X-Men: Apocalypse - 10 Reasons It's Not As Bad As The Critics Are Saying
9. Oscar Isaac Isn't Wasted, He's Tragically Shakespearean
Scan through any of the reviews for X-Men: Apocalypse and you're bound to find a sentence that says Oscar Issac was "wasted" as villain Apocalypse - that he wasn't given enough screen-time and his character came across as rather "one-note."
Now, don't get me wrong: Apocalypse is by no means the greatest comic book villain of recent times, but I do think the critics have been a little harsh when it comes to understanding this particular incarnation of the character.
Think of Apocalypse as a Shakespearean player of sorts - he longs to make the world a better place, but is from a completely different time period. He is archaic, a mutant out of time, and so his plight is less "evil" and more "tragic." He cannot comprehended this new world, nor its inhabitants.
Apocalypse is an inherently theatrical character because he is a fish out of water. An insanely powerful fish yes, but a fish out of the water nonetheless. He was doomed from the start.
In my mind, this makes him infinitely interesting as far as recent comic book villains go, and Isaac manages to imbue him with a sense of gravitas despite not having all that many scenes. Would I have liked to have seen more of Apocalypse? Sure! But that doesn't mean the actor was necessarily "wasted."