DVD Movie Review - X-Men: Days of Future Past

X-Men: Days of Future Past bridges the gap between X-Men: First Class and the three original X-Men movies, while at the same time completely disregarding Professor X's death in The Last Stand.

"What the...Argh!  Every time I get into a gun fight, someone shoots me in the balls."

STORY:

Get out your pencil and paper because this could get a little muddy.  The future is grim for all walks of life.  And shape-shifting sentinels have been sent out to kill every last mutant on earth.  The last of the X-Men (good and bad) are huddled together in a secret mountain getaway.  As sentinels make their way to the remaining X-Men, Professor X (Patrick Stewart) develops a plan.  He wants Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) to send his mind back to 1973 to stop past events from happening and possibly change the future for the better.  (If you're wondering about Kitty's mind travel trick, it's a gift she learned at birthday parties and then fully developed during her drunken sorority days at X-Men College.)

The only problem is Professor X's mind won't be able to take it, because he's a wuss.  And that leaves only one mutant who has a brain that could repair itself faster than mind time travel can wreck it…and that's Wolverine (Hugh Jackman).  So Wolverine's future mind attempts to go back in time to 1973 to warn the younger X-Men of the crappy future to come.  And if he succeeds, his future mind will be wiped and everything from 1973 to the present will be lost.  Does that make any sense?  No?  Well don't worry.  There's enough meat in the middle of the story to even out the silly time-traveling subplot anyway.  Ugly sentinels, gigantic hats, long blue legs, drug addicted mutants, and some of the funniest slow-mo scenes ever, ensue.

"I don't know man, Mind-Travel sounds pretty hard.  Wait...aren't you dead?"

THOUGHTS:

If you haven't seen any of the past X-Men movies, shame on you.  They're not really needed to understand this film—as long as you know the comic book mutants and their powers—but it's highly recommended, because Days of Future Past goes above and beyond to connect all the past X-Men storylines.  Just don't mention the miraculous resurrection of a dead Professor X.

The premise of being able to send your mind back in time can be a little delicate for viewer comprehension, but it’s best not to dwell on the ridiculousness of it all.  You have to remember this is a comic book movie and anything goes.  Anyone that can accept a man named Wolverine that's lived for hundreds of years and has claws materializing from his hands, should be able to get past the film's premise with ease.  And once Wolverine is back in the past, you'll forget all about what's going on in the present—even if the movie continually shoves it in your face.  Why?  Because the present mutant's (Storm, Magneto, Kitty Pryde, Iceman, and others) storyline is basically a bookend to the great story unfolding in the middle.

It's easy…if you enjoyed First Class, then you'll enjoy Days of Future Past.  Not only do you have the acting chops of Michael Fassbender (who doesn't let his accent slip this time), Jennifer Lawrence, and James McAvoy, but you also get to see Jackman interact with each of these characters and that brings charm, sarcasm, and hilarity to the film.  But one of the best new inclusions is Quicksilver (Evan Peters).  He has the ability to move really…quickly.  Hence the name.  But he's not just thrown in the cast as another body to fill some mutant space.  His subplot is actually an integral part of the story and it's also the funniest and coolest part of the film.  Only he has the right gifts to help Wolverine and his cohorts accomplish an impossible task, and it’s one of the best slow motion captures you'll ever see.

"Yeah, I'll take three double whoppers, a bacon double cheeseburger, two onion rings, three large fries,

and a diet coke.  Something funny, bub?"

Themes such as love, racism, hope, trust, and a better future, are all front and center in DoFP.  And like First Class, the whole movie rests atop humans and the newly discovered mutants struggling to coexist.  But—just like the other films—there's always that one guy who hates mutants so much, he's willing to put humanity in jeopardy to destroy them.  Who gets the honor this time around?  The famous Destiny Ghost: Peter Dinklage.  He plays Dr. Bolivar Trask, the man that creates the sentinels and tortures mutants to discover their weaknesses.  His acting is straight forward and the dialogue/plot leaves him with little emotional range, but he does get the job done. 

The two most important mutants—besides Wolverine—are Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) played by Fassbender and Mystique, played by Jennifer Lawrence.  Without the effort these two put into their acting, the movie would fall apart at the seams.  Both mutants want the future to be bright and both have similar ideas on how to accomplish this goal.  While Lawrence spends her time nakedly kicking ass and literally taking names and appearances, Fassbender offers up memorable speeches and some of the most jaw-dropping mutant strength you've seen yet.

James McAvoy portrays the young Professor X and the only mutant with a grudge against Magneto.  McAvoy falls into the drug addicted and highly depressed mutant role easily, but the real acting happens when he and Fassbender share scenes together.  Their shaky friendship storyline blends perfectly into the chemistry these two have on screen and watching them debate their issues—even though they almost want the same thing—is just shy of amazing. 

Cut!  Dammit, Jennifer, I know you like being naked and free, but you have to 

stop brake dancing.  We have a movie to shoot. 

THE REST OF THE CAST AND SUBPLOTS:

This is the type of film where you could write an entire review just by listing who's in it.  (It might even be easier to acknowledge who doesn't make a cameo.)  Almost every single mutant from previous X-men films is present at least to say hello.  But the real question is do all the pieces work?  Does it hurt the movie having so many characters running around and so many subplots to work out?  Nope.  Actually having all these mutants included makes the film better.  Never once are you bored with the story.  Every time the plot seems to linger too long on one character, you're quickly swept up into a different storyline happening simultaneously.  The only weak point of the film happens ten minutes in, when the present day Professor X has to explain the entire plot so you won't be completely confused as it unfolds.

"I've loved you ever since I saw your blue breas--"

"Shh...you had me at hello.  You had me...at hello."

CONCLUSION:

X-Men: Days of Future Past may seem like a cash grab with all the actors included, but it’s one of the franchises' strongest stories yet.  The time travel plot is slightly convoluted, but what the film lacks in premise, it makes up for with a meaty story in between.  If you’ve been a fan of past X-Men movies, feel free to rent this without a worry.  The action sequences have sped up, the fights have become a tad more brutal, and the special effects are increased tenfold, thanks to the amazing abilities of Magneto and Quicksilver.  X-Men: Days of Future Past easily becomes one of the best entries of the franchise.

4 out of 5 Stars (minus a star for convoluted mind travel, and for forgetting Prof. X died)