The cover of The Uncanny X-Men comic book, issue no. 141.X-Men: Days of Future Past
Certified: 12A
Duration: 131 minutes
Directed: Bryan Singer
Starring: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Patrick Stewart, Michael Fassbender, Ian McKellen, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, Nicholas Hoult, Kelsey Grammer, Peter Dinklage, Shawn Ashmore, Omar Sy
KRS release
The classic storyline Days of Future Past of the Marvel Comics book The Uncanny X-Men, issues 141 and 142, written and drawn by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, is here given the cinematic treatment.
I remember reading and rereading these comic books as a child and feeling like I was reading something unique each time.
The comics have changed a lot in the transition to the screen but director Bryan Singer has managed to keep the spirit and the feel intact and his approach to the X-Men universe is spot on: concise and direct, dramatic and funny. This film more than stands out above the pack and manages to be a truly original movie.
As a rule, the X-Men are a trickier sort of superhero team to bring to the screen than The Avengers, due to the fact that they are mutants, there are so many of them and they tackle complex issues.
However, this film is fun and serious at the same time as is evidenced by the way Singer treats the material, the time travel involved and the way he enjoys playing with past and future versions of the same heroes.
In the future the world is under the thumb of the Sentinels, giant mutant hunters who have either killed most of the mutants or imprisoned the remaining mutants and the humans who have allied themselves with them.
In the comic books, the future Kitty Pryde was sent back to the past in telepathic mode in order to avert an assassination that would trigger this dystopian future. Here, this role is given to Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) who returns to the 1970s to find a Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) who is nowhere near the peak of his powers and who is brooding over his loss to Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and losing Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from his side. The latter is soon at the centre of attention when she becomes involved in the assassination attempt of Dr Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) who created the Sentinels. Thus Wolverine will need the help of Magneto, with the only problem being that he is kept prisoner in the Pentagon.
Days of Future Past is rich in characterisation and on the action side but without engaging in all the wholesale destruction of modern-day Hollywood action movies.
A very exciting and satisfying film that makes me salivate for the inevitable sequel
Singer has mastered the mutant action sequences, something which is an improvement over the first two films of the franchise. Another asset for the film is the way the past and future storylines are edited seamlessly together to keep the tension going even when the movie starts adding layers of complexity.
The result is a very solid movie that has a unique Back to the Future vibe that really sits well. In addition, it brings together well-known faces and lesser known ones.
In its essence the X-Men’s strong point are its characters which here are handled deftly. The fact that this movie works with all the characters involved makes it quite a minor cinematic miracle in its own right.
Days of Future Past builds on the first two X-Men movies and the First Class X-Men movie while at the same time ignoring the third X-Men film. It has some really memorable scenes, not the least of which is the breakout scene which sees the character of Quicksilver hog the spotlight.
Another interesting aspect is how well the X-Men and the Mutant universe have been melded with history as we know it to produce a very tangible and realistic world on screen. The result is a very exciting and satisfying film that makes me salivate for the inevitable sequel. There has to be another one right?