The screen opens to a mismatch of distorted figures incarcerated by flames. As the audience catches their first glimpse of the heinous, mind-bending sentinels, who have become the arch nemesis of humans and mutants alike, we watch with bated breath as these sentinels decimate the few remaining mutants and smash any hope of a sequel to smithereens..
Let’s be frank, X-Men is a phenomenal series based on the widely successful Marvel graphic novels. It has been incredibly successful commercially, and it’s not difficult to see why. Marvel’s ‘multiverse’ allows for an array of linked films and T.V series to co-exist beautifully along with other super heroes past and present.
X-Men: Days of Future Past certainly served to pique interest at the tantalizing possibility of uniting members of the old X-Men cast with the new.
This latest X-Men offering actually serves as a sequel to both X-Men: First Class and X-Men: The Last Stand, which means the pressure was on to find a director who could bring this vision to life.
As one of the highest grossing franchises of all time one might ask, can X-Men do any wrong? Well some certainly thought so.
Fans accross the world have been questioning the suitability of Brian Singer for the choice role as X-Men Days of Future Past’s director. Reasoning included a lack of confidence in his ability to shoot a true action sequence, especially as this film was shot in 3-D and converted in post production.
Needless to say Singer did a tremendous job amalgamating the now famous Marvel characters, such as Storm played by (Halle Berry), Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Magneto (Sir Ian McKellen) and Professor X (Patrick Stewart) with newer cast members, such as the enigmatic Michael Fassbender and the charismatic James McAvoy.
Dr. Bolivar Trask, played by the wonderful Peter Dinklage is a scientist who believes that human beings will soon be eradicated by mutants in the next phase of evolution. Because of this he dedicates himself to a life’s work of studying mutants and performing terrible experiments in order to understand their mutations.
Bolivar is relentlessly pursued by Mystique (played by Jennifer Lawrence, Hunger Games) for his crimes but he manages to obtain Mystique’s genome and weaponize it, leading to the future dystopian sentinels, who have the ability to mimic any mutation and thus are nearly invincible.
Fast forward 50 years, the few remaining mutants are fighting valiantly for their survival, Professor X in a last ditch attempt to save his fellow mutants, devises a plan to send Wolverine back to 1973, the year Trask created the weaponized sentinels, to change the series of events.
Between Wolverine’s rugged charm, Fassbender and McAvoy’s boyish relationship and a soul-searching Mystique, X-Men manages to save the day yet again.
Am I sick of seeing that happen? No, not at all, I say bring it on the sequel. Singer made X-Men Days of Future Past, funny, warm and inviting while still managing to retain a level of tension and excitement that one would associate with a fast-paced action film and stay true to the X-Men franchise.
The film in a nutshell is a job well done. It truly is an X-Men film made for the franchise’s fan base, fully equipped with little quips that a die hard fan would appreciate while still remaining enjoyable for everyone. X-Men Days of Future Past, gets a resounding thumbs up from me, have you seen it? Feel free to comment below.
To Buy: X-Men: Days of Future Past
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