X-Men: Days of Future Past
Dir: Bryan Singer
Starring: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer
Lawrence, Peter Dinklage, Ian McKellan, Patrick Stewart
The “X-Men” films have always been an interesting addition
in the comic book film world. While most superhero films have one extraordinary
figure, the X-Men are a wealth of exceptional people who are otherwise shunned
by the bulk of society. They compose two very identified factions, one being
protectors of mankind to promote their coexistence and other being survivalist
looking for the advancement of their own kind with zero regard for humanity. It
becomes a reflective mix of political and social commentary. Bryan Singer
returned to the director’s chair and successfully combined the journey to the
past established in “X-Men: First Class” with the characters that started the
whole franchise fashioning a worthwhile summer popcorn film.
It’s the future and mutant-hunting machines called Sentinels
are defeating the X-Men. Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian
McKellan) devise a plan to send the Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) into the past to
motivate their past selves into an alliance to change the future, one that
involves the participation of the now self-sufficient Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence)
and her motivations for Dr. Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage), the inventor of the
Sentinel program being offered to the U.S. government.
Focusing the transition of the storyline on the sturdy
shoulders of Hugh Jackman, and his time weary Wolverine character, was a great
choice. The character, already solidified in the franchise history through his
stand-alone films, had an established relationship with every character, which
made the chemistry work between the past and future teams. Peter Dinklage was a
great antagonist, his motivations were none too complicated but instead were
reasoned as a strategic move for humanity. In one exchange he complimented the
powers of the mutants, in a way envious of them, while at the same moment
discussing his intrigue for experimenting on them for his Sentinel program. In
this film the mutants were unified against a common foe, making the character
Magneto (played by both Ian McKellan and Michael Fassbender) embrace a whole
new level of complication. Fassbender, in a calm and monotone presence,
particularly blurred the line of Magneto’s true motivations and was consistently
enjoyable to watch on screen. Some characters were unfortunately shorthanded
screen time and relinquished to glaring stares at far off foes, this overpopulation
gave a few great actors only minor occasions to shine.
While the narrative may seem complex the film did a great
job of never feeling confusing but instead remained interesting in ways that
other comic book films struggled. Most try to incorporate a steady amount of action;
this film had some stunning sequences, in particular an exchange with speedy
character Quicksilver (Evan Peters) amidst a perfect choice of music, but it was
far more restrained than other films and instead forwarded the story with
character altercations that were more for development than extravagance. While
the time travel aspects began to fall apart in the finale, amidst back and
forth transitions between the future and past, it was not enough to hurt anything
established before it.
“X-Men: Days of Future Past” organized a great ensemble of
characters familiar to fans of the X-Men chronicle. With the addition of a good
script and solid performances from leading characters, this film is the comic
book experience to beat this summer.
Monte’s Rating
4.00 out of 5.00
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