For the first time since X2 (X-Men United), Brian Singer returns to the franchise and promises to give us one for the books with X-Men: Days of Future Past. Does this film hold up to the hype? Goodness yes! And I say that with enthusiasm and satisfaction.
The reason why this film is so monumental is for the same reason The Avengers was: this was the big crossover film where all characters from each previous movie were included and relevant.
Like The Avengers, X-Men does a great job balancing out screen time, and making everyone seem relevant and significant. The pacing is quick and to-the-point, and characters are all memorable. It was a big worry that Wolverine would be forged as the centerpiece of the film, but I am glad to say that is not true. Wolverine is the medium through which the audience views the events, but the true centerpieces of the film are young Professor X and Mystique.
Like any good comic book film, action scenes are memorable. The opening sequence is reminiscent of the climactic battle in Thor: the Dark World, and I say that with the greatest respect to both.
Like any good X-Men story (film or comic book), the villains are fascinating. There are multiple villains in this film and each is understandable. There are no black/white bad guys and clear answers. Each villain has legitimate motivation no matter how violent their plan is. To me, the greatest villains are the ones where I can shamefully agree with, and this movie has that.
What gives this movie the satisfaction level it has is it’s ending.
SPOILER (kind of): Anyone who knows the X-Men franchise knows how X-Men: The Last Stand is universally hated for its unpopular decisions and deaths. The ending of this film erases all of that. All things you didn’t like are now undone. All time inconsistencies and plot holes have been reduced to a clean slate. And when a certain character walked in at the final moments, I had no shame screaming the “F” word in a sold out theatre. The ending alone is worth the ticket price.
I recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in a thriller with characters who you can invest in. Like Winter Soldier, it’s not just a good comic book film; it is a great film in general.
There is, in fact, word floating around involving a Best Picture Nomination (of course we need to finish off the year to know for sure). Just make sure you see the previous films in the serious. Ditch the Wolverine films, all you need are X-Men, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, and X-Men: First Class. Enjoy!
