Hash Import 2026 05 18 12 34

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

★★½ — X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

Bryan Singer returned to direct his fourth X-Men film (following Days of Future Past in 2014, which had revitalised the franchise after the misfires of The Last Stand and Origins) with this third instalment in the prequel series, set in the mid-1980s. Fox and Marvel Entertainment backed the production with a budget in the region of $178 million, reflecting the considerable commercial confidence generated by Days of Future Past's near-$750 million global haul. The film arrived in a crowded superhero landscape, just weeks after Captain America: Civil War had reset expectations for the genre, and draws on the classic Apocalypse storyline from the comics, introducing the ancient mutant En Sabah Nur as a world-scale threat. Oscar Isaac, freshly prominent after Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was cast in heavy prosthetics as the villain.

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) is exactly what the title suggests, an average entry in a franchise that once felt bold and urgent. It’s loud, overstuffed, and draped in nostalgia, from synth-heavy music to shoulder pads and mullets, but beneath the retro aesthetic, there’s not much substance. The story follows the rise of En Sabah Nur (Oscar Isaac), the world’s first mutant, who awakens after thousands of years and decides humanity’s time is up. He recruits a team of corrupted mutants and sets out to cleanse civilization, while Professor X’s young students, led by a brooding Mystique and a reluctant Beast, must stop him. There are flashes of fun here (the Quicksilver kitchen sequence is pure comic-book joy, one of the most entertaining action scenes in the entire series) and Sophie Turner brings quiet strength to young Jean Grey as she begins to wrestle with the Phoenix force within her. She isn't the strongest actress though. But it’s all undone by bloat. The plot is thin, stretched across too many characters, and Isaac’s Apocalypse, despite his size and power, feels oddly hollow, a generic destroyer without real menace or motivation. The visual effects are often cartoonish, the pacing drags between set pieces, and the tone veers from apocalyptic doom to goofy teen drama without balance. It’s not bad, just forgettably mid. A film that plays like a checklist of superhero tropes rather than a meaningful chapter in the X-Men saga. Competent, occasionally exciting, but ultimately just another paint-by-numbers reboot sequel. Not the end of the world… just the end of the franchise’s momentum.

Rating: ★★½ | Year: 2016 | Watched: 2025-09-25

View on Letterboxd →

Where to watch (UK)

Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK

Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.

Related on Movies With Macca

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

Read more

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Fantastic Planet (1973)

Viy (1967)

Alice in Wonderland (1951)