The mall montage from X-Men: Apocalypse was one of the most talked-about deleted scenes from the movie. Now, we’ve finally gotten a chance to see the full scene, and damn what a missed opportunity.
X-Men Ladies have shared the deleted scene on Tumblr, and it’s everything we thought our 1980s X-Men action flick should’ve been and more. It opens with a slow-motion strut to “The Safety Dance,” where our teenage heroes realize they’re now free to be out and in the open with their powers, especially Nightcrawler. So of course, their first stop is an arcade.
Jean Grey and Cyclops engage in a battle of skill and wit with Joust; or rather, Jean keeps kicking Scott’s shade-wearing ass. And when they run out of quarters, guess what? Jubilee fireworks it back to life! Yes, Jubilee actually uses her powers in this movie and they didn’t bother to keep them in the final cut.
This whole scene shows what kind of movie X-Men: Apocalypse could have been if they’d simply had more fun with it. The teenage heroes show more personality in these three minutes than they did for most of the film. It’s fun, it’s cute, and Nightcrawler enters a breakdance competition. At least he would have, after the special effects.
Overall, X-Men: Apocalypse suffered because it was too serious for its own good. The best scene in the movie was undoubtedly Quicksilver’s “Sweet Dreams” speed-run montage, because it was one of the only scenes that didn’t sink under the weight of its own gravité. It seems like such a waste that this sequence was deigned less important than Wolverine’s totally unnecessary reveal.
Honestly, I would’ve rather seen the teens having fun in the mall over Jennifer Lawrence’s apathetic performance any day.
X-Men: Apocalypse comes out on DVD and BluRay Oct. 4.
Update: Added GIFs and additional images.