Movies: X-Men: Days of Future Past

Score:  ****1/2 out of ***** (A)

Long Story Short:  The director the first two X-Men films, Bryan Singer, returns for a film that unites his old cast with the franchise's new faces (McAvoy, Lawrence, Fassbender, etc.).  Overcoming the challenges of a huge cast and plot-heavy time travel aspect, Singer delivers an outstanding film by framing those bombastic elements largely within the personal experiences of a handful of the key players.  You'll laugh as hard or harder in this one, and you'll be as wowed or better by the action - and then the effortless passing of the X torch will take your breath away, culminating in one of the most satisfying endings in recent memory.


Fourth weekend of the summer, and fourth movie review of the summer!  Today it's back to the superhero genre, and there are yet more films coming up that I am likely to see and review.  X-Men: Days of Future Past was an obvious choice for me, if not one I anticipated especially eagerly.  I have enjoyed all of the previous X-Men films (even the mediocre X-Men 3 and the poor Wolverine origins film from 2009).  Still, the combination of the old and new casts gave me a little pause, since each cast is quite full by itself and too many characters can lead to a messy film.  But I was pleased to see an excellent Rotten Tomatoes score (92% now), so any reservations were ignored.  X-Men: Days of Future Past was directed by Bryan Singer (who directed the first two X-Men films) and stars Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Patrick Stewart, and MANY more.

This film has both an exceptionally complicated (to explain in writing) plot, and one that I especially want to avoid certain spoilers.  So here's a very basic outline.  There are two time periods involved - one for each cast, of course.  The "older" cast is in a future dystopia, and they (Professor X, Magneto, Storm, Kitty Pryde, etc.) have sent Wolverine (Jackman) back to 1973 where the "younger" cast awaits unsuspectingly.  Wolverine's mission is to prevent a particular event from occurring in order to avoid the catastrophic future from ever happening.  In order to do so, he must bring together some old frenemies and battle other, new ones.

The cast, as I said, is quite huge.  Fortunately, they do a terrific job together.  Hugh Jackman as Wolverine is essentially the lead, with the most screen time and appearance in both time periods.  He continues to be dynamite in the role; see my review of The Wolverine for further explanation.  Even as the lead here, he selflessly cedes the focus to various characters when they need to carry a scene.  Next up is arguable, but I would say James McAvoy as the young Charles/Professor X.  He brings the same feel to Charles that he developed in First Class:  a moodier, more sharp-tongued version than Stewart's mellow elder, but one with an equally fierce concern for his mutant family and the welfare of their relations with humanity.  Jennifer Lawrence is third as Raven/Mystique.  Perhaps she could have used a tiny bit more screen time, but she makes great use of what she gets.  Really, I think this is a perfect role for her:  a very strong, independent woman who is torn between Charles and Erik, both personally and philosophically.  I've read some snide remarks about "what the heck is she still doing in a comic book film", but she is great in it and the character has more than enough depth for her to continue to explore.

Michael Fassbender gets the shortest end of the stick in the cast, in terms of how his character could have contributed.  Fassbender, like McAvoy, jumps right back in where he left off in First Class, and has improved on the already great chemistry between the two rivals.  You can feel the rage and power radiating from his usually restrained demeanor, and his intense gaze reveals all.  Patrick Stewart is the only one of the "old" cast with a substantial part, and he is still the steady moral rock on which the franchise rests soundly.  Really, it was a very prudent decision to have the vast majority of the film focus on the "new" cast (more on that later).  Peter Dinklage is the only significant new face as the semi-villainous Trask.  I won't say much about his role but, just like he is as Game of Thrones' Tyrion, Dinklage is always a pleasure to watch with his dry humor and sharp, subtle wit.

As everyone in the superhero industry is either getting rebooted or teamed up in a super party, Days of Future Past seemed to be the X-Men franchise's play for megabucks.  Which it basically is - however, just like The Avengers, this film succeeds spectacularly (albeit in far different ways).  The franchise had a unique opportunity to combine casts, since 2011's First Class wasn't a reboot so much as a prequel.  Still, the use of time travel was inevitable to tie the casts together - and fortunately, the ageless Wolverine provided the needed link.  As with many time travel plots, this one is fairly complex.  The way it unfolds and is explained is, on the whole, remarkably elegant and simple, however.  Largely this is because the focus is really on characters, relationships and moral questions instead of the mechanics.  Once again, brilliant:  the three aforementioned elements are exactly where this franchise has shone brightest in its best moments, and the subtle way that the torch is passed to the new generation in this regard is both effortless and breathtaking.

Oh, and there's supposed to be action in the film, yes?  For a blockbuster effort like this, it is pretty restrained actually, and makes everything count.  This applies to the chilling, stunning violence inflicted on the future-times X-Men (sorry for the spoiler) that makes the audience feel the extent of the potential catastrophe.  On the other hand, there is an ingenious set piece involving a new mutant that uses his powers and a 70s song to absolutely hilarious and memorable effect.  The finale goes perhaps a touch overboard with the effects, but it is still a sight to see (and also not the main focus - again, it's the characters).  Days of Future Past also carries on its predecessors' sense of humor quite well; no "wink wink" humor (thankfully), and added masterfully in the appropriate moments.

***

X-Men: Days of Future Past has claimed the spot as my favorite film of the year so far.  Now, before I go on, let me stress that it is a completely different experience depending on your having seen the previous films (at least X-Men 1-3 and First Class; the Wolverine solo outings are optional).  I'm really not sure how good it would be without having seen those first (still very good, I imagine), though probably pretty damn confusing.  If you have seen those films, though:  oh, my.  Thrown back into the franchise with a whole set of faces he hadn't worked with before - not to mention the high degree of difficulty with so many (nearly too many) famous actors to deploy and a complex time travel plot - Singer absolutely hits a grand slam.  The solution was ingeniously simple:  even though it was the biggest, most ambitious film yet, he treated it essentially just like the first two he did.  By that I mean: focus on the characters (mostly Wolverine, Charles (McAvoy) and Raven, and a slightly larger ring of secondary characters - Erik (Fassbender), Charles (Stewart), Trask, etc.  Some, especially fans of the comic book, will be pissed that many have essentially cameos, but it was absolutely the right choice).  Focus on the franchise theme, with a twist (how do the mutants deal with the fact that they are different from humans, which results in constant tension - you'll just have to watch it for the twist!).  Focus on the stakes (to relationships, as well as to the world overall which this film does even better than any of the others).  Add in brilliantly executed humor and action, and you have a winner.  Now, I am stopping just short of giving this an "A+" yet because, looking back on it, there are just a few too many plot holes (most of which I passed right over in the theater because the focus is squarely on the characters, action, humor, etc.).  In a final thought, Days of Future Past pulls off the trick of providing a satisfying conclusion for the franchise while offering potential for further adventures (which I know there will be).  So, to conclude this long review:  make sure you've seen X-Men 1-3 and First Class, then go out to enjoy this phenomenal film.