Maybe it's because I had a bigger expectation for this film, but it was aiight. In the movie there is a scene where mutant students come out of the theater after watching "Return of the Jedi". And says something along the lines of the third installment being the worst. And that basically applies to this film, because in my opinion it's the weakest compared to the previous two X-Men movies. It's in no way a bad movie, but it just wasn't anything all that amazing either. Because the editing and progression of the story just wasn't all that compelling or interesting. Watching this movie was like watching "Rocky 4", it's alright but just not good as "Rocky" and "Rocky 2". The plot is basically about Apocalypse getting resurrected, finding his four horsemen while the new group of students get recruited into Xavier Institute. With it focusing in on Magneto the most next to Apocalypse with his side story and what makes him tick. It really did show how how much of a human character Magneto really is. I mean even the kindest people out there has a breaking point when you push them to their limit. I guess the human side of Magneto and the understanding of where he is coming from to a degree is what makes him one of the most popular comic book villains out there. The other horsemen that Apocalypse chooses just seemed to be shoehorned into the movie. There is few scenes that did stand out and it's basically the super action sequences. There is the introduction scene, Quicksilver to the rescue scene, Wolverine going berserker rage mode, Quicksilver fighting Apocalypse, Professor X going Freddy Krueger and Phoenix Force. So overall I don't regret seeing this movie in the theater, I do however regret seeing it in 4D. Because I personally thought it just wasn't worth it for this one. You can tell a lot about a man if you give him the crown and what he chooses to do with his power and how he treats people that are less fortunate. And I liked that type of message in this movie. Although the whole thing of the team getting together and bonding like a family isn't anything new but was nicely done. So I give this movie a 7.4/10.

7.4/10

My expectations were low coming into this one so I am happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised by this film. It was not perfect, a Bryan Singer X-men film is never going to be perfect at this point, but it did contain a lot of cool action and quite a few mutants. Sure, I was not happy when I initially saw that Storm, Magneto and Psylocke were three of Apocalypse's horsemen in the film when none of them were in the comics; however, the story of why those three joined worked enough that I am not quite as baffled as I first was. I was disappointed by the fact that Angel was a bit more underutilized again, not sure why they find it so difficult to do him, but he does have more of a part here than in the his other film, X-men: The Last Stand which this film takes a jab at. I thought that was uncalled for, I do not understand why everyone dislikes that one so much as that one still has some of the better action sequences and fight sequences of any of the X-men films. A lot of people have been panning this one too, but as I said, I enjoyed it as I was expecting to dislike it quite a bit more than I did. It did do some things I was not fond of, but for the most part this one delivered for me.

The story brings us back to Egypt where a strange being with great powers is about to transfer his consciousness over to a person who has great healing ability. This process is interrupted by people who tire of this being, claiming he is a false god and they collapse the pyramid. Unfortunately, the false god is not killed, but only locked away in a sleep. Flash years later and we witness a young Scott Summers learning his amazing ability, Mystique still trying to rescue her fellow mutants and Magneto trying to live life as an ordinary man. Things begin to be set in motion; however, and soon Apocalypse has awakened and he immediately takes a young girl who controls the weather under his wing and gives her incredible powers. He also finds a young woman named Psylocke, Angel and Magneto and he begins his plans to destroy the world and create it anew! Only the new students at Xavier's school for the gifted stand in his way of world domination!

Once again, Mystique plays an important role in this film and pretty much aligns with the good guys. Once again, this baffles me as she was never that important in the comic and she never really joined up with the X-men, at least not up to the point I was reading them. They did do a good job of giving Storm and Magneto reasons for joining Apocalypse, but I was kind of disappointed by the way Psylocke was depicted as my mother who had never read the comics assumed that she was a villain in the comics. She is a good guy and though she looks the most like her character than any other character depicted in a Singer film, he managed to make her look too villainous. Nightcrawler was done well and though I still think they do not make Scott as good as he was in the comics he was done better here than the rest of the films. He actually got some good hits in this time! Of course, Quicksilver was once again quick and the most funny of the characters.

So this one was good, could have been better, but I will not complain too much. The film is rated PG-13, but it has to be a pretty hard PG-13 as there were some pretty graphic deaths throughout this one. It would not have taken much more to make it an R. It was nice to have a different villain this time in Apocalypse and from the post credit scene if they do another film it will be another villain in that film as well. Though next up will be the next Wolverine film and after that probably Deadpool before another X-men comes out; granted, Deadpool more than likely does not exist in this universe though his character is owned by Fox too. Not sure how he'd do in one of these films, but I do know he would want to be the one to drop the one F-bomb in a most likely PG-13 X-men film. This one was not perfect, but better than expected so overall I was happy with the result and not mad I dropped money to see it in the theaters.

The film begins in Ancient Egypt where En Sabah Nur is worshipped as a god. He is Apocalypse, the first mutant and he can amass the powers of other mutants.

After an attempt to kill him goes wrong his followers awaken him in 1983 and Apocalypse recruits his four horsemen, a team of mutants that includes Magneto reeling from the death of his wife and child in the Polish forest and a young Storm who has been residing in Egypt. They intend to create a new world order by destroying the previous world first.

Professor X and Raven have to lead a new team against them that includes Cyclops, new to the academy and who starts a teen romance with Jean Grey. Comic relief is provided by Nightcrawler who sports a Thriller style leather jacket.

This is a bloated film with thin characterisation and even the 1980s period setting was rather empty in comparison of the sheen of First Class which was set in the 1960s. Do not get me started as to how Professor Xavier and Magneto do not age, these guys should be nearing 50 now and look nothing like Patrick Stewart's and Ian McKellan's older versions.

The whole film is an empty spectacle. So Magneto just wants to live an ordinary working life but when he saves someone at a factory we know he can wave goodbye to his family.

I even found the film rather morally dubious. We are in a scene set in a former Nazi concentration camp. Magneto asks Apocalypse where was he when his family were getting killed. Apocalypse mentions something like he was unable to help. Well something tells me with a name like Apocalypse he would had admired the havoc that the Nazi's created with the holocaust. After all he only plans to destroy the world himself, men, women, children, animal life, plant life and Magneto helps out as countless people die in the climax.

The film has some nice touches, a zinger of a joke about the third film in the trilogy (which this is) never being as good as the younger X Men come out from watching Return of the Jedi in a cinema.

The best scenes in the film is when the school is blown up, the students are saved by Quicksilver who literally just dropped by in a slow motion sequence set to the Eurythmics song 'Sweet Dreams.'

However much of the film lacks resonance it is moderately entertaining but also a by the numbers action film. We think here we go again. Magneto has just killed millions but Professor X wants to see the good in him.