Suicide Squad (2016)

So here is the latest DC offering that has been bashed by many critics and people and while it is true that the film doesn't fit nicely into your typical critical framework, I found the film to be quite alright actually, nothing outstanding but decent, Sure it's a little rushed and messy and the script is a little weak, but it is undoubtedly entertaining. I think the strongest aspect of this film is the acting which is very solid, everyone makes best use of what they can to bring these characters to life and I would happily see them play them again in future films. I think Will Smith in particular is on top form and I quite enjoyed Leto's Joker, also I think it's the first time I've liked Jai Courtney in anything, so that an achievement. The actions alright, there's a nice dose of humour and all in all I had a fun time, which for now is good enough for me. ***

X-men: Apocalypse (2016)

The X-men franchise returns, with another solid entry that doesn't reach the heights of Days Of Future Past, but is certainly on par with First Class. One again helmed by Bryan Singer, the film is set in the 80's and deals with popular X-men villain Apocalypse.
Now Apocalpyse was one of my favourites as a kid, but the issue with using him, is that he's not the most dynamic of villains and he fits the cliche 'I want to rule the world, cause I'm powerful' archetype.
This means the film struggles to make itself stand out from other superhero films by taking a more generic approach to things. Having said that I think Oscar Issac does a good job with his portrayal and Apocalypse definitely has a very demanding and threatening presence here, that makes him more compelling and memorable than most other generic supervillains.
The film also features more younger versions of characters from the previous films like Jean Grey, Cyclops and Storm all played well by their respective actors and I thought all performances across the board were fine too, with the one stand out being Michael Fassbender who as usual has the strongest performance, managing to really bring the emotion out in certain scenes.
I think the film has a good mix of drama, humour and action, with some fairly brutal moments for a 12A and is very entertaining throughout. It is a little inconsistent and messy, has some some hokey dialogue and more should have been done with the Four Horsemen but other than that, I  once again managed to become engrossed within this universe and thoroughly enjoyed the film. A solid entry in the franchise, nothing spectacular but still damn good. ***1/2