Review of X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) by Adpirtle — 08 Jun 2016

Whether you consider this to be the third, sixth, or ninth film in the franchise, it can't be denied that X-Men: Apocalypse would have had to work hard to stay fresh, as have its predecessors since the mediocre end of the original trilogy (and the critically panned X-Men Origins: Wolverine). First Class reveled in its role as a rebooted period piece. The Wolverine mixed the superhero and Japanese martial arts genres to great effect. Days of Future Past indulged in time travel (and fan service). Deadpool was one of the funniest send-ups of any film genre in history.

Apocalypse doesn't try to do anything of the sort. It's just a straight-up comic book film, one that could have been a part of any franchise, set in any decade (excepting the shoulder pads on Jean's jacket). There are some standout moments, but they're nothing we haven't already seen before (like Quicksilver's bigger big moment). The effects are decent but not jaw-dropping. The havoc is widespread but impersonal. At no moment did the fate of the world or any of its important characters seem in doubt. So it wasn't a bad film, but it could have been much better, particularly with such a contender of a villain.