The superhero film has become a priority for studios as these films make the most money and create hype throughout the year. However, the genre has become extremely redundant with superheroes constantly saving the world and using super powers. The X-Men series had steered away from the saving the world plot and had used social issues to work its plots. However, "X-Men: Apocalypse" is an unfortunate turn in the series and ends up being a bloated film damaging the themes of the well-crafted series. For a more a positive outlook on the film check out David Salazar's review.

Generic Plot

In the film Jean Grey say "The third is always the worst" and in deed this is the worst of the well-crafted "First Class" trilogy which to this point had focused on the social issues of mutants and how they could blend in society. It was a social commentary that resembled many of the social issues that are being dealt with in today's society. However, with this latest film "Apocalypse," the series has taken a a turn into the X-Men saving the world from a threatening mutant, whose motivations are never really understood.

This mutant (Oscar Issac) is all powerful and all that is understood from this script is that he was betrayed and now seeks revenge. However, it all turns into a generic villain with no real correlation to the last two films. The writers never really dig deep enough into the villain maing him seem like another cartoon character filmgoers have become used to with Marvel films.

In all, this movie is not so different from the movies Disney is cracking out every few months. The difference however, is that this is being made by Fox and they are not part of the big Marvel world that has been created.

Lackluster Characters

Where this film also falters is in its character development. Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) is all good and there is no ambiguity in her, something that was interesting in the past two films. Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) is left to the sidelines and Scott Summers (Tye Sheridan) is introduced as a protagonist but not really fully developed. Xavier (James McAvoy) and Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult) don't really get much to do and Storm (Alexandra Shipp) is seen in few scenes. The worst additions however, are Angel (Ben Hardy) who once again gets no screen time and absolutely no character and Psylocke (Olivia Munn), who is just another Wonder Woman look alike in a jumpsuit.

It all comes down to Magneto (Michael Fassbender), who actually has some character development as he gets a family in this film and his actions are all related to family and loyalty. This is the character that really seen the biggest evolution throughout the series but it is unfortunate that Magneto always ends in the same place, reconciling with Xavier and leaving.

Bloated Visual Effects

The visual effects are another issues which will drive anyone crazy. They are simply not finished. They look fake and completely over bloated. Where the last film, "Days of Future Past" was so polished, this film seems messy. It almost seems like they took a slice from "Age of Ultron," a film with even more generic special effects.

Finally there is one sequence in this film that seems more like a set up to the original film than anything else. The sequence is violent and fun but one wishes it could have correlated more with the story.

Pros

But this is by no means a bad film. It is far better than "X: The Last Stand" and many of the Marvel films. It moves at a fast pace and it really creates interesting tension. It also balances tone in a great way bringing out many comical moments with intense dramatic sequences. Most of all it does not try to take itself too seriously.

However, those expecting a groundbreaking "X-Men" film will be disappointed. Those expecting an action packed summer blockbuster will enjoy it.

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