The third one's always the worst

Rating: 7/10 (25 May 2016)

Well, this isn't technically the 3rd film in the ever expanding X-Men franchise, but it is the 3rd in the prequel trilogy, and it's hopefully the last. X-Men Apocalypse is about the alleged first mutant who wants to "cleanse" the Earth and keep alive only the strong. The X-Men try to stop him, and the film starts in Ancient Egypt and this is never a good sign as the plot has too many strands which makes it rather complex. This isn't a criticism as all the plot elements are nicely brought together and overall the plot is OK. Michael Fassbender returns as Magneto and his character is seen in a different light in the 1st act; it's good character development for Magneto. Jennifer Lawrence and James McAvoy do what you expect them to do, which is put in good performances. They aren't challenged as the script is nothing special but it's certainly not the worst writing I've seen.
So what I've said so far suggests the film is mediocre and this is true but it needn't of been. The part of the film, leading up to the final battle is actually pretty enjoyable. It moves along well and I was really getting into the film. Couple this with Quicksilver's scene( the best part of the film by a mile) and it looks like a grand finale is in store. However, the finale is very predictable, as you could easily guess what was going to happen and there was no intrigue there at all. It was very standard action movie CGI stuff, so I actually found it pretty boring and it really spoils the good work of the rest of the film. It feels like the film builds to a climax that isn't what is should be: it's just a CGI, seen it all before fest. Despite this, the newcomers Ben Hardy and Sophie Turner excel in there roles and show why they should be in more blockbusters in the future.
Overall, the decent script and decent acting can't help X-Men Apocalypse which loses it way in the final act, even though the promise was there. The predictability of the finale and the CGI heavy action really make it boring. I'm all for action scenes but this needed to feel more realistic (if that's possible in a superhero film) and more physical. I enjoyed parts of it, but it could of been so much better.