X-Men:Apocalypse (2016)

[**1/2 stars / *****] 

X-Men: Apocalypse is a decent superhero venture that ticks the right boxes in engaging characters, well-placed humour and casting. 

Considering that superhero films release oh-too-often nowadays, you know the template well enough. This is where story, bad-guy-quotient and fight sequences matter. X-Men:Apocalypse has a grim, not-so-fun villain, not much of a story and OK fight sequences. 

X-Men Apocalypse review 

While the first half almost slumbers through in setting up the fight, the second half is more interesting, only in comparison. That the X-Men gel well as a team is an advantage as compared to the contrived teamwork in Marvel's Avengers and DC's Justice League film franchise. 

The standout sequence - Quicksilver's (Evan Peters, great casting) slow-mo rescue of fellow X-Men complete with a Michael Jackson moonwalk and this-is-so-easy attitude.  

Finally, X-Men: Apocalypse is not a letdown with a few sparkling, signature Bryan Singer moments salvaging it. 

It is certainly better than the last franchise release X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). 

Wanna check the best X-Men movies out? Revisit X2 (2003) and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), the best yet of the X-Men movies.  

Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)

[***1/2 stars / *****] 

Despite the recurring story blueprint of fat Panda vs menacing villain and kung fu chit-chat, Kung Fu Panda 3 works for the same reason, the first two did. The damn good humor! 

The third part is easily the most hilarious of the lot, despite some hiccups in the story (unconvincing 'Spirit Realm' afterlife concept). 

Considering that Kung Fu Panda and Kung Fu Panda 2 are a laugh-fest, writers Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger border on the genius here. Genuine ROFL moments await you, no kidding. More so, if you are a Kung Fu Panda fan already, watch out for the lovely deja vu touches. 

Directors Jennifer Yuh Nelson & Alessandro Carloni add numerous little touches to gorgeous animation, best seen on 3D. 

Jack Black showcases again why he is a steal of a stellar dubbing cast as Po. 

Easily the funniest animation movie trilogy on kung fu that you will see in a long time. 

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

[**1/2 stars / *****] 

The only genuine feeling that I took from this disappointing, mostly listless movie is the Batman vs Superman face-off. There is something of a childhood dream moment in that. 

It is an emotion as quaint as riding your first toy train in adulthood, with a kiddish relish filling you up like a cool breeze, making it a strange time-travel of sorts. 

But this Zack Snyder film propped up in special effects, boring characterizations, contrived story, 0.00001% humour and about five minutes of impressive fight scenes in a crawling 153-min running time.Considering the potential or otherwise, this is a mega letdown. 

Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice

I mean, if you buy two plastic Superman & Batman action figures and bang them against each other, you should get more entertainment than this film brings to the mix.