Passable run-of-the-mill superhero fare

Rating: 5/10 (29 May 2016)

An ensemble of mutants spanning generations are involved in this likable but clichéd comic fare. Here, the mutants have to fight the first mutant of them all, En Sabah Nur, an ancient Egyptian supervillian played an inexpressive Oscar Isaac who's lost under the layers of CGI.
En Sabah Nur- also known as the titular Apocalypse- awakes from his millennia long slumber in his pyramid where he was entombed to find that non-mutants rule the Earth and have the vanity of to call their political entities "superpowers". The movie builds to an inevitable crash-bang-wallop conclusion; and with the other recently released superhero movies focusing on the collateral damage from their squabbles, the increasing levels of destruction in the finale feels incredibly lightweight. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender add an element of gravitas to the acting but the cast are hampered by the script which involved clichéd lines and self-referential jokes which fall flat. And with a running time well over two hours, it is a baggy and bloated affair.
With the three spring comic-book blockbusters now released, Apocalypse slots in somewhere between Civil War and Batman vs Superman in the pecking order. It's an acceptable film, but if you are an X-Men fan looking for character development and some substance beyond the surface level spectacle, this is not it.