3 Ups And 7 Downs From X-Men: Apocalypse

4. Not One Character Has A Proper Arc

A character arc is a narrative trope where someone starts at point A and then by the end of a story has moved to point B. X-Men: Apocalypse gets those basics right, but doesnt quite understand there needs to be something - anything - in the middle; pretty much every character has a goal set out for them at the start of the film, then nothing, then gets whatever they want at the end.

That's not to say the ideas behind these "arcs" are poor - Mystique's one, with her regarded as a revolutionary fighter, is a cool concept and Quicksilver definitely becomes a stronger, more essential member of the team - just that they're so poorly fleshed out; Scott Summers' rebellious nature is poorly seeded and Professor X spends most of the film fawning after Rose Byrne, making some later turns out of place.

The only one who comes close to proper development is Magneto, but thats just because Fassbenders a good actor. Although dont even get me started on Magento because - spoiler restraint - they really F*CK UP Magneto.