X-MEN: Days of Future Past Review

Written By Brandon Pershing

Its the midnight premiere of X-men: First Class during the summer of 2011, and I remember having waited so anxiously to see the much hyped film. When the credits ended, and the projector shut down I was still sitting on the edge of my seat, amazed by the superhuman action that had just shredded its way across the screen. I remember just being in complete shock how well the casting of James Mcavoy and Michael Fassbender enhanced the entire X-men saga, and more than anything I wanted to see the cast reunite again for a sequel. Cut three years and another Wolverine spinoff later, and my wish was granted far more than expected.

Days of Future past is hands down the best X-men film, and it deserves that distinction for a good reason. Its a movie that transcends just the superhero genre, as it is a stellar film regardless of the big MARVEL branding that comes along with it. The film not only bridges the gap between the younger and older X-men casts, but also successfully revitalizes the X-men franchise itself. DOFP operates as a unique hybrid movie, being a prequel/sequel/reboot, a strange conglomeration of many different elements that ultimately make even the general idea of the film interesting. Set both in a far dystopian future and the Nixon era 1970s, the plot takes moviegoers on a time bending adventure to right the wrongs done to the mutants of both eras. While the time traveling element of the film does sometimes get confusing, audiences will likely love getting to see such drastically different X-men teams come together to fight enemies of both eras. Leading the bad guys is Peter Dinklage's character Bolivar Trask, a mutant hating scientist who has nothing much on his mind but creating giant killer robots.

While the inclusion of the Game of Thrones star in this film was awesome to see, Trask as a character is ultimately quite boring next to more memorable movie villains. Most of the time Trask can be seen making robust statements about his distaste for mutants, or showing off his robot army to potential clients. Trask’s robotic creations, called sentinels, on the other hand are much more exciting, as they are nearly indestructible ruthless butcherers who will indeed kill many of your favorite characters in the most heinous ways.

Speaking of mutants, Hugh Jackman returns for his seventh outing as Wolverine, and once again offers another great performance as his most famous character. This time around he operates much more in the background, and lets his other team members shine for once. This was both a fantastic and disappointing choice by director Bryan Singer, as its great to see more focus on James Mcavoy’s Professor X and Michael Fassbender’s Magneto, but the battle worn wolverine seen in this film was the closest to the comic books the character has gotten since the start of the series in 2000. The rest of the cast is very much at home and featured normally throughout, however its obvious that the film favors showing off the prequel cast more, as the past is where the duration of the plot takes place. The real breakout star of the film however was Evan Peter’s Quicksilver. A super fast mutant who steals the spotlight every scene he is in, Peter’s Quicksilver will likely become a new fan favorite, especially after viewers see him featured in one of the best slow motion action sequences ever.

Overall, Days of Future Past is going to amaze every type of moviegoer that walks into the theater. Its a visual treat in its entirety, and longtime fans of the X-men comic books will be pleased at the faithful character representations featured throughout. The film shows just how to remarket and revitalize a struggling series into a hollywood game changer, and is going to get fans on their heels for 2016’s X-men Apocalypse.