The X-Men franchise has come so far and done so much since the release of the first movie in 2000 from director Bryan Singer, but never has the franchise seen a more ambitious undertaking than the newest installment, X-Men: Days of Future Past. Based off of one of the most famous comics in the X-Men series, this installment in the long-running franchise brings back Singer to the director’s chair 11 years after his last film in the series, X2: X-Men United, and combines the older cast of the future (Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Steward and Ian McKellen among others) with the young cast of the past featured in X-Men: First Class (James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult). Not only that, but the film is designed as both a direct sequel to First Class and the third film in the series, X-Men: The Last Stand (which has received mixed to negative reception from fans), and is also meant to rewrite the continuity of the franchise to start a new clean slate. Days of Future Past has no shortage of ambition, but somehow under Singer’s direction, everything comes together almost perfectly in what is not only the best X-Men film to date, but also one of the best superhero movies ever made.
In a dystopian future, mutants have found themselves on the brink of extermination under the threat of the Sentinels, machines created to hunt and kill mutants that are almost impossible to destroy. However, the Sentinels have gone beyond just hunting mutants and have oppressed the human race, resulting in a desolate future where neither human nor mutant is safe from their destruction. With both races at stake, Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) put aside their old rivalry and join forces, bringing together a small band of mutants and the X-Men to find a way to end the war before it ever happens. Using the powers of Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), Professor X decides to send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back in time by using Kitty’s powers to transmit his consciousness to his younger self in 1973 in order to warn the Professor X of the past (James McAvoy) about the impending war. However, in order to pull it off, they also have to recruit old enemies to help them, including the younger Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), the latter of which is targeting Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage), a man who holds the key to the creation of the Sentinels.
For such a massive storyline that combines the timelines of the past and future, two massive ensemble casts and attempts to rewrite the history of the franchise, huge kudos has to be given to Singer and writer Simon Kinberg for making it all come together so spectacularly. There is one thing to point out before going into details on the movie though: if you are an X-Men newcomer and have not seen a single film in the series, or even missed out on one or two of these films (particularly First Class and the core trilogy), then you either not come out as satisfied as those who have seen the other movies or will be confused at some of the references or character developments. That said, those who have followed the X-Men franchise so faithfully over the past 14 years will be immensely satisfied by how faithfully Singer manages to stay true to the heart of the series. From the opening 20th Century Fox logo alone which features the “X” in the logo remaining slightly visible for a second on the screen after the picture fades to black (a gimmick that Singer used in the first two X-Men movies), the love and care that Singer has put in his return to the franchise is immediately apparent. The film goes beyond just clever nods and cameos, however; it also delivers the most complex, compelling, exciting and fulfilling story in the franchise.
What makes Days of Future Past such a strong entry is how it builds off of everything that has come before it and expands on it. The future seen in Days of Future Past is depressingly bleak, and the weight of the Sentinels’ destruction lingers over all of the characters as they look back on their lives, desperate to revert the world back before the Sentinels took over. It is in these portions of the story where Singer is able to reunite with the cast of the original X-Men movies, which along with the other aforementioned actors includes Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore and Daniel Cudmore all reprising their roles from the previous movies. Even though they are not terribly important to the story, their presence in it nonetheless has meaning given the long history of the franchise and the stakes of the characters’ future, and it also works as a great nostalgic rush for fans. But the scenes set in the future belong to Stewart and McKellen for their performances as the older Professor X and Magneto. Both are terrific actors who have brought a strong gravitas to the X-Men franchise, and they are equally compelling here, delivering tragic performances of two mutants who have fought for so many years and have to reunite under desperate circumstances to write the wrongs of their dark pasts.
Once the film manages to set the stakes of the apocalyptic future, Wolverine is sent back in time to 1973 to change the past and alter the future. This is where the majority of the film is set, and even without the bleak setting of the dystopian future, the scenes set in the past also do not fail to intrigue or excite. The Professor X of the past is a broken, haunted and slightly bitter one, hurt by the experiences of First Class which has left him an immense hated for Magneto, who was once his old friend. Bridging the fine line between a hopelessly lost man confronted with a terrible truth about the future and a leader who has to step up to save the lives of mutants and humans alike, McAvoy shines on all fronts and delivers an outstanding performance that builds off of Stewart’s work well while also adding new substance to the role. Magneto is also every bit as threatening and commanding as he was in First Class, once again played by the terrifically-talented Fassbender who delivers yet another excellent performance in the role. The scenes between these two characters are especially compelling given both the great developments seen in First Class and the history of the characters in the Stewart and McKellen iterations, which also adds further tension to their confrontations given that they hold the key to the future in their hands and that their decisions could alter it for better or for worse.
