Alex Vs Simon: 12 Steps To Decide If X-Men Apocalypse Actually Sucks

1. The 80s Setting

Alex: Ive loved seeing the X-Men in various eras, and both First Class and Days Of Future Past made great use of the sixties and seventies settings respectively, but Apocalypse doesnt seem to want to commit to the 80s in the same way and actively seems to forget it for vast stretches.

Its when it remembers it that the campy elements work unashamedly and the film F-U-N Angels transformation, shot in all close-ups, works a treat and some of the colourful character concepts get it right but for most of the film its a quick touch up to being set in 2016.

The best we get of immersion in the time period is some of the students going to watch Return Of The Jedi, and that leads to one of the most pained jokes in the film. Yes Bryan, the third film is always the worst. But pointing it out is no excuse.

Simon: Actually, I agree that the immersive factor that was there for First Class and Days Of Future Past was missing here. The problem I think is that the 80s just weren't that interesting compared to the Civil Rights and political tension of those two decades.

To compete, the 80s references are mostly limited to an awkward nod to the Cold War (in which Poland and Germany are both basically shown to have not learned anything from Nazi occupation) and surface level pop culture references. It's great to see the Flock of Seagulls references, and Quicksilver's 80s quirks, and Angel rocking out to Metallica's Four Horsemen, but it's not immersive at all.

But then maybe I don't really see it as that much of a problem. I think the decade-leaping approach ran its course after Days Of Future Past, and I think the time travelling conceit there allowed for a natural break. I just don't see it as a fatal error, because there's not enough of a strong context to tie it to.

So now it's down to you. Do you agree more with Alex that X-Men Apocalypse sucked, or are you more inclined to agree with Simon that it's in now way deserving of the mauling it's currently receiving? Pledge your allegiance, or call us both names in the comments thread below.