While Marvel and DC comics grapple endlessly with one another for domination of film’s superhero genre, it’s extremely refreshing when a third-party challenger emerges and swiftly sweeps aside its veteran brethren. Since Marvel churns out movie after movie featuring its cinematic universe, and DC helplessly scrambles to catch up, it’s easy to forget that 20th Century Fox still possesses a franchise or two of its own. However, while perhaps not quite as widely popular as their brothers, these film franchises are truly a force to be reckoned with, as evidenced by the wonderful X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Although the X-Men franchise (technically a Marvel series, but still not within the Disney-Marvel universe) has produced several blockbuster hits over the last several years, they have traditionally taken a backseat to other superhero films. Recently, the franchise has been utterly lambasted for its poor acting, directing and especially its relatively questionable writing. Sporting a far less cohesive universe, inconsistent characters, bad plots and more than a few technical issues, the recent X-Men films have been miles behind their competition in terms of overall quality — until recently.
Days of Future Past works as a very cleverly written continuity reset for the series, serving at once to correct for writing mistakes in the previous films. The film’s revived approach invites new fans into the series by offering a fresh start. Borrowing heavily from influences such as the popular Terminator franchise, Days of Future Past is an immensely pleasing and enjoyable film for both newcomers and comic film veterans alike.
The film opens during an ongoing struggle between the general populace of Earth and mutants, humans born with various superpowers and who are ostracized as a result of these powers. After the assassination of a scientist named Bolivar Trask at the hands of the shapeshifting mutant Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) in the 1970s, death machines known as “Sentinels” relentlessly hunt down mutants for the sole purpose of exterminating them. Facing extinction, the last remaining members of the X-Men, a superhero team comprised of mutants, formulate a plan to send one of their own, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back to the 1970s in order to prevent the assassination from taking place and, in doing so, save the mutants from extermination. Sporting his trademark metal claws and a chip on his shoulder, Wolverine reunites with many former comrades in the past and once again takes up arms to create a better future for them all.
The film certainly takes a heavy risk with its overall premise. Typically, when time travel becomes involved, a movie can very quickly lose its audience and create numerous continuity issues. Furthermore, this plot device oftentimes is used as a cop-out and a cure-all method to propel events in a specified manner. In combination, time travel tends to both confuse newcomers and upset veterans.
Admittedly, Days of Future Past certainly straddles this fine line very precariously and draws on numerous instances from prior films to propel itself forward. However, the very clever writing of the film successfully subverts this problem and creates a cohesive and powerful time travel story not unlike James Cameron’s Terminator 2. Some very clever directing choices on Bryan Singer’s part manage to weave the many interlocking stories of the film together into a beautifully cohesive whole. A superhero film like this hasn’t successfully handled such a sheer plot within its runtime since The Dark Knight. Days of Future Past does so with flying colors.
Nevertheless, the movie’s storytelling is not without its faults. As much as the film tries to be user-friendly to audiences, its constant throwbacks to events in previous films may prove to be a bit jarring to uninitiated audiences. Also, despite the film’s admirable job in handling the time travel issue, it does sometimes feel as though the film draws too heavily on instances from prior films.
A comparison to Terminator 2 has already been made, and it is certainly an apt one. Days of Future Past sports several sequences that seem to reflect Cameron’s masterwork almost shot-for-shot. While not an enormous issue, it does cost the film some points in the originality department.
The film’s action and fights are what one would expect of a big-budget-blowout action film, coming with its usual sets of pros and cons. While excellently choreographed (or CGI generated), the film does suffer from some elements of shaky camera and poor camera angles during key action moments, making it a bit difficult to determine what is going on.
Beyond just the writing of the film, however, the film also offers excellent acting with an assortment of performances assured to please both newcomers to the franchise and those returning from films long past. Hugh Jackman was born to play the grizzly but dedicated Wolverine, returning to the role for the seventh time in the franchise. It’s difficult to imagine another actor taking on the guise of the iconic hero. While fans may worry about Jackman’s aptitude for this role, particularly after his dismal showings in some of the more recent franchise films, rest assured such fears can be ignored. Jackman plays his role with vigor and power, crafting the image of a war-torn hero who’s clearly ravaged by the horrid circumstances of his time.
In fact, many actors from the three classic X-Men films return, including Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, each of whom offer a wonderful return to form. The actors capture each character’s distinct personality with love and care.
The film also sports its share of newcomers, among them most notably Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy. While it is often dangerous to place two actors playing different versions of the same character together within a film, these actors deserve accolades for their work. It takes absolutely no effort to believe that the younger crowd from the 1970s plot line grows into the older crowd in the future. Each actor plays off not only each other, but also their own character well into the future, allowing the two timelines to blend even more cohesively together. It’s excellent from all perspectives, from acting, to effects, to directing, and the film deserves endless praise for its efforts.
While certainly not obscure enough to be considered a dark horse film of the summer, Days of Future Past offers an excellent superhero alternative for audiences tired of waiting for the next Marvel movie to be released. Sporting excellence in writing, acting and effects, the film serves as a perfect gateway film for new and old audiences alike. If you’ve never been on board with the X-Men before, this film is definitely a perfect way to give the franchise a try.
Overall rating: 4/5
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