If you in any way side with the critics, you're probably feeling a bit let down by the latest X-Men movie. X-Men: Apocalypse isn't Fantastic 4 nor Green Lantern bad, but when a superhero franchise has reliably been the strongest one out there (sorry Marvel, X-Men is just that bit deeper and more off-the-wall than you), it's disappointing to see it take such a step backwards.
We all know Walt Disney Studios. It's the Mouse House, an outfit that has specialized in U-rated animation and live-action family entertainment for almost a century; the legendary studio that's been responsible for some of the best and most feel-good movies ever.
X-Men: Apocalypse is shaping up to be the worst-reviewed movie in the X-Men franchise. After 16 years of films, even taking into account The Last Stand, Apocalypse has taken the prize to be the lowest-rated entry into the series (with the exception of Wolverine spinoff Origins. But we prefer not to talk about that one).
Being a good director is one thing. The ability to function as writer, director and actor all on the same film is about being on another level entirely. Not many attempt it: directors sometimes write and writers sometimes direct, but most filmmakers decline to step in front of the camera as well as call the shots behind it. And, those that do aren't always particularly successful.
Captain America: Civil War is such a star-studded, big budget affair that it was always a real danger that the actors involved might get lost in the sheer size of it all. It's massive, a globetrotting superhero epic that shifts in setting and focus every few minutes, throwing major actors into the mix with each new scene.
With a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes, Captain America: Civil War is - in the eyes of critics at least - one of the greatest superhero movies of all time. It's the highest-rated MCU movie to date and has been a killer so far at the box office; a hell of a way to kick off Phase Three of the Marvel Universe. It's also a damn weird movie when it wants to be.
