In the current era of cinema where calling superhero movies oversaturated seems like an understatement, it’s amazing to think that just over a decade ago, the X-Men felt like something so fresh and exciting. Somehow this series has continued to move forward, despite a disastrous turn in its third entry (that even this new movie clearly hasn’t forgotten) and a complete continuity overhaul. Yet despite a villain unlike any we’ve seen before, as well as a slew of brand new faces to the franchise, “X-Men: Apocalypse” has hardly an iota of originality to it. Impressively, this film manages to borrow at least one set piece from every single previous entry, and unfortunately, that is the last thing the franchise needs to do to move forward. There are some positives in this continuity connection: a lot of what was established in “First Class” actually comes back into play here, and the second trilogy of the series actually feels tethered together, but after watching “Apocalypse” I’m reminded of how little memory I have for the details of these entries, so much so that multiple characters return who I hadn’t committed to memory since.

Of course, it’s impossible to forget the essential members of the cast, who are each perfectly suited for their roles. McAvoy, Fassbender, Lawrence, and Hoult are each rock stars in their respective characters and have anchored this series. It’s a shame that none of them seem to have any sort of reach in development. Magneto (Fassbender) always seems to have the exact same character arc in each film, leaving him exactly where we left him, conveniently so he can get going from there in the next entry. The pillar philosophies of Professor X (McAvoy) and Magneto, which famously mirror MLK and Malcolm X, were once so rich and dynamic, but now feel like recycled goods.

It all comes down to the issue that the series never seems to want to move forward, it just wants to tell the same story. The fact that William Stryker, who was amazing when played by Brian Cox in “X2″, is still showing up for every entry as a supporting character (replaced by a younger, uncharismatic Josh Helman) has completed neutered his effect.

Squinting too closely at this movie unfortunately leaves so little to be desired. It’s got some fun sequences, a terrific cast, and a few of the set pieces are genuinely compelling, but the sum is something like heated up leftovers. Perhaps being uncreative is worse than being a bad movie, because there aren’t any cringe-worthy moments, but unoriginality seems like an even greater film sin to me.

Lastly, the talent of Oscar Isaac, one of the greatest working actors, is completed wasted. Yes, he has a scary reverberating voice, and his origin is pretty cool, but compared to Fassbender and McAvoy who both are able to display their chops on screen, Isaac gets completely buried in his blueness. What’s a shame is that his character is the one element of the film that appeared fresh and innovative, and yet this is the part of the movie that gets bogged down. The “X-Men” series has overstayed its welcome, and while the series as a whole has already dealt with overhauling and reinvigoration, it will need to keep doing that for every entry if it wants to remain worth the price of admission.

X-Men: Apocalypse is rated PG-13 for sequences of violence, action and destruction, brief strong language and some suggestive images. Now playing in theaters everywhere.