‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’: Does it Deliver?
If you’re wondering just how Disney is going to jam EVERY STAR WARS CHARACTER EVER into episode seven, then you should get out of your seat (after reading this) and check out the massive ensemble blockbuster-to-be X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Director Brian Singer jams nearly all of the mutants from the past films, including X-Men: First Class, back into a film that borrows a little from Terminator 2 and a little from Inception to make the formula work out just right. So, yes, that’s two Professor Xs vying against two Magnetos and two Mystiques, not to mention that Wolverine is tasked with joining the two different story lines. Sound overwhelming? Well, it is, but in the best way possible.
This is a movie that follows solid logic, builds upon the past films, and balances a bleak future with a campy past. Hugh Jackman is the best Wolverine he has ever been and clearly has not slacked in the gym when preparing for this film.
And the best news? Although you will need to see X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: First Class to fully enjoy this installment, when the credits roll, Brett Ratner’s ill-fated attempt at “The Dark Phoenix Saga” has been erased. That’s right. Singer’s biggest contribution to the franchise was flinging Rattner’s work into the waste bin of continuity.
I give it 3 out of 4 stars, just because I think a comic book film should be more self-contained than expecting you to watch a whole bunch of other films first. But it’s great. Super fun. And your friends will forgive you if you drag them to it a couple more times before it leaves the big screen.
Notes:
The movie makes heavy use of camera motion forward and back, so if you want to really experience the layers, pop for the 3D. It’s not mandatory, but much better than The Wolverine, which was flatter than the Kansas road near the Kent Farm.
The post-credit scene was a waste. I know some people felt it was a great tease. Not me. It was nothing like Captain America being recruited by Nick Fury and somehow even less thrilling than either of the two sequences in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. You might not want to walk out before seeing it — just don’t get your hopes up either.
