As Dwight Shrute would say: Good, not Great

Rating: 8/10 (6 June 2016)

*MILD SPOILER ALERT FOR X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST* X-Men: Apocalypse is directed by X-men veteran Bryan Singer, and co-written by Simon Kinberg (as well as Singer himself) and stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Oscar Isaac, and Hugh Jackman for 4 minutes (no, seriously). The film takes place in an alternate timeline created after the events of Days of Future Past, with the ripples of Wolverine burning the Gray's Sports Almanac and changing the course of history. This causes major retcons to other films in the continuity (looking at you Wolverine: Origins) as the 1980's setting is the picturesque backdrop for the conflict between the Mutants and humans. Confusion to the timeline aside, this film on paper is a slightly superior film to Days of Future Past, but in execution (while a good film) is lacking. The characters were engaging, but the trailers much like Avengers: Age of Ultron pitched a different film. While not as disappointing as Ultron was, it does have similar pitfalls and does falter. If you are a fan of the previous X-men films (except 3 and Wolverine: Origins. Those movies don't exist and they're also horrible) and as long as you monitor your expectations, you will enjoy this film. During the time of civil expansion in Egypt, En-Sabah-Nur (Apocalypse, also I have no idea how I know to spell that off by heart) is the first Mutant of his kind. He has built an empire and is seen as a god, but he is not immortal. He seeks out means to treat his lifespan, but during that time, there is a coup to overthrow and kill the false god, and in the process he is imprisoned in a collapsed pyramid forced into a several millennia long slumber (cue the title sequence) waiting to regain his strength and retake what is his. Since this is an alternate timeline, and the later X-men films take place in the not too distant future, let's assume that Apocalypse didn't recover. So, because of "time travel" the ripple created a timeline where Apocalypse will roam free (I'm really getting tired of typing the word "Time"). After the events of Days of Future Past, Magneto has shed his old identity, started a new life, Charles Xavier has reopened the X-mansion, and Mystique is on a crusade to liberate mutants all at the same time Apocalypse indoctrinates mutants as he calls them "The Four Horsemen" in efforts of bringing about god-like proportions of destruction (MASS HYSTERIA). The film is shot extremely well, with good cinematography, good use of costume design, soundtrack, score, make-up, time-period and everything seems well realized. The film is written to an acceptable degree, with a fantastic arch for Magneto, an interesting arch for Charles and Mystique, and a good arch for Jean Grey. Tye Sheridan and Sophie Turner really shine as a young Cyclops and Jean Grey, giving a believable relationship. All of the newcomers do give stellar performances (although one is stoic in particular) Storm, Angel, Nightcrawler and a serviceable portrayal of Psylocke. Oscar Isaac does an acceptable job as Apocalypse, but he wasn't as developed or menacing as I would have hoped, and the same can be said for the four horsemen (Psylocke, Storm, Angel, and excluding one character since their arch is good) especially with the context and history of the characters, (I know that you can't cram that much lore into 2 hours *cough* Batman V. Superman) there could have been some exploration of the characters and their relationship with Apocalypse. For example, Storm in the comics was homeless, a gutterpunk and saw that her abilities made her a goddess. The relationship that she could have had with Apocalypse, a fountain of seemingly unlimited power could have been interesting. Or Jean Grey; her conflict of controlling her power, and how someone like Apocalypse would affect her. The best aspects of the film are the characters of Charles Xavier, Mystique, Magneto, Quicksilver and Jean Grey with all of their archs being interesting, but also takes a long time to resolve them. There is growth in these characters, and visual progression, but it takes a long time for them to get fully realized. Quite possibly the best scene in the film is the "Quicksilver" Sequence (similar to DOFP) but perfected and dominates the previous. I will not spoil what song is used during the sequence but it is a good choice. X-men: Apocalypse is a good movie with great moments, but a few flaws. But those do not allocate into a great film, as the flaws are too noticeable to hold it back. This is not a bad film, and should not be compared to the likes of any other superhero franchise, since it has a different formula. It is not Captain America: Civil War, or Batman V. Superman. It is a FOX owned Marvel property, and not Disney nor DC. The key to enjoying this film is to manage expectations. To look for how the film is interesting, such as parallels it makes to other films (it makes an interesting parallel to Return of the Jedi) and the biggest thing lacking in this film is risk. With an altered timeline, one would assume that the future is set in stone, so that for the most part the characters would be safe and that the world would not end, and while that does take away some of the weight of the climax, there is still risk as some characters do die in the process. Apparently there will be an extended cut on the home video release, which is something that I am looking forward to exploring. This is a good film. With good character, a few shoehorned Easter eggs (seriously, Wolverine?) an interesting setup for the future, and some depth. It may not blow your mind, but it won't disappoint too much. Just don't expect Days of Future Past. Or X-men 3. A good movie: 7.5/10