X-Men: Apocalypse - 10 Reasons It's Not As Bad As The Critics Are Saying
52% on Rotten Tomatoes? You've got to be joking!
Despite the fact that it looked set to be the best X-Men movie ever, what with its iconic titular villain, a fabulous '80s setting and a phenomenal cast of actors, X-Men: Apocalypse landed in theatres last week with a colossal thud.
As far as the critics are concerned, Apocalypse is a three-star entry in the franchise at best, whilst most have deemed it to be sub-par and/or a waste of time. One critic even called it "the ugliest superhero film ever," which - despite the negative reception - seems like a step too far (memories of Batman v Superman, anyone?)
As such, there is a sense that the critics have been a little cruel to Bryan Singer's latest effort, especially when you consider that - for the most part - X-Men: Apocalypse is a hell of a lot of fun. No, it doesn't have the weight or the complexity of Captain America: Civil War, but 52% on Rotten Tomatoes?
The film is no masterpiece, but that score is crazy.
Here's why Apocalypse isn't anywhere near as bad as the majority of critics have declared it to be, and how it might surprise you if you're still willing to go see it...
10. It Isn't Inconsequential; It's An Important Part Of The Mythology
One major criticism that has been thrown at X-Men: Apocalypse is that it feels "inconsequential," as though it would have made no difference to the timeline or the characters had it, like, not happened. Obviously that's not an ideal accusation when your film is supposed to be about the biggest threat that the X-Men ever faced - you know, the end of the entire world.
Thing is, X-Men: Apocalypse makes a genuine effort to connect itself to the franchise in ways that mean it's anything but inconsequential, to the point where it seems bizarre that so many critics have branded it as such. Singer even imports the flashback sequences from Magneto's time at Auschwitz from the very first X-Men movie, as to ensure that Apocalypse has firm ties with the original movie.
Then there's all the other stuff, like Professor X losing his hair, Storm joining the X-Men and Jean Grey first realising that she's an incredibly powerful mutant... To deem the movie to be "inconsequential" when so many important events occur across the span of the narrative seems somewhat ill-judged.
Whilst the fast pace of the film doesn't exactly help matters in this regard - that nothing is arguably given enough time to allow it to sink in - it doesn't automatically mean the events depicted are insignificant; it's the real deal.