X-Men: Apocalypse – In Cinemas NOW – From Star Trek to Star Wars to James Bond: Old School Vs. New School

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.

Trekkies and Warsies (are they a thing?) have battled each other for exclusive rights to the stars for decades but there is an even deeper conflict lurking beneath. A battle that unites franchises around the world: Old School vs New School.

Another franchise titan, a Marvel property and graduate of 90s animation sees its latest venture into live-action cinema on 18th May as the X-Men battle against Apocalypse and his four horsemen. But what of the other franchises that build upon their old school roots...

Star Trek

Some Trekkies shy away in horror at the knowledge that their beloved science fiction classic has wormed its way onto the Hollywood reboot list. But like it or not Star Trek is perfectly primed for a modern reimagining when you consider the advances in special effects. Star Trek’s mission statement to “go where no man has gone before” distinguished it from its galactic rivals during its running time and has since spawned a huge following of new fans with the latest Enterprise crew blasting onto the scene in 2009 in a big way. The Old School will always have its defenders and supporters while with the New School the Enterprise has a great chance to forge Star Trek a new course.

Star Wars

Old School is much easier to define than the New School in the galaxy far, far away. The original trilogy (IV, V, and VI) performed extremely well at the box office, to the point where anything sporting the ‘Star Wars’ brand is given the seal of approval before we’ve even seen it. That was until the prequel trilogy was released. Not quite able to live up to the magic that A New Hope thrived on the prequels have since become a dirty chapter in Star Wars franchise history. However, with the excommunication of the prequel trilogy and the awakening of the New New School in The Force Awakens it appears for many fans that Star Wars has found its intergalactic roots once again. The Old School will always hold a certain level of charm over any modern tales but the future of the franchise is strong once again with Episode VII.

TMNT

The heroes in a half shell saw their first major success in the original comic series but later found their way into their very own animated television series in 1987 which rocketed Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michael Angelo to global success. In 1990 fans were treated to the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie that unsurprisingly still garners a considerable cult following. The New School turtles still embrace their radical roots in the world of enhanced CGI effects and pizza delivery efficiency. Cowabunga!

X-Men

The original animated 1990s X-Men television series was a remarkable success that granted Professor X’s gifted youngsters a foothold in the superhero universe. The first three films, beginning in 2000 with X-Men and culminating with The Last Stand in 2006, very much secured the fate of the Old School. Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters is very much flying the New School banner since it’s revival in 2011 with X-Men: First Class and it’s showing no signs of closing. X-Men: Apocalypse hits cinemas on 18th May.

Batman

Like TMNT and X-Men, Batman started his vigilante days inside the pages of a comic book. Eventually graduating to the small screen Batman consisted of 120 episodes of onomatopoeic madness that resulted in a feature film based on the Adam West characterisation. Batman has since undergone a great many incarnations over the years but his revival under Christopher Nolan has earned him the most significant plaudits in recent time. But what of the Old School generation, the Michael Keaton / Jack Nicholson showdown? Well it’s alive and kicking, in a sense. But Christian Bale’s depiction of the Caped Crusader will remain a firm fan favourite for decades to come.

Thunderbirds

...are go! Nothing quite compares to the classic Tracy puppets sporting top-notch British accents, true gentlemanly spirit, and rad space-age Thunderbirds machines. Yet, Jonathan Frakes gave it a go in 2004, and well it doesn’t quite live up to the Thunderbirds name. In 1965, Thunderbirds stepped into a ropey global political environment with a powerful uniting message about International Rescue and global cooperation. The nostalgic novelty of the original puppet based television series has never really worn off as Thunderbirds remains one of the UK’s most loved keepsakes. Check out that intro in 5...4...3...2...1...

James Bond

Bond’s eternal image will always be his most characteristic: swish, charming, misogynistic (although the latter may not be much cause for celebration). Which is probably where Daniel Craig’s Bond differs the most from his Old School predecessors. Casino Royale broke so many barriers whilst retaining the chiefly British personality that makes Bond, James Bond. ‘Action hero with a heart’ took a great many viewers by surprise. He’s gritty, ruthless and lacking the one-liner levity that Sean Connery honed for so many years. Yet, he’s exactly what the character needed. The Old School has had an interesting transition period over the years but it looks like Bond has finally found his feet in the modern age.

X-Men: Apocalypse Film Page | X-Men: Apocalypse Review

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE LANDS IN CINEMAS MAY 18