X-MEN: APOCALYPSE took the top spot in theaters over the weekend, beating out Disney’s ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS in the process. It’s not terribly surprising, as the X-MEN movies always do well, and superhero film fare is the hot thing at the moment. If you haven’t seen the newest movie, best to not keep reading at this point. One of the standout scenes in the new sequel is a sequence in which Quicksilver (Evan Peters) saves pretty much everyone in the X-mansion while it’s in the process of exploding – the scene is nicknamed “The Extraction.” Like the Quicksilver scene in the X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, it’s visually awesome and layers above pretty much everything else in the story… and it’s fun. But this scene definitely has some complicated stuff going on in it, as it involved him throwing people to safety in split-second fashion, while looking slow motion to us, and having to get through the entire mansion to do so. Fox has released a behind the scenes video which you can see below that shows how they shot the sequence, though it’s a little shorter than I’d like. I’m sure the full process of this is much more complex and drawn out, and at some point I’d love to see a full-length featurette really delve into the particulars. One thing they talk about is The Phantom camera that shoots everything as super slow motion, and the end result is really spectacular. If you’ve seen the movie and know the scene, watch the video below. If you haven’t seen X-MEN: APOCALYPSE yet, do yourself a favor and don’t watch this until you do… you’ll appreciate it much more that way.
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.
Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff. 
