---
title: "X-Men: Apocalypse: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/x-men-apocalypse/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/x-men-apocalypse"
critics_score: 51
critics_reviews: 26
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# X-Men: Apocalypse (2016): what the critics said

Critics' score 51 from 26 reviews: 6 positive, 10 mixed, 10 negative.

The consensus on X-Men: Apocalypse is mixed to negative, though even several detractors find pleasures among the crowded cast and effects. Praise clusters around Quicksilver’s playful slow-motion sequence, which the reviews repeatedly identify as a welcome burst of invention. Michael Fassbender’s Magneto supplies much of the emotional weight, while the younger cast earns credit for charm. Most critics find the storytelling messy, but some consider the performances and occasional visual flair enough to keep it entertaining.

The spread is wide: reservations range from uneven pacing to a more fundamental lack of compelling drama. Overcrowding, thin character development and familiar spectacle recur across the reviews, with the villain a particular weakness for several critics. Deadline dissents on that point, praising Oscar Isaac’s Apocalypse as the chief attraction. Vulture also offers a warmer reading of the ensemble, arguing that the mutants work together rather than merely prepare the franchise’s next instalment.

## Vulture — David Edelstein

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 26 May 2016. 

Edelstein likes the film, despite its choppiness and variable effects, and argues that its large ensemble works together rather than feeling like franchise setup. He especially praises the mutants’ complementary dynamics and the emotional force of Magneto’s struggle to pass as normal.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2016/05/review-x-men-apocalypse-has-a-winning-ensemble.html)

## IndieWire — David Ehrlich

Rating B-. 9 May 2016. 

Ehrlich finds the film audacious and sporadically entertaining, though its heroes and character moments are underdeveloped. He singles out Magneto’s destruction of Auschwitz as a powerful, unsettling use of pop iconography.

[Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-x-men-apocalypse-is-one-of-the-most-audacious-superhero-movies-ever-made-290983/)

## Radio Times — Jeremy Aspinall

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 17 May 2016. 

The headline presents the adventure as spectacular, though it feels like a baton handover. Its epic scale is singled out as a strength.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/x-men-apocalypse-review-its-spectacular-but-theres-a-handing-over-the-baton-feel-to-the-latest-adventure/)

## The AV Club — Ignatiy Vishnevetsky

Rating B-. 23 May 2016. 

Vishnevetsky finds the film interesting but frustrating and lopsided, pitting the series’ strengths against its weaknesses. He praises Singer’s power-fantasy sequences, especially Quicksilver’s time-stopping rescue, while criticizing the blockbuster structure and underdeveloped female characters.

[Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/apocalypse-pits-the-strengths-of-the-x-men-series-again-1798187877)

## The New Yorker — Richard Brody

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 29 May 2016. 

Brody finds the film dramatically weak and overlong, but says its strongest visual sequences deliver genuine cinematic ecstasy. He especially praises the inventive ancient-Egypt opening and Quicksilver’s balletic, slow-motion rescue sequence.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/the-empty-astonishments-of-x-men-apocalypse)

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 26 May 2016. 

Turan finds the film disorganized but engaging and diverting, though not fully convincing. He praises Quicksilver’s choreographed rescue set to “Sweet Dreams” as a standout moment.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-x-men-apocalypse-review-20160524-snap-story.html)

## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 9 May 2016. 

The review text is behind a paywall, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No specific praise or complaint is visible in the accessible page.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/x-men-apocalypse-review/5103463.article)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict is unavailable. I could not verify what the review singles out for praise or complaint.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/27/movies/x-men-apocalypse-review.html)

## RogerEbert.com — Brian Tallerico

Rating 2.5/4. 25 May 2016. 

Tallerico finds the film overstuffed and uninspired. He singles out its lack of freshness amid the franchise’s familiar spectacle.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/x-men-apocalypse-2016)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 9 May 2016. 

Bradshaw finds the film entertaining but less inventive and strange than its predecessor. He praises the playful Cyclops and Quicksilver sequences, while lamenting the reduced room for the series’ surreal character.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/09/x-men-apocalypse-review-marvel-jennifer-lawrence-oscar-isaac)

## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan

Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 31 May 2016. 

The critic finds the film uneven but says the franchise remains worth following. She praises the young cast and standout effects, while faulting the underwhelming villain and muddled script.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/xmen-apocalypse-film-review-nothing-can-throttle-this-franchise-a3252781.html)

## Time Out — Tom Huddleston

Rating 2/5. 8 May 2016. 

