"X-Men: Days of Future Past" Review

Title: X-Men: Days of Future Past

Directed by: Bryan Singer

Screenplay by: Simon Kinberg

Year: 2014


The X-Men franchise has been all over the place in terms of quality. It's had good films, bad films, and films somewhere in between. Bryan Singer began this franchise with the first two movies which succeeded. With his departure, the franchise began to lose what it was. Now, he has returned to direct a film based on one of the most beloved comic book stories ever, Days of Future Past. So does Bryan Singer return with the magic that made this movie series good, or is there no hope left for the X-Men franchise?

The story begins in the future where highly advanced robots known as sentinels have eradicated nearly the entire mutant population, hunting down the few survivors. These sentinels have the ability to copy mutant powers in addition to their other abilities. Basically, these sentinels are a force to be reckoned with. We see that among the survivors are Wolverine, Professor X, Magneto, Kitty Pride, Ice Man, Storm, and a few new characters I'll get into. They realize that this war is futile and that they cannot keep running from the sentinels. They decide that they must send Wolverine back in time in order to prevent this war from ever happening.

Now, I have read the original comic on which this film is based. I ordered it before I saw the film but it came after I saw it on its opening weekend. I will not be commenting on how well the transition from comic book to film is because that is no basis on which to judge a movie. I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed the source material even if it was much shorter than I expected. I'm going to start by saying that I watched the trailers for this movie countless times, hoping for it to be good. I loved the idea of having the mutants on the edge of extinction and the mood that accompanies it. The story is what most intrigued me. And did it deliver? Yes...gloriously.

This story is brilliantly written and it unfolds and expands beautifully. We are introduced and reintroduced to characters at the appropriate time and in interesting ways. The plot is solid and contains some of the best storytelling ever in a comic book movie. The movie moves at a fast pace and doesn't stop until the end credits. Even scenes with dialogue are intense and incredibly emotional.

The cast of this film is incredible. Hugh Jackman returns as Wolverine. Hugh Jackman nails the character and it's obvious that he is very dedicated to the role. However, this time around, he has to play a very different Wolverine from what we are used to seeing. Unlike in previous movies, we see a calmer and more reserved Wolverine, one that must rely more on his mental and social skills rather than his mutant claws (which is done quite literally as when he travels back in time, his consciousness enters that of his younger body which preceded the Weapon X program and thus he is back to his bone claws). There was some dispute amongst fans of the comics because in the source material, Wolverine is not the one to go back into the past, but rather it was Kitty Pride. However, since Wolverine is the flagship character for the film franchise, it's only right that he is the one to be sent back, and this is justified within the plot itself. However, though he may be the flagship character for the movies, he is hardly the main protagonist in this one.

James McAvoy plays the younger Charles Xavier and the way he is portrayed in terms of a character is at his lowest low. He is utterly depressed and this comes across so well because of McAvoy. James McAvoy's performance in this film is not only of the best of the year so far, but also one of the best in a comic book/superhero movie ever. It really is that powerful. He gives the character of Charles Xavier such emotion and heart, which is easy to see. Michael Fassbender plays the younger Erik Lehnsherr and he does a fantastic job with the character. Though the story is more centered around Charles and Raven (whom I'll get to in a moment), Fassbender is just so amazing in his role that every scene he is in is memorable. Jennifer Lawrence also returns as Raven, or Mystique, and she is once again really good. As the story unfolds, we find out that this is truly Raven's story and if Lawrence's performance fell short, the movie would have as well. Luckily, we are left with solid performances from the main cast.

Now as for the supporting characters, we have a few that we have already been introduced to, such as Iceman, Professor X, Magneto, Kitty Pryde, Colossus, Beast, and Storm. We are also introduced to a few new mutants: Sunspot, Blink, Warpath, and Bishop. All of these characters are played well by their respective actors and there is not a single weak link. I would go into each specific performance but they are all so good, especially Nicholas Hoult as Beast, Patrick Stewart as old Charles Xavier, and Ian McKellen as old Erik Lehnsherr. Interestingly enough, we don't really get to know the new mutants all too well. They really are simple characters but we really do sympathize with them and how they must repeatedly die and then come back to life (thanks to Kitty's new time traveling power) when constantly running from the sentinels. This is really a credit to the film in that it makes us care for characters we barely know. Truly masterful.

