X-Men: Days of Future Past

Starring: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Nicholas Hoult, Halle Berry, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Shawn Ashmore, Omar Sy, Anna Paquin (cameo), Evan Peters, Josh Helman, Daniel Cudmore, Bingbing Fan, Adan Canto, Booboo Stewart, Famke Janssen (cameo), Lucas Till, Evan Jongkeit, James Marsden (cameo), Kelsey Grammer (uncredited)
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
2014

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary:The X-Men are fighting a losing battle against the Sentinels. As a last resort, they send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back to the 1970s to connect with a younger Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) to change the past and save their future.

Review:
Tim: My excitement for X-Men: Days of Future Past was immense. I've been a fan of the X-Men franchise since the first film, so for them to bring back director Bryan Singer, tackle one of the greatest runs of the comic, and combine both the old and new cast, this ambitious project is one that I was greatly anticipating. I can say that the film indeed is great (not the best of the franchise, but close) and it's a terrific, exciting film. However, it didn't quite reach the heights that were promised. This is a movie that falls just short of expectations, but still delivers a pretty incredible viewing experience. This is one of the best movies of 2014.

I love the ambition behind this film- you bring back much of the original X-Men cast, as we find them in a desolate world where mutants and humans are both hunted by nearly indestructible Sentinels. Hope for both races is very bleak. The only opportunity they have is to travel back in time, which connects them with the new cast, introduced in X-Men: First Class. This is pretty incredible and has never really been done before. The reboot of Star Trek was very similar, but not to the scale this film attempts. From the old cast, we get Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Ellen Page, Hugh Jackman, Shawn Ashmore, and Daniel Cudmore. The new cast features James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, and Nicolas Hoult. That's a crazy big cast and I haven't even mentioned the newcomers. To have both casts in the same film is a real treat for moviegoers.

I always talk a bit about the cast, and I'll do it here, but quickly. There's far too many people to go into much detail. From the old cast, I loved seeing these great actors reprise their famous roles. To see Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen as Charles Xavier and Magneto once again was a delight. They are incredible actors and this franchise owes them so much. Neither has as much screen time as I'd like, but they were great on screen. It was fun seeing Halle Berry, but she has very little to do. The same can be said for Ellen Page, who does manage to use her limited screen time quite well. It's always incredible seeing Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, who is playing this character for an astonishing 6th time (7th if you include the cameo in First Class). He's an institution at this point, and the single biggest reason why this franchise has been so successful. He's incredible here. The new cast is pretty fantastic, too. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are even more comfortable in their roles. Their interactions were great and they continue to showcase how brilliant their casting was. Jennifer Lawrence feels like she has too big of a role. It was meant to capitalize on her growing fame, which is never a good idea. Mystique is a better supporting character, but the last two films have given her too predominate a role. I wish she had less screen time. I'm a big Peter Dinklage fan, so I was excited to see him in the cast. He gives a good performance. Evan Peters was a scene-stealer as Quicksilver. The cast as a whole is one of the best I have ever seen. That's impressive for a comic book franchise on its 7th (7th!!!) installment.

The story is very cool. Wolverine travels from their present to the past to stop the Sentinel program. This proves more difficult than imagined, which ratchets up the tension a good amount. The film has some good sequences- the Quicksilver one is a fan favorite, but I thought it was slightly overrated. It was cool, but not so cool that it would explain people losing their minds for it. The Sentinel battles in the future were dark and exciting. Bryan Singer did a great job of displaying the hopelessness that comes whenever the nearly indestructible Sentinels appear. They were a chilling addition to the movie. I liked some of the new characters, Blink and Sunspot for example. They didn't get to act a lot, but seeing their powers was a lot of fun.

The biggest complaint that I had was that the film is missing a big climactic set piece. Yes, we have the very cool stadium lifting on the White House lawn, but it was a little anticlimactic. Besides seeing Magneto lift a stadium (which is amazing), the big battle just kind of fizzled out at the end. For a film has large as this one attempted to be, it needed a grander finish. That hurts the movie some in my mind.

While maybe not quite as mind-blowing as people hoped, X-Men: Days of Future Past is one of the best films of the franchise. It features great acting from an incredible cast, some extremely cool special effects, a surprising amount of suspense and tension, and a few lighthearted moments. This movie represents the best parts of the X-Men franchise, and I can't wait to see where it goes next (the mid-credits scene sets up the next film, which is going to be absolutely bananas!). I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, X-Men: First Class, The Wolverine