IMDb Synopsis: X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
The X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants.
DOFP is a sequel, prequel and mash-up, bringing together both the original trilogy of movies started by director Bryan Singer back in 2001 as well as the younger cast gleefully introduced in their ’60s heyday by Matthew Vaughn back in 2011. Based on one of the most popular X-Men comic book storylines, the film opens in an apocalyptic future finding most of humanity and the mutant population either slaughtered or enslaved by Sentinels, killing machines originally engineered to contain the mutant threat but having long exceeded their original remit.
How did this future come about? The murder of the Sentinels’ creator, Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) by Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) was deemed the focal point. His death ushered in a huge wave of anti-mutant sentiment and ensured government approval of the Sentinel program. A handful of mutant survivors devise a way to prevent the Sentinel uprising from ever happening. By sending Wolverine’s (Hugh Jackman) consciousness back into his 1973 body they hope to prevent the assassination and reshape their future. Wolverine is tasked with engaging a broken Xavier (James McAvoy), breaking Magneto (Michael Fassbender) out of prison, and uniting them to stop Mystique.
Time travel, different casts, different generations; there is a lot to juggle. But it is balanced and delivered in a very coherent, clever manner. Having to switch between the different times and casts allows (for the most part) a great momentum. Action is liberally present throughout, drawing from the two timestreams to keep things moving. You don’t get much time to overly question the use or effects of time travel, which is often the best way to use it.
What is truly refreshing is the break from dark superhero films, with DOFP taking full advantage of is ’70s setting. Wolverine waking up on a waterbed sets the tone and it is one that imbues the film with style and chicness. Despite its dark themes and possible future, the film is fun, retro, and very entertaining. Spliced in ’70s footage only adds to the authentic air, as do pop culture references littered throughout. It’s setting and playfulness allows all involved to have a little fun, and that’s probably the best way to describe DOFP. While not as grounded or solidly realized as the Marvel cinematic universe, it presents something unique enough to separate itself from the pack.
DOFP is filled with mutants from the past and the future casts, and some get plenty of time to shine, in particular the younger Xavier and Magneto. Lawrence has a surprising amount of screentime as Mystique, getting to kick some ass in scenes reminiscent of Nightcrawler’s White House incursion in X2. But as a character lacking menace, she probably gets more screen time than she should have. Hugh Jackman is Wolverine; it’s a second skin now and his character and wit are key to the film. But for all this packed in, a lot of characters are overlooked. Notably, Storm and the elder Magneto (Sir Ian McKellan himself) get minimal dialogue and screentime. The pairing of Stewart and McKellan is always welcome and imbues the film with a lot of heart and weight. DOFP feels like a crossover event, filled with respect and sentimentality, which is sure to please fans. Special mention must be made for Quicksilver (Evan Peters). A character subjected to much ridicule when promotional pictures were released, he actually turns out to be one of the best additions, and his part in Magneto’s jailbreak is both technically impressive and hilarious.
What the use of the two casts does is show how stale the Singer generation had become and how engaging the first class is. Granted, having seen these older characters in so many outings does make their slaughter and woes in the future carry a lot of weight, and the final battle where Wolverine struggles to prevent it ever happening is particularly wrenching. The ending of DOFP does reset a number of things and bring us full circle back to the original cast. I hope it was for a fond farewell rather than Singer paving the way for future adventures. It is better they pursue the fresher, younger generation (which by all accounts is true). Roll on to the ’80s, I say!
So, being a Bryan Singer movie, there are flaws. Firstly, this apocalyptic, death camp future is not as well realized as it could have been. The ’70s aesthetic is far more effectively realized and only serves to highlight how the future is just a grim, dimly lit place with a few purple lights. It doesn’t help that as you begin to settle into this bland, dark vision of the future, it is jarringly punctuated by glossy, clunky credits. After Singer is finally done with 3D twirling DNA helices, they get back into things. It is a perfect example of how Singer can often place style over substance and narrative.
The cast are largely great; Dinklage does well but his character is given little real motivation. He sells that Trask genuinely wants to protect America but the extremes to which he is willing to go hint at something more that is never solidified or effectively conveyed. The other character issue that does harm the film is the brooding nature of the young Charles Xavier, after the outcome of X-Men: First Class. Halfway through the film his melancholy gets the best of him and he needs a pep talk from both Wolverine and his future self. It is rather touching (and necessary), but its execution does bog down the film just as it was really building up steam and leaves it lacking momentum for a while after. Likewise his love for Raven/Mystique seems somewhat contrived. And the use of mutation as a metaphor for civil rights is not as well realized as his past ventures.
The ending is very well paced, juxtaposing the two different times, each reaching their climax with efforts moving in parallel to each other. Wolverine is only back in time while connection is maintained in the future; if it is broken the timeline will be fixed. The tangible link between the two times is a clever device to really heighten tension. This impressive buildup is undermined by completely out of character choices for Magneto. I will not spoil the endgame but there was a way to achieve his goals through a more covert manipulation of proceedings rather than the path he takes. Magneto is smarter than that and the writers could have engineered a far better resolution, perhaps one which laid down the X-Men uniting for the first time to better pave a path to the next movie.
X-Men: Days of Future Past is ambitious in story and scope and actually manages to pull it together in not just a coherent and engaging way, but even in a fun way. Singer effectively bridges the two generations of X-Men films well and pays respect to each. The talented cast are used to great effect and the largely ’70s setting give it a sense of style little seen in other superhero movies. It’s not perfect, but Singer has stepped up his game and delivered his best film since X2. Time heals all wounds (cough X3 cough), even bad cinematic ones seemingly (and in this case literally, with how the film ends). And that’s the best thing about Days of Future Past: it’s a massive middle finger to Brett Ratner, and what is there not to like about that?