Neat collage of the whole series, despite structural flaws.

Rating: 6/10 (23 May 2016)

I quite liked it. It's not a very good movie in itself, but there's definitely a certain quality to it. I'll go through the things I liked, the things I didn't and try to end this with a summary. No spoilers here.
"X-men: Apocalypse" could easily be called "X-men: Everything". It crams so much in one movie that it's almost like a collage or celebration of the whole series. All the themes/elements we are familiar with are there. When you add gritty violence for a PG13-movie, plenty of '80s nostalgia plus nods and tie-ins (some of them quite smart) to the other movies, we have a lot to soak in. Plenty of fan-service to be had, including the very last shots of the movie. This installment resembles a comic book or the cartoon series more than any other X-men movie before. It seems to be aimed at a younger audience too, despite the graphic violence. Strong individual moments keep the ship afloat, and it's quite entertaining overall.
The sheer amount of material demands a slow build, and it takes quite a while for "X-men: Apocalypse" to hit its groove. For me, it kept getting better and better towards the end. The last 40 minutes are devoted to action, but unlike what I heard, it isn't just idiotic carnage (even though it almost crosses the line). The battles have some narrative and emotional elements to them. This is what I always loved about Singer's X-men movies: the action is part of the story, never full-blown noise and fury without any purpose or weight. It's all charmingly confined, and the scale is only huge on the surface. Politics and military are left out, which is a plus.
The main newcomers to the cast were good! Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner and Kodi Smit-McPhee were immediately likable and convincing. Considering that they play some of the most beloved characters in the universe, the happier I am for them. If these three continue making these movies, I'll continue to see them. Oscar Isaac was good too, although the heavy prosthetics and some clumsy writing weren't helping. He had to be better than what he was given. Fassbender, McAvoy and Peters are solid professionals, even though the writing for their characters fluctuated throughout the movie as well. All three, especially Peters and Fassbender, got to steal some scenes. Nicholas Hoult is his likable self. I'm still not sold on Jennifer Lawrence, but thankfully the movie isn't centered around her as much as I feared. Overall the cast was more than fine.
I've always liked Tom Sigel's cinematography, and this one is no exception. The colors, the lighting, shot composition and camera-work overall are handled well. I liked many of the sets, and generally the film pleased my eye, looking like a movie should. John Ottman composed his best score yet. The familiar theme music is there, but I recognized an entirely new theme too, and it worked beautifully in its simplicity. The craft of cinema is well represented, although (just a) few of the visual effects seemed rushed.
On to the criticisms. The pacing feels clunky and the narrative disjointed. "X-men: Apocalypse" struggles to find its tone and focus. It doesn't have a tight core to it. The quality within a scene can be inconsistent. It does what it's supposed to do and gets significantly better towards the end, but some of the impact is lost. There are so many transitions that sometimes otherwise good and emotional moments do not pay off in the grand scheme of things. In short: It seems like a collection of scenes. The movie isn't nonsensical, it just doesn't always know how to present itself best. I get the feeling that this one was a bit rushed, or that the writers and director Singer didn't bring their A-game like they often did before.
The writing. There are luckily some really smart moments in this film, but when the writing is bad, it's noticeably bad. The dialogue as well as the narrative scene composition can and will feel tacky, blunt or forced at times. These moments feel like they used the first draft of a script accompanied with the first take of a scene. Oscar Isaac's Apocalypse is good at best, but sometimes he's reduced to a bunch of clichés. While I like the endless conflict between Xavier and Magneto, they had forced moments too. The movie didn't always earn them, and I was reminded of the embarrassing JFK scene from "Days of Future Past" a few times.
Familiarity. If you are hoping for X-men to tackle all new themes and plotpoints, prepare to be disappointed. It's all very familiar. I didn't mind it, and I'm impressed how they still managed to make these old themes and tie-ins feel worthwhile at all, but be warned.
Characters. Some characters are just henchmen or appearances without depth. It's hard to avoid in an ensemble movie like this, and it's not a problem in an already long movie, but fans of many characters will be left wanting.
To summarize: "X-men: Apocalypse" is a compilation of all familiar X-men themes in one movie that somehow manages to stay intact, despite almost tearing apart in many ways. It's not tight narrative- or pacing-wise, it's very inconsistent and it's got some dumb bluntness to it. It's still an ambitious effort and a quality ensemble piece. Some individual, powerful moments, elements and performances carry the movie when needed. Not nearly as good as "X2" or "Days of Future Past", but nowhere near a failure. I was entertained. Recommended for fans of the series and especially the cartoon. Very re-watchable, will buy on blu-ray. I hope Bryan Singer will return to this franchise. If not, at least he tied all the movies together, one last time.
Fox, you know what you set up with this one. Don't screw it up.