'X-men Apocalypse' is an episode of an X-men cartoon brought to life!

Rating: 9/10 (22 May 2016)

If 'First Class' was the prequel/quasi-reboot that refreshed the franchise for a new decade and 'Days of Future Past' was a celebration of the history of the entire X-men film franchise...then 'Apocalypse', the concluding chapter of this loose 'prequel trilogy' is Bryan Singer finally taking the X-men to its roots as a comic- book spectacle, something which a significant portion of the fanbase has been clamouring for, to varying degrees, since the very first X- film hit the silver screen. And it would be unfair to judge 'Apocalypse' without taking this into account...
As a work of cinema, 'Apocalypse' pales in comparison to its two immediate predecessors and of course Singer's original two films. But as a comic-book fantasy brought to life, it more than delights! There are no themes, overt and subtle, of discrimination and evolution and destiny here (well, there are somewhere in the background, but they are hardly of any importance)...what this film does have is the X-men valiantly flying into battle to literally save the world. It does have bright, colorful costumes, tons of continuity references to films and comics alike, mindblowing SPX, and an extended cameo by a certain franchise star that will no doubt have the audience cheering. And that's fine! Not every comic-book film needs to be a 'Dark Knight' or even an 'Iron Man'.