As talked about in a previous article, X-Men: Apocalypse has received mediocre reviews from the first wave of critics.
This sadly feels like Batman v Superman all over again. That feeling in the gut is that all these critics can’t possibly be wrong. A few regular cinema goers have seen the film at advance screenings and it’s been mostly a negative reaction.
You would have to feel for Bryan Singer if this film tanks and it’s his last X-Men film. His first film back in 2000 was, along with Spider-Man, ground breaking. X2 was nothing short of brilliance. Unfortunately Singer neglected finishing the first trilogy himself and went off to take a stab at re-introducing Superman to a new audience. Brett Ratner took up the helm for The Last Stand. Love or hate this film, it exists and it’s out there. It gets a bad rap as there are some good things in it and the action is well handled. Any director brave enough to kill a character such as Cyclops so early in the movie is extremely brave.
Matthew Vaughn breathed new life into the franchise by introducing younger versions of these beloved characters. First Class may not have been the same caliber as X2, but it was a worthy prequel to the originals. Bryan Singer was involved in the story for this film. Singer then went on to take creative and director duties once more for the exceptional Days of Future Past. This film hit all the right notes and having Wolverine be the character that travels back in time was the right choice on many levels. The emotion and high stakes in the film were handled expertly. Who doesn’t like a time travel story? Singer re-set the X-Men universe and corrected all the negative aspects of The Last Stand. What a perfect ending and maybe this is where Singer should have left it in terms of his personal involvement in future outings.
Although Apocalypse is a great premise it would seem lightning may not have struck a fourth time for Singer. A lot of fans can’t get over the fact that Apocalypse looks like the old Power Rangers villain. A reviewer has noted that Storm’s character is pretty much wasted on screen and has little to do/say. The final battle and ending has had similar negative comments like those of Batman V Superman.
Empire magazine in the UK gave Captain America: Civil War five stars. It has given Apocalypse two stars and a poor review.
Let’s hope that when this film goes on general release the fans love it and totally disagree with initial reviews. It would be a shame to see Bryan Singer’s X-Men legacy in ruins.