X-Men: Days of Future Past
Directed by:
Bryan SingerScreenplay:
Simon KinbergCinematography:
Newton Thomas SigelComposer:
John OttmanCast:
Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Elliot Page, Peter Dinklage, Halle Berry (more)VOD (4)
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The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods in X-Men: Days of Future Past. The characters from the original X-Men film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from X-Men: First Class in an epic battle that must change the past - to save our future. (20th Century Fox UK)
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Reviews (15)
Hollywood’s dogs and cats baked a cake where they wanted to include everything and everyone across universes, time, and space. And as a result, there is no space or time on the screen for anything or anyone. Everything is so rushed that what was the biggest strength of X-Men until now, completely vanishes. I mean the exploration of the characters, their development, their fears, their relationships with each other and the resulting emotions. Here, everyone is invariably relegated to the roles of emotionless puppets reciting big words, interrupted here and there by some mandatory blockbuster action. Moreover, the action is only there for its own sake; which doesn't mean it's bad in itself because it's not. Singer bit off more than he could chew, which is even more of a shame because now and then there is a flash of genius (mostly thanks to the cast), that shows how good it could have been if someone in charge realized that less is sometimes much more.
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Wolverine’s Life on Mars. In the context of the franchise, Days of Future Past is an admirable work of storytelling that succeeds in linking the previous Singer films to First Class and the Wolverine spin-offs by partially rewriting the history of several fictional worlds (the filmmakers managed to create a film that simultaneously opens and closes the original trilogy). As a stand-alone film for newcomers to the X-Men universe, however, it is a very problematic movie that doesn’t take time to introduce the characters, let alone explain their relationships and motivations. The more precise temporal localisation of the story and the ensuing intellectual pleasure are made possible by hints in the form of allusions, which – as in Star Trek: Into Darkness – are intended primarily for those who are already in the know. The narrative does not get its dynamics primarily from the action scenes, but rather from the relationships between characters and their (un)willingness to join a particular group (outsiders become team players and vice versa). The relationships do not exist only on the horizontal plane, but also on two different temporal planes. Different alliances are in effect on each of these levels, which forces us to constantly assess what happened between the past and the future and what could change based on what is currently happening. The clarity of communication between the past and the future is aided by the distribution of information through a limited number of the more important characters, to each of which a slightly different style and narrative tone are applied (whereas supporting characters like Kitty serve only as one-dimensional narrative devices). This change of style and tone is most striking in the chapter focusing on Quicksilver, but the varying degrees of the tragic outlook with which the situation is viewed by Wolverine and Beast on the one hand and Magneto and Xavier on the other is also readily apparent. The drawbacks of having such a large cast of characters become clear when the moment of truth arrives, but there is no time left for psychologising, as the decisive moments are condensed into emotionally tense speeches that I would rather more expect from Captain America (with which Days of Future Past shares the 1970s suspicion that the world really isn’t run by the right people). The action scenes, which don’t always contribute to the development of the plot, then come across as forced, visual dead weight and an attempt to fulfil a quota of spectacular scenes that are needed so that the film can be designated as a blockbuster. I won’t go back to Days of Future Past with the same appetite as I did in the case of First Class, which entertained me with its Bondian stylisation and well-considered introduction of new characters, but at least in order to understand and appreciate its importance for the other X-Men movies, I consider another viewing to be necessary, which is actually the best that any commercial film can hope for. 80%
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I admit that there are some shortcomings when it comes to the profiling of the characters and their interactions, where the reasons someone is doing what they are doing are not always convincingly explained. However, the film manages to be sufficiently entertaining, tense and riveting that I didn’t start thinking about those issues until I left the theatre. In the cinema it was excellent, uninterrupted fun. In short, a very pleasant time spent with old (and new) friends. I liked Evan Peters as Quicksilver, there could have been more of him, his scenes are interesting and fun. Overall, I had more fun than with the (IMHO) overrated First Class.
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I have to say for the first hour I was completely screwed and had no idea what was going on in the movie. This lasted till the end of the movie, just so I could, with a twist from the future to the past with a stop in the alternative present (which is all this instalment is about), understand that this film cancelled everything the X-Men encountered in the previous movies. Suddenly, the dead from the previous instalments were alive, the bastards were made more human and Bryan Singer created a brand new world he would happily draw from in the future. As for the fans, this movie was quite a mindfuck.
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In the case of this film, The Rogue Cut is absolutely crucial, or if Anna Paquin is not in it, then I’m not interested. The result of this change is a distinctly compact work that will engage and not offend even comic book readers. It almost seemed that this old (by today's standards) franchise was over, but now it has gained a second wind and is boldly competing with The Avengers. Rogue nostalgia and the return of characters like Phoenix made me feel better. Of the new characters, Quicksilver got to everyone, while the one in The Avengers was downright lukewarm (even though he had his sister by his side). Well, I'm going to have to watch it again soon.
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