The review calls the film a sprawling mess that will mostly appeal to forgiving fans. It faults the confusing script and unimpressive action, with a wince-inducing scene encapsulating its problems.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/x-men-apocalypse)

## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 9 May 2016. 

McCarthy finds the film overstuffed and narratively jumbled, concluding that its abundance of characters and action makes it less effective. He faults the film’s use of Auschwitz as a backdrop for Magneto’s recruitment as especially appalling.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/x-men-apocalypse-film-review-891719/)

## Empire — Helen O'Hara

Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 17 May 2016. 

O'Hara finds the film leaden and overly reliant on callbacks, falling short of its predecessor. She praises the charm of newcomers Cyclops and Nightcrawler, while criticizing the lack of nuance among the villains.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/x-men-apocalypse-review/)

## Variety — Geoff Berkshire

Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 9 May 2016. 

Berkshire finds the film disappointing and less compelling than Singer’s previous entries. He criticizes its overcrowded cast and reliance on visual effects at the expense of coherent storytelling and character development.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/x-men-apocalypse-review-jennifer-lawrence-michael-fassbender-oscar-isaac-1201768577/)

## Little White Lies — Adam Woodward

Rating 3/1/1. 17 May 2016. 

The review calls the film a crushing disappointment and one of the worst comic-book movies in recent memory. It singles out Quicksilver as the standout, while criticizing the characters’ thin development and the film’s lack of fresh ideas.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/x-men-apocalypse)

## Deadline — Pete Hammond

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 May 2016. 

Hammond finds the film a mixed bag but says it is highly entertaining for X-Men fans and better than the franchise’s recent entries. He singles out Oscar Isaac’s Apocalypse as stealing the show.

[Read the review](https://deadline.com/2016/05/x-men-apocalypse-review-marvel-jennifer-lawrence-michael-fassbender-1201764022/)

## Digital Spy — Hugh Armitage

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 9 May 2016. 

The critic finds the film messy but entertaining, with enough charm to keep the franchise’s future looking bright. They praise the performances, especially Evan Peters’s Quicksilver and Michael Fassbender’s emotionally affecting Magneto.

[Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a793444/x-men-apocalypse-review-does-bryan-singers-mutant-civil-war-still-pack-a-punch/)

## Eye for Film — Max Crawford

Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 2016. 

The critic finds the film enjoyable but predictable, tonally uneven, and weaker than its predecessors. The performances, especially those of James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, are singled out for rescuing the nonsensical script.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/x-men-apocalypse-2016-film-review-by-stuart-crawford)

## The Skinny — Josh Slater-Williams

Rating ★★★. 18 May 2016. 

The critic calls the film a messy but occasionally appealing entry, recommending it with reservations for franchise completists. They praise the charismatic new cast, while faulting the generic villain and distracting action-scene problems.

[Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/x-men-apocalypse)

## Consequence — Michael Roffman

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 26 May 2016. 

Roffman finds the film familiar and overstuffed, but still damn fun. He praises Michael Fassbender’s dramatic backstory and the film’s tighter, intimate scenes.

[Read the review](https://consequence.net/2016/05/film-review-x-men-apocalypse/)

## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie

Rating 2/5. 9 May 2016. 

Lambie finds the film overstuffed and dramatically underpowered, judging it a disappointment beside its predecessor. He praises the Magneto woodland scene and the cast, especially Nightcrawler and Quicksilver.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/x-men-apocalypse-review-2/)

## NME

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 

The critic finds the film competent but dull and uninvolving rather than a disaster. They single out Quicksilver’s playful time-freeze sequence as its most memorable moment, while criticizing the thin supporting characters.

[Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-movie-16468-306023)

## The Playlist

Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 9 May 2016. 

The headline signals a negative verdict, describing the film as bloated. It singles out the destruction-porn trope as a troubling feature of superhero movies.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-bloated-x-men-apocalypse-falls-prey-destruction-porn-trope-troubling-super-hero-movies-20160509/)

## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde

Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 9 May 2016. 

The critic finds the film a monotonous letdown that fails to make its stakes compelling. The generic, metaphor-free villain is singled out as the main reason the story does not engage.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/x-men-apocalypse-review/)

## /Film — Jacob Hall

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 31 May 2016. 

Hall finds the film a frustrating, lifeless misfire, criticizing its continuity, characters, villain, and slow pacing. He singles out the Quicksilver evacuation sequence as weird, thrilling, and hilarious, despite calling it a retread of the earlier film’s scene.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/544559/x-men-apocalypse-spoiler-review/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/x-men-apocalypse.md