The complex web of characters and stories does not end there though. There is also Mystique who is caught at a crossroads between the influences of Professor X and Magneto, either to fight for the mutant domination that Magneto has inspired her to do, or to pursue equality between races such as what Professor X has taught her. After replacing Rebecca Romijn as Mystique in First Class, Lawrence builds off of her first experience in the role (one that requires several extensive hours in the make-up department no less) and delivers a much more natural and complex performance. Mystique is also given a prominent role in the story, with much of the future’s outcome resting on what she does to Trask, the creator of the Sentinels. Serving as the primary antagonist of the film, Dinklage is the newcomer to the X-Men franchise, but he brings the raw acting talent from his experience in Game of Thrones to deliver one of the best villains in the franchise. And to top off the enormously large amount of plot threads, Quicksilver (Evan Peters) is also featured briefly in the story to assist Wolverine and Professor X in an action sequence that will blow audiences away.
There are so many characters featured in one story, but one of the strongest aspects of Days of Future Past is how it manages to interweave the histories of the past and future to deliver the most fleshed-out versions of the characters to date. There are so many branching paths to the characters that it is almost overwhelming to take all of it in. There are the characters of the future locked in a dystopian future that need to change the outcome of the past in order to save both races, the characters of the past who are dealing with their own personal turmoil, and the new characters of the present that are formed from their experiences in Days of Future Past. Old character traits are brought back, new complexities and layers have been added, and what fans once knew about their characters may suddenly change. It is a perfect blend of the old and new that makes the story of Days of Future Past work – the way in which it seamlessly bridges the two timelines together and reshapes the characters of the past based on the events of the future. It not only works as an outstanding reunion between two incredible casts, but also as a compelling story that explores the characters deeper than ever and raises the bar for what superhero movies can do.
With larger stakes comes bigger action, and thankfully Days of Future Past also manages to impress with its incredible action sequences. The X-Men films are no stranger to action, though the quality has been mixed across the movies, with the more recent efforts – First Class and The Wolverine – delivering more satisfying moments while others – primarily X-Men Origins: Wolverine – were not handled nearly as well. Thankfully, Days of Future Past is the most action-packed, thrilling, tense and exciting entry in the franchise. The action sequence featuring Quicksilver alone is almost worth the price of admission, but the film goes beyond just that. Every action scene in the film manages to be unique, creative and exhilarating all at the same time, with nary an encounter that feels too similar to what has been seen before (the only exception being the Sentinel fights in the future, but even then those manage to thrill). The visual effects are also outstanding, with incredible computer-generated feats such as a baseball stadium being lifted from the ground or an army of Sentinels being brought to life with great detail. The 3D manages to add a subtle yet great sense of depth and dimension to the film without once relying on gimmicky effects, and the sound-design is in another league of its own, unleashing a barrage of terrific sound design during the action scenes of the film. In summation, there is no shortage of visual thrills or compelling storytelling in this film.
This decade has seen its large share of comic-book superhero movies that have taken the world by storm – most notably Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy and The Avengers – but X-Men: Days of Future Past manages to rival even the best in its genre. It is a rare anomaly of a film that has so many components and stakes and somehow manages to bring all of it together in one of the most exciting and emotionally-compelling stories seen in a comic-book movie. The X-Men series has had its share of great moments, but it has also seen its share of bad ones, and not only does Days of Future Past manage to write the wrongs in the franchise’s past, but it also reinvigorates its future. Never before have the characters been more compelling. Never before have the action sequences managed to consistently dazzle and amaze. Never before has the excitement for the next X-Men movie been any higher. The bar has not just been raised with this film, but obliterated.
Where will the next film, X-Men: Apocalypse, go after this? What characters will it add? How will it expand on the developments of the characters from this film? Only time will tell. There is one thing that is certain though: with X-Men: Days of Future Past, the future of the franchise – and comic-book movies alike – has suddenly gotten a whole lot brighter.
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The Good:
A fantastic story that manages to expertly weave the timelines of the past and future
Stellar character development that manages to expand on what has been developed in previous films and takes the characters’ arcs in exciting and interesting new directions
Works as both a great love letter to fans of the X-Men film franchise while also breathing new life and possibilities into future installments and righting the wrongs of the lesser films in the series (primarily X-Men: The Last Stand)
An incredible ensemble of actors from various X-Men movies who all deliver top-notch performances
Excellent action sequences that are creative, exciting and consistently fresh
Dynamic sound design, improved makeup from X-Men: First Class, solid editing that paces the story perfectly and a great yet subtle use of 3D
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The Bad:
While it is not impossible for newcomers to follow the story, the other X-Men films in the franchise (barring the terrible and unnecessary X-Men Origins: Wolverine) are essential viewing in order to get the most out of the complex story
Some questions raised as to the new continuity of the franchise, though this will likely be addressed in later films
While the score by John Ottman is okay though nothing spectacular, one of the tracks, “Hope (Xavier’s Theme),” is a distractingly blatant rip-off of Hans Zimmer’s “Time” track from Inception
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Overall: 10/10 (Superb)