Movie Review: X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Written by Anthony Sargon
The very first X-Men movie came out 14 years ago. Directed by Bryan Singer, it was Marvel’s first legitimate blockbuster, and introduced audiences the world over to iconic characters such as Wolverine, Magneto, and Professor Xavier. “X2: X-Men United” was an exemplary sequel, and is still considered by many as one of the best superhero movies ever made. Unfortunately, things became a little shaky after X2. Following Singer’s abrupt departure from the franchise, Brett Ratner stepped in to helm “X-Men: The Last Stand,” and we all know how awful that turned out. If that wasn’t bad enough, 2009′s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” was so bad that it risked derailing the franchise for good, until Matthew Vaughn’s excellent “X-Men: First Class” brought our favorite mutants roaring back. Well folks, it only took 14 years, but we now have our definitive X-Men flick. Not only is “Days of Future Past” the best X-Men movie to date, but it’s the best movie of the year (so far), and one of the greatest and most ambitious comic book films ever made.
Loosely based off of the seminal “Days of Future Past” story arc, the film opens with a glimpse into an apocalyptic future where mutants – and humans sympathetic to their cause – are ruthlessly hunted down and killed by an army of Sentinels; giant mutant-killing robots. Desperate to try and avoid this grim reality, Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart), along with Magneto (Ian McKellen), devise a plan to use Kitty Pride’s (Ellen Page) powers to send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back in time to stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from murdering Sentinel-creator Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage), an event that directly led to this dystopian future. It’s up to Wolverine to convince young Xavier (James McAvoy) and young Magneto (Michael Fassbender) to put their differences aside and work together in preventing the murder of Mr. Trask, or else their future is doomed.
I absolutely adored this movie. For one, it’s awesome to have Bryan Singer back in his comfort zone. It’s clear that the director feels right at home with these characters, and I honestly felt right at home too. From familiar sets to familiar faces, “X-Men: Days of Future Past” is a love letter to X-Men fans, and more importantly, to audiences that grew up with this franchise. I was 10 when I first saw Jackman as Wolverine. I’m almost 24 now. The film also boasts what could be one of the greatest casts ever assembled for any movie, period. From living legends like Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen to more recent revelations like Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, and Peter Dinklage, this is seriously a once-in-a-lifetime cast, and they all knock it out of the park.
I’m trying my best to find something to complain about, but as you can tell, I’m struggling. I loved everything about this movie. Scenes taking place in the future are moody and grim, and can get pretty violent, even downright scary at times. The 70′s setting also worked incredibly well for me. Seeing Wolverine and Professor X in bell-bottoms is priceless, and the entire film is sprinkled with lighter moments and amusing 70′s references.
Perhaps most importantly, though, “Days of Future Past” uses its time travel elements to “fix” the X-Men cinematic universe and right some old wrongs. Does that mean that “The Last Stand” and “Origins: Wolverine” are suddenly good movies? Hell no. It just means that some of the BS that took place may not matter all that much anymore. I won’t spoil any of it here, but know that you’ll find it really, really difficult to stop smiling for about an hour after the movie ends. My heart was pounding like crazy during the film’s final five minutes. It was that good.
Besides the spectacular action and humor, DOFP also has a lot of heart. Sure, Wolverine’s all over the posters, but this is young Xavier’s story first and foremost, and James McAvoy delivers a tour-de-force performance as a broken and fragile shell of his former self. He’s not the man we once knew, and having Wolverine mentor him is a perfectly fitting arc for these characters, considering everything they’re been through together. And I must say, Hugh Jackman once again kills it as Wolverine. The day he hangs up his claws will be a sad one indeed, even though he’s definitely earned his retirement at this point. Again, the entire cast is on point, including Ian McKellen and Fassbender, but one character almost threatens to walk away with the entire movie: Quicksilver, who’s played by Evan Peters. His scenes are so thoroughly entertaining that you’ll wish he had more to do. I also loved Omar Sy as Bishop; he’s awesome when we do see him, but I would have sure loved to see more of him.
The Verdict:
“X-Men: Days of Future Past” is better than I could have even hoped. I walked out of the theater with a massive grin on my face, and a desperate desire to watch it again. Having been around these movies for so long now, it was like being reunited with old friends, and I’m so excited to see where the series goes from here. Welcome back Bryan Singer; you were sorely missed.
Numerical Score: 9.5/10
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