131 minutes
Rated PG- 13 for sequences of intense sci-fi violence and action, some suggestive material, nudity and language
Twentieth Century Fox
Article first published as Movie Review: ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ on Blogcritics.
Even though the X-Men franchise wasn’t necessarily in need of a reboot, it has now seen two. First in the form of First Class and now again in Days of Future Past. Director Bryan Singer has finally returned to the series he helped create. His first X-Men film proved studios could do comic book movies right — and for Days of Future Past, Singer has brought along his original cast, along with the main cast from First Class. A globetrotting, time traveling exercise in superhero brilliance, Days of Future Past further proves what a hack job Brett Ratner did when it came to the third entry: The Last Stand. The future of the franchise is back in safe hands and has one-upped an already fantastic summer start.
In
the future, we find our favorite mutants being eradicated by sentinels
built by Trask Industries. Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Professor
X/Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr (Ian
McKellen), Storm (Halle Berry), Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), Bobby
Drake/Iceman (Shawn Ashmore), Bishop (Omar Sy), Colossus (Daniel
Cudmore), Blink (Fan Bingbing), Sunspot (Adan Canto), and Warpath
(Booboo Stewart), are under attack and the only hope for survival is to
send Logan back to 1973 to stop Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from
killing Dr. Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage), sending her down a psychotic
path, and stopping Trask from creating his sentinels which use mutant
DNA he gathered from Mystique to create the ultimate mutant killing
machines. Logan must find the younger version of Charles (James McAvoy),
to rescue Erik (Michael Fassbender), imprisoned beneath the Pentagon
for the assassination of John F. Kennedy, with the help of Hank/Beast
(Nicholas Hoult) and Peter/Quicksilver (Evan Peters).Yes, there is a lot of plot thrown at us in Days of Future Past, but Singer and screenwriter Simon Kinberg (Mr. & Mrs. Smith) keep things streamlined enough that you’re never confused. It also helps that both the 1973 action and the future sequences feature core mutants. But, be on the lookout for additional mutants/future enemies along the way. And of course, stick through the end credits for your payoff scene.
When it comes to 3D, action movies are what the technology is made for, planting you right in the middle of it all. Filled with plenty of jaw-dropping set pieces, the Quicksilver/Pentagon scene is a true standout and completely checkmates Joss Whedon who’s now going to have to up his own game with Quicksilver also appearing in in his own The Avengers: Age of Ultron.
This summer seems to just keep getting better and better after the likes of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Godzilla, and now Days of Future Past. While 2015’s summer is looking jam-packed to be the biggest box office ever, this year is doing plenty fine on its own as far as quality movies go. Days of Future Past is one of the top two comic book movies of the summer — the other being Winter Soldier — and the only one that seems likely to surpass either will hopefully be Guardians of the Galaxy. With Singer back on board, the X-Men franchise is headed for new levels of greatness, and Days of Future Past is one of the best comic book movies yet.
Photo courtesy Twentieth Century Fox
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