X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) Movie Review

Ringo, John and Paul

How far would you have to go to stop your own annihilation? That is the question prompts the events of X-Men: Days of Future Past. When the mutants of the present are on the brink of extinction, being wiped out by the seemingly indestructible Sentinels, Professor X and the rest of the remaining prominent mutants decide that going back in time to 1973 and stopping the Sentinel Program from ever being operational is the best bet. However, having your mind sent back in time is a process is pretty rough, so it's decided that Wolverine is the only one who can stand doing it. Once you get past the somewhat confusing aspects of time travel, Days of Future Past is an excellent film that may be the best X-Men film yet.

Being helmed by X-Men and X2: X-Men United director Bryan Singer, Days of Future Past is a huge return to form for the franchise. While I really enjoyed X-Men: First Class, many of the mutants felt underwhelming and not well thought out, and while there are a few new faces (Blink, Warpath, Sunspot, Bishop) that don't get much of an introduction, their powers and the fight scenes with them more than make up for it. In particular, Blink (Bingbing Fan) was pretty cool. Also, Warpath was played by a guy named Booboo Stewart. I just want you to think about that. Anyways, what Singer does is balance the timelines of the film, dedicating just enough time to  the present day situation to keep us emotionally invested, while letting us see how the past plays out. Along with writer Simon Kinberg, they manage to put forth two engaging story lines that are ultimately part of one cohesive story.

Part of that cohesive story is delving deeper into the relationship between Professor X (Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy) and Magneto (Ian McKellan and Michael Fassbender). While First Class showcased the dichotomy of their friendship, this goes into their history as friends and enemies, both wanting to mend old wounds, but not wanting to budge. While we know that McKellan and Stewart are sublime actors who bring gravitas to these roles, McAvoy and Fassbender really make them their own as well. McAvoy is great as a young Charles no longer able to deal with pain and loss, while Fassbender has charisma for days and makes you see why people would follow him into the Brotherhood. McAvoy, in particular, has a scene where he confronts himself that is sublime. We really get to see what makes him who he is.

While we get our regularly scheduled dose of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) throughout (don't worry, he's as good as always, if not a little subdued), it was nice to see a much more expanded role for Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), which is obviously due to her becoming the most popular actress in the world, and an Oscar winner to boot. But she handles her scenes well, showing someone who, through pain, anger and betrayal, has lost their way. Beast (Nicolas Hoult) also gets more time to shine, and does a good job. But I have to end this paragraph by talking about Quicksilver (Evan Peters). When pictures came out with his look for the film, fans protested and booed. Fear not, nerds, he's awesome. Though only being in a couple of scenes, he easily steals the movie in one of the best scenes in the entire movie, and Peters finds the right mix of humour bewilderment to nail the character.

I feel like I could keep talking about this movie, because honestly there's so many people I haven't mentioned yet. Mutants such as Storm (Halle Berry), Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), Iceman (Shawn Ashmore), Colossus (Daniel Cudmore) and Havok (Lucas Till) all return, as well introducing us to William Stryker (Josh Helman), and Bolliver Trask (Peter Dinklage). Your connection to the returning mutants and their plight is dependent on whether you've seen the previous films or not. All the actors are good, though I wish they would put in more of an effort to show how bad ass Colossus can be. 

If there was one thing that was missing, it was a central antagonist, such as how Sebastian Shaw was in First Class. But the more I think about it, the more I like that the mutants biggest enemy was themselves. Perhaps that's me simply  reading too much into an underwritten villain, but it was an interesting approach.

Ultimately, I'm excited to see what Singer can do in his next outing, as he's been confirmed to direct the next one. X-Men: Days of Future Past is a film that is fan service. Not in the sense of winks or nods to Easter eggs, but more-so that it is a superhero movie done right. Balancing strong acting, great action and an engaging story, this is a film worth seeing.

Grade: A