X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

X-Men: Days of Future Past unfolds when the X-Men send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back in time, with the help of Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) who can send a person’s consciousness into the past, to unite the X-Men and change history in order to prevent Sentinel robots being created – as in the future, these Sentinel Robots are exterminating mutants and human alike.

Overall Review Score

8 out of 10

Review

X-Men Days of Future Past is based on the 1981 X-Men comic storyline Days of the Future Past by Chris Claremont and John Byrne and is the seventh instalment of the X-Men franchise, serving as a sequel to both X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and X-Men: First Class (2011). While the films storyline can seem a bit confusing, on paper, as it revolves around Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) being sent back in time to the 1970's to unite Professor X and Magneto in order to prevent Mystique (Jeniffer Lawrenece) from killing the inventor of the Sentinels Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage). As this action / assassination not only leads to Mystique being captured and her DNA being used to help the Sentinels adapt to atatcks, but also leads to the Sentinels being authorised against Mutants and Humans. In reality, director Bryan Singer manages to avoid the film being confusing by separating the past from the future through two unique set-designs that sees the future depicted as dark and cold and the past as more light and energetic. Away from the script, the films all-star cast, which includes actors from both the original X-Men trilogy and the later Last Stand and First Class, namely: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Ian McKellan, Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy, put on solid performances and their on-screen chemistry is a joy to watch. They manage to display the right levels of emotion, intellect and humour at the right moments to make Days of Future Past an enjoyable viewing experience. The films mesmerising special effects, memorable one-liners, and mind-blowing new mutants including Quick Silver (Evan Peters) whom instantaneously connects with the audience, due to his lackadaisical attitude and comedic overtures, further enhance this. Overall, the cast and crew should be proud of X-Men Days of Future Past as it is a fresh, revitalising take on the X-Men franchise that will effortlessly please the audience through its big action set pieces, organic humour, and fast-paced script. It is a film that will be difficult to improve upon and will be talked about long after the credits have rolled.

Reviewer 1's score & comments:

Score: 8 out of 10

Comments:

X-Men Days of Future Past arrives bearing the full weight of expectations from the franchise. Thankfully the film lives up to these expectations and delivers a truly remarkable film that kept me entertained for its 126 minute run time, due to its unique and compelling storyline, fabulous acting by the main cast and some really enticing special effects.

Reviewer 2's score & comments:

Score: 8 out of 10

Comments:

X-Men Days of Future Past is a solid sci-fi action adventure that blends special effects with a good script to create an entertaining and enjoyable film. However, with that said, it does suffer in two places – one more serious than the other. Firstly, the serious one, its 126-minute run time felt excessively long, the first 30 minutes of the film could have easily been condensed to save time by about the 56 minute mark I was relieved the film’s momentum picked up as the dialogue heavy front end, while interspersed with sci-fi action set pieces, had me slowly nodding off. Secondly, while the film was based on the premise of time or rather than notion of whether by altering the past you can change the future as outlined by Professor Xavier’s line “Countless choices define our fate: each choice, each moment, a moment in the ripple of time. Enough ripples, and you change the tide... for the future is never truly set.” I felt it missed a golden opportunity, as it failed to get “the days of future past” into a sentence. While it would have been cheesy, the film could have easily pulled it off – especially when Wolverine and Professor X are talking at the end of the film – and as a result, the voiceover at the end of the film feels somewhat naked without it. However, despite these two points, Days of Future Past was a pleasure to watch, it is worth watching and will leave the audience eager for more.

#jamesmcavoy #hughjackman #patrickstewart #ianmckellen #michaelfassbender #jenniferlawrence #action #adventure #scifi #halleberry