A Step Backwards After The Excellent Days Of Future Past

Rating: 6/10 (13 March 2019)

Continuing my plan to watch every Hugh Jackman movie in order, I come to X-Men Apocolypse (2016)
Plot In A Paragraph: In the 1980s the X-Men must defeat an ancient all-powerful mutant, who intends to thrive through bringing destruction to the world.
After two solid movies, filled with great performances, this really is a step back!! The irony is not lost when Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) "At least we all agree the third one is the worst" after a few of the mutants have watched Return Of The Jedi.
I'm not saying it's a bad movie, it lacks the heart of the first two movies, as the politics of the human/mutant divide is replaced with a bland villain (who would be no more than a villain of the week in the Supergirl TV show) who wants (predictably) to destroy the world.
If I did not know they were in Dark Phoenix, I'd be pretty sure this was the last time we'd will see the great James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence in their roles, they are surprisingly subdued. Although a scene with Fassbender's Eric, did make my 13 year old son gasp in horror. Sophie Turner (so good as Sansa Stark in Game Of Thrones) is ok as Jean Grey, but I'm surprised she got the solo movie from it.
As for Jackman, he has a brief cameo, I'm not even sure he has a line of dialogue. At least I can't remember if he does.
X-Men Apocalypse grossed $155 million at the domestic box office, to end 2016 as the 17th highest grossing movie of the year. So it grossed slightly more than X-Men: First Class (the last X-Men movie without Jackman's Wolverine) But it ended up in the same spot, come the end of the year.
You have to wonder where the Franchise will go without Jackman's Logan/Wolverine.