X-Men: Days of Future Past Movie Review

In the realm of super heroes, Marvel’s X-Men have been arguably the most successful with six films to their name so far. It’s been a long wait for Days of Future Past but the enticing recipe of the entire ensemble cast led by Bryan Singer has paid off in spades.

Based on the 1981 comic, X-Men: Days of Future Past is a sequel to X-Men: The Last Stand, The Wolverine and X-Men First Class simultaneously and opens in a very grim future. Both mankind and mutants are on the ropes as the deadly and almost indestructible sentinel robots hunt them down at every turn. After some consideration, Kitty Pryde/ShadowCat (Ellen Page) sends Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back in time in a desperate bid to reverse the construction of the sentinels and ultimately save the future. On his mission, Wolverine comes across the young Professor X (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender). The film flashes between past and present and with a great deal of consequences on the line, X-Men: Days of Future Past launches into a globe-trotting adventure filled with pulse-pounding action, heartfelt emotion and some mild comedy. From the break-out of Magneto at the Pentagon to the intense final battle outside the White House, every scene is worthwhile, memorable and contributes in its own way to the plot. It’s one of the few modern superhero movies in recent memory that gave me chills in its final moments, something which was made even more impactful having watched the older films. My one gripe in an otherwise gripping plot is the future element; it has some real potential for future films, but because the film is set mostly in 1973 this setting can only develop slightly. Yet despite this issue, Days of Future Past offers a plot which manages to juggle healthy doses of action and emotion as well as link in to previous films very well.

With an enormous ensemble cast present that is even bigger than 2012’s The Avengers, it’s hard to believe that X-Men: Days of Future Past would be able to handle them all effectively but by placing on focus on 1973, the characters that get the most screen time are thoroughly developed whilst the future setting featuring characters such as Storm (Halle Berry) and newcomers Bishop (Omar Sy) and Blink (Fan Bingbing) plays host to action sequences that provide some eye-popping special effects. Other new characters also make an impression; Peter Dinklage as Bolliver Trask isn’t your usual scheming antagonist who hates mutants, rather he admires their abilities and hopes to use them as a catalyst for his sentinel plan and QuickSilver (Evan Peters) is so laid back and casual in his mannerisms that he’s instantly likeable for the time he’s on-screen. The greatest strength of the cast though is many of the characters have some sort of internal conflict which makes the audience care about their fates. Charles Xavier and Hank Mcoy/Beast (Nicholas Hoult) actually resent their powers at first, taking medication to suppress their abilities, Magneto swings back and forth between his friendship with Charles and his unending hatred for humanity and Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) cannot decide between taking revenge for the death of her friends and carving out a better image for mutants in the eyes of humanity. These struggles make the impending future that much more imperative to prevent and the plot more engrossing throughout.

The X-Men series has always shown off some brilliant special effects and this entry is no different; the future setting in particular plays host to dazzling lighting, thunderous powers and a gloomy atmosphere that emphasises the bleakness of the dystopian world. This is contrasted with the ordinary world of 1973, which is thrown into disarray with mutant intervention. Where First Class reached its climax with a massive naval battle, Days of Future Past brings on some gargantuan destruction effects on par with Magneto’s bending of the Golden Gate Bridge in 2006’s The Last Stand. The cinematography reflects this scale, panning out to see the destruction taking place; this also applies to the combat sequences, giving a clear view without devolving into shaky moments. The music is both sombre and emotional, perfectly reflecting the sense of impending doom that threatens the world of man and mutant. X-Men: Days of Future Past pushes the main series forward just as well for technicals as it does for plot and characterisation.

Never before have I seen a superhero movie as meticulously crafted as X-Men Days of Future Past; it seamlessly blends brilliant special effects, emotive and detailed acting performances and an intelligent plot, weaving them all into real world events. It’s the best film in the X-Men series and a grand achievement for Bryan Singer and company.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars