X-Men Days of Future Past – Movie Review

Do you have a long list of movies you want to watch this summer but don’t know which to pick first? Well then I hope the new X-Men is number one on your list. There is no better feeling than when you walk into a movie not expecting much from it and walk out having swallowed your own words. X-Men Days of Future Past is the kind of movie that does that.

It wouldn’t be X-Men without Bryan Singer. Ever since the director left, after X-2, the X-Men franchise has lost it spark. Granted it’s always hard to please hard-core fans, those who thought that X-Men First Class failed to show some of the important aspects of the comics even though it was probably the most successful of all X-Men movies. But now Bryan Singer is back and making it look as though he never left.

Even though with Days of Future Past it looks as though like with every other movie these days, this too has adopted the inevitable trend of centering on post-apocalyptic stories. The difference we see is that, unlike those other movies, this one shows how to avoid the apocalypse instead of how to deal with it’s after-effects.

The story-line is flawless; Kitty Pryde (played by Ellen Page) reveals to Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) that one of them will have to travel back in time to stop Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from murdering Dr. Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) who uses Raven’s DNA to give rise to his ultimate killing machines, the Sentinels, who then use their power to wipe out the entire mutant race. After it’s decided that Professor X is not suitable to be sent on such a lift threatening mission, it falls upon Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to be the one sent back in time and with the help of the young Charles Xavier change the future. Time travel is, and always be, the perfect formula for a perfect story line. It just never fails.

Despite its plot-holes, Days of Future Past is definitely one of the best X-Men movies because it has one of the most popular story lines from the comics.

The movie tells us so much about Professor X, his younger self. Focusing on the feelings of betrayal he felt towards Raven and his former best friend Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and how he finally lets go of his hopelessness to help Wolverine in securing the future of the mutant race. It’s like seeing Professor X like you’ve never seen before. And it’s heart breaking and wonderful.

The movie doesn’t entirely focus on Xavier’s changes. The most thrilling part is the introduction of Quicksilver (Evan Peters) who, in my opinion, should’ve been given a bigger role than the one he had. And of course we get to see our beloved mutants who we remember from the former films; Scott, Jean, Beast, Storm, Rogue, Bobby.

Cinematic-wise, Days of Future Past had some of the best visual sequences. With Quicksilver having, as far as I think, the best scene of the whole movie.

I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone wanting to catch a good movie this summer. It’s the most important movie in the X-Men franchise because it manages to erase a lot of the mistakes of its former’s. And in erasing the past it sets up a promising future for its potential predecessors.

If I had to rate this movie I would definitely give it an A.