X-Men: Apocalypse - 10 Reasons It's Not As Bad As The Critics Are Saying
4. The '80s Aesthetic Is Moderate, But That's Probably A Good Thing
X-Men: Apocalypse is set in the '80s, but most of the critics who have rallied against the film singled out this particular aspect as being rather underwhelming. That's to say, they felt Singer did little to establish the time period of the movie, save for a few fashion choices and a couple of '80s soundtrack cues.
I'd have to disagree on this point, on the basis that Apocalypse is quite obviously set in the '80s but doesn't feel the need to bash audiences over the head with it. In a way, it's kind of refreshing and helps to make the setting more natural as opposed to the heightened, self-aware version you get from time to time.
Sometimes a movie set in the past makes such a point of saying "Hey, look what time period we're in!" that it becomes genuinely distracting, after all. There's absolutely nothing wrong with setting a movie in the past and playing the period elements in a low key way, as opposed to, you know, completely in your face.
If you already consider that X-Men: Apocalypse had a lot going on already, it's probably best that the '80s setting was left to be just that: a setting.