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)
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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Do not be fooled by the high rating of the X-Men enthusiasts. They would give it 5 stars even if Fassbender and McAvoy competed to see who could eat more oysters in an hour, with Jackman as the referee. Everyone foolishly thought that Bryan Singer's return would be a return of the king, but the opposite is true. He destroyed the fantastically polished retro First Class, which was sharp, smart, and expertly handled with subtly effective action. This sequel tries to utilize this inventive style and build upon it, but it fails miserably in the dramatic sequences (boring, devoid of emotions), as well as in the action scenes, where it can only manage a slow-motion scene like in The Matrix and a flashy destruction scene with Magneto, which is a complete copycat from the previous installment and is quite obvious at that. The plot twists and turns are uninteresting and convoluted just to fit everything together. Essentially, the film has nothing to offer. It's not completely boring, visually it fits well, and there is an attempt at mythology. And in the end, I was much more afraid of the time jumping.
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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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The new X-Men will disappoint especially those who hope that Singer will pick up exactly where he left off, i.e., that after years he will again make a film that will improve on the genre of comic films. Times have changed, and so have Xavier's boys. The series has clear rules, poetics that it supplements easily rather than develops rapidly (as was the case with the groundbreaking X2). It can be said that Singer is merging the old and the new world. Of course, unlike Vaughn, his retro isn't that light-footed, and yet it has a great energy in places. In fact, it only fails in the finale, which falls asleep instead of escalating. Other objections include the fact that Days of Future Past only repeats what we have seen several times, fails to progress the characters (with the exception of Mystique, who is unexpectedly active and important, and she is simply no longer "an object of the professors' wills"... I still have to ask, whose perverted idea was it to make Jennifer Lawrence a symbol of Hollywood emancipation?... nevermind), whilst rather sketches the new characters and uses them as a bearers of interesting action skills. The fact is, however, that Singer focuses entirely on the central characters (Charles, Erik and Logan). Watching the new crew is ballbusting, as both McAvoy and Fassbender are full of energy, cynicism and inner drama. Particularly young Magneto bends space-time towards him uncompromisingly. The old men are more like pitied and melancholic characters. In addition, I completely failed to decipher how they relate to the original trilogy (especially Charles). Another continuum? Maybe. In the end, Days of Future Past is not a riveting act of the "builder of worlds", but for the most part great maintenance of the poetics of the series, its anchor and at the same time a restart. And it is only slightly worse than First Classs. After it ended, I thoughtfully wondered whether the times when similar comic films had redefined the complex relationship between blockbuster and reality are behind us. The gap between the X-Men, Batman, and the formerly frivolous escapists is beginning to be closed on a tolerable compromise that has a certain edge, but at the same time does not irritate in the slightest and does not explore new territories as intensively as a few years ago. Time will tell. [75%]
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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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