Better than expected with an unremarkable villain (7/10)

Rating: 7/10 (28 May 2016)

I didn't have high expectations from this movie. Amidst all the grandeur marketing for other superhero movies like Civil War and Batman v Superman, this movie had the lesser share of anticipation from the fans, which could be attributed to the fact that the trailers were quite dreary and uninspiring. Also, the movie currently holds a score of 47% approval on Rotten Tomatoes. So, critics seem to be divided on this one. That being said, I have stopped taking Rotten Tomatoes seriously ever since Furious 7 got a score of 81%
I should mention that Days of Future past is one of my all time favourite superhero movies and was unanimously praised by fans and critics, so in this movie's defense, it was a tough act to follow.
Possible spoilers up ahead!
THE GOOD: Quicksilver: Quicksilver was one of the highlights of Days of Future Past, and the tradition carries over to this one as well. He has one incredible action scene, where he showcases the full extent of his powers. Pretty much the best part of the movie, if you ask me.
The New Mutants: I really enjoyed the introduction of the new mutants like Jean Gray, Cyclops and Nightcrawler. This is a new iteration of these familiar characters from the first few X-Men films. The performances of the new actors are reminiscent of the previous films, yet stand out in their own way.
Sophie Turner as Jean Gray was probably the best one of them all. She plays a conflicted yet incredibly powerful mutant, scared of her own abilities and I can't wait to see her in the future X-Men movies.
Professor X and Magneto: James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are phenomenal actors and as you would expect, they continue to give brilliant performances as Professor X and Erik Lehnsherr.
However, we didn't get to see a fleshed out ideological conflict between them, something which was one of the best parts of the last two films.
Opening Scene: The first scene takes place in ancient Egypt where we get our first glimpse at Apocalypse, and his four mighty horsemen which kicks off the movie really well.
Bizarre Mind Tripping Action Scenes: There are a few bizarre and trippy action scenes involving Professor X and Apocalypse, which I thought was a refreshing break from the usual CGI heavy climactic action scenes in summer tentpole movies. Keep an eye out for that.
THE MEDIOCRE: Apocalypse: Apocalypse was unsurprisingly mediocre. The main problem with him was that his motivations didn't add up. For someone who is the titular character of the film, he just seemed like another bad guy with another clichéd world domination plan. I wish the movie could have done a better job explaining his actions. Why does he want to cleanse the world? If he has been doing this since the past several thousand years, it seems he's pretty bad at it, cause he's been unsuccessful at creating a better world every single time.
Also, I wish they could have made him a bit more physically intimidating. There are several scenes where he is standing alongside the other female mutants, he is just as tall as them. They should have done the trick used in 300, and made him look like a 7 feet giant which would have definitely transformed his screen presence for the better.
Perhaps the thing that somewhat saves this character from becoming any worse is his voice and Oscar Isaac's performance. This could have been a really cool character, and I really wish the writers could have done a better job with him.
Psylocke: Psylocke is one of Apocalype's four horsemen portrayed by Olivia Munn, a character I was really excited to see, but sadly she didn't get the time to shine. She remained largely stoic and didn't get to say even a single dialogue in the entire film which is the consequence of juggling a plethora of characters in a 2 hour movie. I think Munn was trying to do the best, with what she was given, but the character just wasn't written well. It could have been any other XYZ villain, and that wouldn't have made a tad bit difference to the overall plot.
TLDR: This is my score a few hours after the first viewing. It could change after the second viewing however.
Final Verdict: 7.1/10
It's a fun action movie with a stellar cast and lackluster villain. If you are expecting another Days of Future Past, you will be disappointed, but in its own merit X-Men: Apocalypse is a good time at the movies.
P.S. There is a after credit scene which teases the antagonists of the future X-Men movies.