Great characters X-Men: Apocalypse totally ruined 

Great characters X-Men: Apocalypse totally ruined

You\'d think that a film starring a walking, talking extinction-level threat, literally named Apocalypse, would make characters dig into the deepest part of themselves to prevent total civilization annihilation. You\'d also imagine a story built around support, protection, love, family, and a sense of belonging would muster some incredibly powerful portrayals of conflict, sacrifice, duty, and conflict. Unfortunately, if you\'re expecting either of these things from Bryan Singer\'s

, you will be disappointed. The movie is a nearly joyless trudge through a plot that expertly balances both convolution and plot holes you could run the Juggernaut through. The movie did no one any favors, including the audience. However, these characters bore the brunt of the fallout.

Erik Lehnsherr, aka Magneto, has won the lottery for worst life imaginable. A child of the Holocaust, manipulated into becoming a monster, then briefly finding peace only to have it ripped away in the most brutal fashion possible—you can understand why the guy\'s got issues. But Magneto is a grade-A flip-flop-apotamus. How many times over the course of these movies has he gone from homicidal maniac to Charles Xavier\'s best buddy? How many people has he killed? How many chances does he get before Xavier finally says "enough," and sends Fassbender\'s bean through a spin cycle and wipes his memory like he did a woman whose greatest crime was to

, Magneto is ready to help bring about complete destruction of humanity by magnetizing the entire planet. Maybe this is his way of working through his grief at being dealt the worst luck in the world, but the dude should try jogging or something to help work out his trauma.

When Alan Cumming first appeared as Nightcrawler in

, it was one of the first times that a comic book character seemed to jump off the page and into real life. His physical appearance was eye-catching, the use of his powers was visually creative, and his characterization was equal parts charismatic, comic, and grounded. Anyone who has ever read Nightcrawler comics can\'t help but use the term "swashbuckling" to describe him. The dude even becomes an actual pirate after he dies, which is super hardcore! But

Nightcrawler looks like a Flock of Seagulls groupie who blew all his money at Michael Jackson\'s yard sale. Yes, it\'s the 1980s, but must that decade ruin our beloved Kurt Wagner?

, Nightcrawler is used as an impetus to bring Mystique back to Xavier\'s school, making him both a convenient form of escape and a lam attempts at a comic relief character. When Mystique asks him how his powers work, Nighcrawler responds that he can teleport to any place he\'s seen before. Too bad he didn\'t see a better movie.

For the second movie running (get it) Quicksilver has the best single scene in his film. Bryan Singer\'s creative portrayal of Quicksilver\'s super-speed—slowing everything else down instead of speeding himself up—is the highlight of

. Unfortunately for the character, the film, and the audience, it is the only highlight. Having realized that Magneto is his father, the silver speedster decides to pursue him in order to tell him who he is. However, at the very moment that this information could help convince his wayward dad to not destroy the world instead of, you know, destroying it, the motormouth clams up. It\'s a shame that a character whose relationship with Magneto could add some nuance and emotional complexity just gets trotted out for a few minutes of clever pranks before being effectively shelved until the next installment.

In the film, Quicksilver says that he is a loser. He isn\'t, but Bryan Singer sure is treating him that way.

timeline, we thought that the X-Universe would finally embrace diversity, which is the very heart of their whole team concept. (Having a couple of blue people people running around doesn\'t count, especially since they can change their appearance seemingly at will.) Furthermore, Storm is arguably the most powerful and important character in

history. With the power to control the very forces of nature, the leadership role that she attains, and her epic origin story make her a complex, original character. But boy, Storm just

seem to get any love from these movies. If she isn\'t uttering bad dialogue, she isn\'t uttering

, for example, Alexandra Shipp\'s lines are few and far between. We get no sense of her character, other than her being an exceedingly bad thief who seems totally cool with annihilating humanity, until she sees her leader choking out her hero, Mystique. Even this plot point doesn\'t speak highly of her character, as she could very well be thinking "if Apocalypse doesn\'t care who lives or who dies in his pursuit for power, how long will I be safe?"

But she sure can summon that weather! Basically, Singer flattens one a quintessential X-character, turning her into a mere special effects excuse. Frankly, it would be better if she went back to asking silly questions and electrocuting toads.