There are two last characters to mention, and one of them is Quicksilver. Quicksilver is introduced as an eccentric young guy with the power of superhuman speed. As made clear in the trailers, Quicksilver is needed to break Erik out of his prison, and the entire scene is nothing short of magnificent. Quicksilver's powers are displayed in a very similar manner as to how Nightcrawler's were in X2. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that this scene is even better than that. Quicksilver is awesome, short and simple. The last one is Bolivar Trask, played by the always wonderful Peter Dinklage. Trask is the main antagonist and surprisingly multilayered. His actions are not done purely because he is a bad guy but because he wants to make the world a better place. Because of this, we see both perspectives, nothing is simply black and white.

From a technical standpoint, Days of Future Past triumphs. It's visual effects are staggering. The sentinels (the future ones in particular) are an absolute beauty in technical achievement, the mutant powers all seem realistic, and the action is wonderfully realized. The fight scenes are amazing and they really keep you on the edge of your seat. The score is also really good. I cannot describe the thrilling sense of happiness I felt when I heard John Ottman's theme for X-Men once again. I believe the last we heard it was in the second film and it seems that its return along with Bryan Singer's indicate the quality of the movie as early as the opening credits.

Bryan Singer returns to direct this X-Men film and he shows the same quality and care that were present in the first two films and then some. Singer's directing is better than it was in X-Men and X2. One key moment is when footage from the 70's is shown in a 4:3 aspect ratio, which adds a sense of realism to it and really draws the audience in. Another amazing moment of direction, and quite possibly the best in the film, is of course the scene with Quicksilver fully demonstrating his ability. Utterly flawless. The scene will leave you speechless, yet also laughing as there are quite a few laughs thrown into it. Another thing to mention is how he handles the character Blink. Blink is a mutant with the ability to open portals which can be entered to travel wherever she opens another portal. The way Singer uses this ability is so inventive as to be considered genius. He also has to balance two completely different worlds and he treats both of them in appropriate and effective manners. Personally, I absolutely loved the future as portrayed in this film. The tone, the mood, the settings, the lighting, the characters, the situation, the action, the list goes on. My favorite portion of this entire film is all the scenes dealing with the future. I really got into it. Every shot is just beautiful. That is not to say that the past setting is any less incredible, but the future scenes were just so well executed in my eyes.

In addition, since Singer's departure, there have been several different directors in charge of the X-Men films. They have all made their own additions and changes and the like, many of which did not agree with fans. Singer sets out to fix these problems and set up the rest of the franchise at the same time, and he pulls it off flawlessly. That is the most admirable thing about this movie, it has to juggle several difficult tasks. It's attempting to fix last errors, set up future films, while also trying to tell a self contained story that can stand on its own. Days of Future Past succeeds on all these fronts.

*SPOILERS AHEAD* The ending of this film is BRILLIANT. Just about all the issues have been fixed. Jean Grey and Scott Summers are shown to be alive in the "good" future, we see an older beast, we see Rogue again, it just feels right. Something that has to be addressed though are the discontinuities. At the end of The Wolverine, Wolverine loses his metal claws as they were cut off so he is back to bone claws. However, the future version of himself has metal claws again. Kitty Pryde's power was phasing through matter, or walking between molecules. But she now has the power to send people's consciousness back in time. It is never explained how she can do this. Finally, we saw that Charles Xavier is actually alive at the end of The Wolverine and he explains "You are not the only one with gifts." This is the best explanation we get. Now, all of these discontinuities have a number of simple explanations to them but none are ever given. However, none are needed. Explaining these discontinuities would detract from the overall story. So in the end, ambiguity was for the best.

However, there is one minor flaw with this movie. It is not even a flaw actually, more of a nitpick. In X-Men: First Class, we see Wolverine in one of the greatest cameos ever, telling Charles and Erik to "Go fuck yourself." In a great moment where Charles remembers meeting Wolverine who is now asking for his help, he says "I'm going to tell you what you told me. Fuck off." Needless to say, this is the incorrect phrase so it makes me wonder how did the writers mess that up? Did they not go back and verify the line. It's such a small point to mention but it just bugged me a bit.

*SPOILER FREE* X-Men: Days of Future Past is a spectacular movie and hands down the best X-Men film in the entire franchise. The effects are great, there are numerous characters and not a single one of them falls short, the story is flawless in writing and execution, and this is just a really good blockbuster. It's intelligent and clever but it also knows how to have fun and give the audience a great time. Not to mention that it offers what is quite possibly the best scene of any film within this genre (that airplane scene is so well done). X-Men: Days of Future Past easily ranks as one of the best comic book/superhero movies ever made, standing proudly beside (and in no particular order) Spider Man 2, The Dark Knight, The Avengers, and a few others. This is the type of film the theatre was made for.

Grade: A+