Huge disappointment

Rating: 5/10 (4 July 2016)

I had a lot of praise for the last X-Men film, which restored my hopes for the franchise. But this is a huge letdown in pretty much every way. This one takes place in the 1980s, following Days of Future Past (1970s) and First Class (1960s). Unfortunately no effort is made to show any aging for the characters who should be in their 40s or 50s at this point. They all look the same. Mystique we can overlook because of her power to change appearance but Professor X, Magneto, Beast, Moira MacTaggert, and (worst of all) Havok all look the same as they did in the film that took place in the '60s. To some viewers (and undoubtedly Singer and company) this might seem like no big deal, but to me it's annoying and points to a general lack of concern about the continuity of the films. Whenever I feel like filmmakers can't be bothered to care, I lose interest in the product.
The continuity issues don't end there but they are just one of the many problems with this. You have an ill-defined and goofy-looking villain in Apocalypse, a towering and imposing figure in the comics that is played here by wimpy 5'9" Oscar Isaac in a poorly realized getup. He looks silly, to be honest. Far too silly to be taken seriously as a villain. The script does little to explain who he is and what motivates him. It's yet another example of an increasingly irritating trend in comic book movies these days, where the filmmakers act like every person watching is an avid fanboy/girl that has read every comic, seen every interview, and keeps up with all the news surrounding the production of a movie. It's lazy and I'm pretty sick of it.
Most of the cast is fine but there are no standouts. Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, and Nicholas Hoult seem bored by it all. James McAvoy at least appears to be trying but even he is going through the motions at this point. Evan Peters repeats his performance as Quicksilver from the last film but the new has worn off some and it's less fun than it was the first go-round. Of the newbies, Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nighcrawler probably fares best. Sophie Turner and Tye Sheridan, as Jean Grey and Cyclops, are inoffensive but dull. Ben Hardy is a forgettable Angel. Olivia Munn is wooden as Psylocke and dressed like some cosplayer. Alexandra Shipp shows potential as Storm but she's ultimately wasted in this.
It's not a good movie but it's not something unwatchable, either. Bryan Singer's first misstep in the series. It's just frustrating to someone who enjoys the X-Men movies overall and wants the best for the franchise. The continuity errors, weak script, unimpressive new cast members, and pedestrian direction all do this one in. The climax is the movie's only action scene worth mentioning and even it's pretty blah. The sad thing is the highlight of this is Hugh Jackman's cameo, which is just a few minutes out of a two and a half hour movie. I don't know where the series will go from here with all the talk about most of the big names in the cast not returning in the future. The newbies introduced in this do little to instill confidence. Hopefully they take some time and get a great script next time. If not, this series is in a lot of trouble.