egyptian ground shifts and he is awakened thousands of years later in 1983.

After his epic snooze, Apocalypse awakens to a world dominated by humans. He doesn’t like mutants’ stature and seeks to upset the proverbial apple cart by encouraging them to take their rightful place atop the food chain. He quickly assembles a team, including (a much younger) Storm (Alexandra Shipp, Straight Outta Compton), Magneto (Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs), and newcomers Angel and Psylocke (Olivia Munn, Zoolander 2). Religious themes ran throughout the movie, with Apocalypse displaying god-like abilities as he actually makes his team of mutants better. He enhances their powers and shows them how to maximize their gifts. For example, we know Magneto controls metal objects. If there’s no metal readily available, one might think he’d be powerless in that moment. However, there are metals and minerals in the ground. Magneto can literally move mountains if he wanted.

Professor X learns of Apocalypse, whose powers are nearly insurmountable. Meanwhile, enrollment at Xavier’s School For Gifted Youngsters increases as Scott Summers/Cyclops (Tye Sheridan, Mud) joins the fray. It was fascinating to see younger versions of the familiar characters we’ve come to know and love. It was particularly cool to see the first meeting between Cyclops and Jean (Sophie Turner, Game of Thrones), who will go on to have quite a love affair, albeit an intermittently one-sided one. I also enjoyed the barrage of 80’s pop culture references, from Thriller jackets to Tab soda. The film establishes the clear ideological dichotomy between mutants that runs throughout (chronologically) later films. Xavier is a pacifist almost to a fault, recognizing the importance of educating his students in a classroom, but leaving them woefully unprepared for battle and unequipped for self-defense. Apocalypse forces him to open his mind to a new approach, turning the tables on the benevolent professor and setting the stage for a showdown between good and evil.

A summer day at the movies should be entertaining, action-packed, and fun. With spot-on casting and a strong yet simple plot, X-Men: Apocalypse was all that and much more. I can’t wait to see what Marvel Studios has in store for us next. Grade: A-

Sometimes it’s hard for me to separate the artist from the work. If I dislike the way an actor conducts themselves outside of their movies, I don’t really look at their movies the same way, if at all. Clint Eastwood pisses me off now. I think he’s an ornery old cracker. His movies are dope, but I just don’t rock with him like that. Which brings me to Tom Cruise (Rock of Ages), my old favorite up until recently. I have always liked Cruise, the venerable star whose movies were sure blockbusters. And then he started to seem like a kooky scientologist. Granted, I never heard of him doing anything really bad; he just seemed kind of weird. But dammit, I couldn’t completely give up on him. I liked him in the last Mission Impossible movie, because he’s still a great action star. He’s charismatic and capable and seems like he performs his own stunts. I’m sold on him in these types of roles, so when I saw the trailer for Jack Reacher, it looked worth checking out.

Cruise stars as Jack Reacher, a military investigator who is “off the grid.” He served honorably, receiving numerous medals of distinction. He hasn’t been definitively heard from or seen in a couple of years, and only resurfaces after being requested by a domestic terror suspect. The movie begins with a vivid and terrifying sequence of events where members of the public are seemingly shot at random. In light of the recent shootings in Connecticut, I’m sure this scene was particularly disturbing for some. It reminded me of the DC Sniper, as we see the killer hunt his victims as they engaged in routine activity. First he trained his sight on a woman walking alone, then on a man seated on a bench, and so on and so forth. At first it seemed that he was bypassing his targets, whimsically sparing each one – but he quickly retraced his steps and picks off each victim in rapid succession. He makes his getaway quickly, and soon the wrong man is arrested for the heinous crime. We know this right away, but what we don’t know is why this unsuspecting former soldier named Barr was chosen as the fall guy, or why he wants Reacher to help him.

Rosamund Pike (Wrath of the Titans) and David Oyelowo (Lincoln) round out the cast as Barr’s lawyer Helen and the detective who wants to put him away, respectively. They were serviceable in their roles, though something about Pike annoys me. I think I haven’t forgiven her for replacing Gemma Arterton in Wrath of the Titans, which is unfair. Nevertheless, I was glad that her character and Reacher kept it professional throughout the movie. I didn’t notice any particular chemistry between the two, which was in keeping with Reacher’s solitary nature.

Reacher was similar to some of Tom Cruise’s past characters, in that he was a skilled antihero, a good guy who isn’t afraid to punish mercilessly when pushed by an adversary. Despite his toughness, I liked that Reacher was more of a thinker than a bruiser; he only used violence as a last resort. His mysteriousness only heightens the suspense of the movie, and I thought much of it was smart and well done. However, after mulling it over with a friend who also saw it – I have to admit that certain scenes were foolish and didn’t quite make sense. One fight scene between Reacher and two foes looked like something out of the Three Stooges, and it dumbed down an otherwise smart movie. I’m not sure why the scene played out that way, though writer/director Christopher McQuarrie is brilliant to me, on the strength of The Usual Suspects alone. I thought the writing was very sharp for the most part, but I was admittedly sucked in from the opening scene, so I may have had blinders on.

Tom Cruise is like a timeless, cryogenic wonder. He is either genetically blessed, or he has the best plastic surgeon in Hollywood – because he still looks great and is believable. At the age of 50 he is still convincingly playing the action hero, which is pretty impressive. I’m not familiar with the series by which the movie was inspired, but I understand there was some backlash from its fans about his casting. The Reacher of literary note was a blonde behemoth – which clearly does not describe Cruise. Like I said, I’m not familiar with the books, so I share no such disappointment. In sum, I thought Jack Reacher was pretty good, but it’s not a must-see. Grade: B.