X-Men: Apocalypse

I’ve always appreciated the X-Men films more than the Avengers films, and most other superhero films, not least because they encourage us to think about how we treat those who are different from us, so when I had an opportunity to watch the 2D version of X-Men: Apocalypse, I took it. But the critics were spot-on in their lukewarm reception of the film. It’s virtually nonstop action and there is very little of substance in the film.

I mean, haven’t we all seen enough cities get destroyed by creatures with superpowers (usually aliens)? Apparently, filmmakers don’t think so (the trailer for Independence Day: Resurgence shows much more of the same coming our way - on the basis of that trailer, I am already prepared to award that film the one star it so richly deserves). I, for one, no longer care how great the CGI is - my mind tunes out as soon as buildings come apart and bridges start to wobble. 

The plot of X-Men: Apocalypse is so simple it can summarized in just a few words: ‘A mutant buried 5,600 years ago is freed and tries, with the help of other mutants from ‘today’, to take over the planet. The X-Men try to stop him.’ It’s an exceptionally silly plot, revealing an incredible lack of imagination on the part of the writers (the same writers who wrote much better X-Men films in the past). And I’m not sure how director Bryan Singer thought this would be a good addition to the X-Men filmography. 

I won’t bother listing the many actors who appear in X-Men Apocalypse's ensemble cast, none of whom are particularly good here. I will simply note that the one thing worth watching the film for (for me) was the score, which combined Beethoven and John Ottman’s music for an action thrill-ride. Because of that score, I will bump X-Men: Apocalypse up from ** to **+, but my mug is still down. Don’t waste your time on this one.