Overlong with a bit too much drama, but much better than X-Men: Days of Future Past. A solid, if not standout comic book movie.

Rating: 7/10 (2 July 2016)

The music of this latest X-Men movie sucks. Challenge yourself to sit through the opening credits sequence three times in a row without initiating a divorce. You'll see what I mean. The music's a characterless Hollywood wash, generic as can be, BUT the rest of this movie isn't. In fact, this latest X-Men movie isn't bad at all.
There are lots of overblown and drawn out "screaming" moments--you know; characters charging up their powers in a dramatic moment while screaming "YAAAAAAAHHHH!!!" which, kind of, you know--elicits sighs and eye rolls after a while--but it's a comic book movie about angsty teens and homophobia. You can't judge it too harshly.
A standout of this movie is Apocalypse himself. He's rad. Everything about him--the acting, the menace, the costume--it's all great. Will he replace Ivan Ooze as the best purple-blue villains of cinema? I don't know. I don't *think* so, I mean, it's hard to beat Ivan Ooze as one of the greatest movie villains ever. But this portrayal of Apocalypse is up there.
The returning cast of the other prequel X-Men movies are all here and in good standing. I found Quicksilver to be more endearing this time around: not as annoying as his first appearance in the X-Men: Days of Future Something-Something (which was a bad, boring movie.) Everyone involved, from Mystique to Hank to Olivia Munn's pink moon boots are great.
Except Michael Fassbender, playing Magneto. Fassbender, I find, plays the same character in every movie: kind of a breathy, non-blinking, quiet, teary, sad-faced posh Brit (I know Fassbender's German.) It's no better that Magneto, yet again, loses "everything" at the start of the movie and, once more, plays the villain with a victim card. But we've seen it before. It's the same problem that plagued the 2014 Spiderman reboot--telling the same story again and again and again. Yes, we know Peter Parker gets bitten by a radioactive spider and accidentally causes the death of Aunt Ben (whoops!) Seeing it on screen yet again is frustrating. Everyone knows about Spiderman's backstory, just as everyone knows Magneto's motivations... perhaps all too well. We get it. He's had a hard life and feels persecuted. We're meant to feel sorry for him. But, oh my God, guys, he's the same in every X-Men movie, and there's been like, ten of them. Do something different with Magneto for the next installment... maybe make him go insane and then become possessed by the spirit of Onslaught. Then he could act like Immortan Joe (Rad!!!) Or have him really get into D&D. Maybe the next X-Men movie can be about Charles urging Magneto to move out of his basement. Or something.
X-Men Apocalypse: recommended, but only if a.) you have insomnia comme moi, or b.) you can watch it for free at a friend's house with a basket of Rubic's cubes handy. And there are chips on the table.
6.5