X-Men: Days of Future Past Review

By Ciara McIntyre on Wed 14 May, 2014

After the overwhelming box office and critical accomplishments happening over at Disney with the Avengers pictures, rights holders have been scrabbling to get their comic book worlds to emulate the success. Amid Sony’s ambitious web-crawler plans leaving many apprehensive rather than excited in the wake of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, mutant fans will be relieved to know that the X-Men franchise seems more surefooted with this seventh outing than it ever has been. The series has been given a new lease of life and has opened up even more storytelling possibilities whilst simultaneously making you want to revisit every prior step in the narrative so far since the 2000 opener. X-Men: Days of Future Past is littered with homages, references and story threads from the movies and comics as the old gang and new collide. Connected to all X films, from Bryan Singer’s originals to spin-offs and prequels, continuity fans can rejoice as the series feels more like a connected cinematic universe than ever before. 20th Century Fox has the X-Men in control with skill, intelligence and an immense amount of heart and soul.

For the unitiated, Days of Future Past is proof that these characters are worth getting to know. We open in the future where huge, shape-shifting, robotic Sentinels have been programmed to hunt and kill the last remaining mutants on the planet in a visually stunning opening scene (the powers of newcomer Blink, played by Bingbing Fan, are a treat – particularly in 3D). The X-Men decide, in a slight diversion from Chris Claremont’s source material, that Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) transport Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back in time to 1973 to prevent the intricate sequence of events that will lead to their eventual extinction in the future.

Despite its big budget, sci-fi/fantasy premise, the film is a true character-driven ensemble piece. Every gripping fight and blockbuster setpiece (of which there are many) is steeped in ideological clashes and tense character moments rather than empty action. And it is a true joy to simply watch every individual mutant interact with each other, united by their outsider status from humans and divided by the contrasting ways they wish to deal with the oppression laid upon them. The numerous people behind the superhero powers, their desire for sanctuary in a world filled with so much suffering, are the central focus of Days of Future Past.

Jackman is the most Wolverine-like he’s ever been and is a captivating delight every time he appears in all his snikt-glory, from hilarious visual gags and pithy comebacks to deeper and darker moments of poignancy. He proves, in the current climate of reboots, that there is no one better to play the Canadian anti-hero and makes a good case for never seeing anyone else don the adamantium claws of Wolverine for a very long time.

Young Eric Lensherr/Magneto (another perfectly pitched performance in a well-written role from Michael Fassbender) is still battling onward in his own embittered search for justice and freedom from his demons. Every scene Eric shares is exceptional and is in equal turns chilling and touching to see the man he becomes in the future (Ian McKellan). Raven/Mystique’s compulsive drive for acceptance and retribution is played by Jennifer Lawrence with an intricate mix of cold calculation and despondent youth. Pulled between the avenging villain she wants to be and the anguish of being a hunted pariah, it’s certainly no easy feat and the young actress turns in another gifted performance, propelling the plot forward with every appearance. Nicholas Hoult returns as the logical Hank McCoy, grappling Jekyl and Hyde-like with his carnal inner Beast.

Peter Dinklage, as Sentinel engineer and purveyor of bigotry, Dr. Bolivar Trask, is first rate. His nuanced and subtle performance instills a distinct atmosphere of fear as he seeks to expose closeted mutants to society’s glare. Aaron Taylor Johnson certainly has his work cut out for him to establish his version of Quicksilver in next year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron as Evan Peters speeds to the finish line, making an extremely fun and seemingly indelible mark as swift footed, Peter Maximoff. With all of this time-hopping in both strands of the story there is little screen time for Halle Berry’s Storm and friends but apart from the remarkable VFX of the Sentinels and a few fine scenes with McKellan and older Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), the 1970s timeline holds the most attention.

The beating heart of the film is the poignant arc of Professor X (James McAvoy and by extension Patrick Stewart). Plagued with the heavy burden of so much suffering, an emotionally charged confrontation between Old Charles and Young Charles is a moving highlight of the film. It’s compelling to see a character so wise be so troubled by demons that many an audience can identify with.

Writer Simon Kinberg and director Bryan Singer get to the heart of the X-Men and prove why they have left a mark in pop culture. Even the antagonists are never exactly villains in Days of Future Past but outcasts trying to amend their circumstance, not by choice but by the discrimination and intolerance of the watching public. The opposing paths of Charles, Eric and Raven as they seek a place to belong in this world is assembled beautifully under Singer’s expert direction – the true enemy isn’t mankind, Sentinels, Brotherhood of Mutants or themselves but perhaps the absence of hope.

That isn’t to say that this fable of prejudice is constantly serious as much of the film is played for big laughs with plenty of clever one-liners, hilarious visual gags, amusing comic book nods and comedic personality clashes in the entertaining vein of prequel, X-Men: First Class.

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VERDICT
X-Men: Days of Future Past is a vastly entertaining superhero blockbuster with excellent action scenes that are entrenched in wonderfully written, directed and performed character moments. Combining more than a few humorous touches and witty references for fans of the series and the source material to pick up, the soul of the film contains a surprising amount of emotional heft. You’ll want to revisit the boxset while waiting eagerly for number 8. Bring on X-Men: Apocalypse!