“So many battles waged over the years… and yet, none like this. Are we destined to destroy each other, or can we change each other and unite? Is the future truly set?”
X-Men: Days of Future Past is the seventh film in the X-Men franchise, counting the two solo wolverine films. It follows Wolverine (again) as his consciousness from his older body is transported back to his younger body in the 70’s. This is because unstoppable giant robot killers are decimating the Earth of both mutant and human kind. Wolverine must then find young Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr, aka young Professor X and Magneto to stop this. The story is so full of twists and turns that i will leave the plot synopsis there, as to not spoil it. And because it’s quite complex, so if i explained it all i wouldn’t have time to actually write a review…
Anyway, the film is solid, as expected. I’m an X-Men fan though, so anyone not caught up on the franchise might be completely baffled when going in to it. The story was really fascinating, and broke the plot tradition that most superhero films have, which is that they are simply about the hero versus the villain. It was multi-layered (literally and figuratively), and had a generally interesting story. Although it does borrow the main premise from other films, it never feels trite since the characters are the main focus and the time travel aspect is done in a different way to most movies of it’s type.
All of the cast of the previous two franchises are together in this film, and the quality surprisingly escalates above the majority of the other movies. You would think that a cast this big had to crash and burn, but each character is given just the right amount of screen time, and all have something to do. This excellent balancing act of the ensemble cast is mainly due to the director, Bryan Singer’s return to the franchise. The director showed us in the usual suspects and the first two x films that he had a talent for ensemble movies, but he takes that talent to another level here, making no character seem under-utilised.
Most actors are completely believable and captivating in their roles, especially the young Malcolm X and Martin L. King Jr. analogies, Professor X and Magneto. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are great as the young versions of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. They are actually, more than Wolverine, the center points of the film, with Hugh Jackman’s Wolvie acting as a fish out of water, and being our eyes and ears. The stand out character however was Quicksilver, played by Evan Peters. He was hilarious and awesome in equal measure, with a bullet time scene (ultra-slow motion) which completely steals the show. The only real weak character link for me was Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, who i have always thought was miscast in this role. She is too recognisable for a character of such intrigue and mystery. Also, she is simply too lovable to act as the cold hearted scary villain that i loved in the original trilogy. Although, i guess that the fact that she is more likable is because of her overall character arch, but i still far prefer the original movie Mystique, who was genuinely chilling. Furthermore, it is irritating that she is pushed to the forefront simply because she has become a world famous actress since First Class. There is also a plot twist with the Sentinels which involves Mystique, and makes little sense.
The theme from the original films is back, and i was insanely happy to hear it. As well as that, the whole soundtrack is a treat. Simon Kinberg, the writer, has also made a solid script with only a few too many expositional lines present. He writes the characters exactly how they should be written here, which is ironic considering that he wrote the third X-Men film, The Last Stand, a pretty dreadful movie.
Overall a very enjoyable romp, with a host of unique and interesting characters. Although there are minor problems with the plot, they are washed away as the movie is just so fun. I would recommend to everyone who has seen the previous x-men films, but possibly not those who aren’t caught up on the story.
9/10
Harvey Gardner 