X-Men: Days of Future Past

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. (22/05/2014)

Time travel means paradoxes and cracks in space, agency, and logic. I can fault it for the fact that it disrespectfully kicks its older brethren in the balls from its position as a successor to the original trilogy, and it does so with the conscious vigor that Matthew Vaughn and Bryan Singer brought back to the franchise last time, and from the relieved position of the spiritual father, rewrites the universe in the way we adored him for a decade ago, letting the superheroes talk rather than drawing swords from their wrists. It has the support of the actors, with Jackman cracking one-liners, Fassbender staring stubbornly, and McAvoy forgetting to shave his beard. Yet they work with complete certainty, turning a complicated script into a blockbuster joy that multiplies in every additional action scene (albeit that one is really hard to top). I actually do have one major complaint about it: I wanted more of the old group. But you can't stop the (r)evolution. 4 ½. (27/05/2014)

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. (24/05/2014)

Bryan Singer's return to the Gifted Youngsters was eagerly awaited by the whole film world, and the feeling you get when the universes of X:Men: First Class and the classic adventures intermingle onscreen is relatively unmatched when it comes to sending chills down your spine. There's no denying that this mouthful was a truly enormous one, and thanks to the participation of virtually all surviving mutants, the X-Men: Days of Future Past grows into a truly epic event. Therefore, a running time of just over two hours is actually pitifully little for such a fateful combination. There is a heap of important events, heartbreaking speeches, and moments that will have a solid place in the entire saga, but precisely because of everything that needs to happen, there is no room for a proper break. It either requires another screening or, if possible, a more sprawling director's cut, which would have a real chance of becoming the best mutant spectacle. So far, it stands at hesitant 90%, which mainly saddens me because young Magneto has a somewhat conflicting role and behavioral shifts (not consistent with his character, for example, in X-Men 2), and I still don't know if Trask was even a villain. On the other hand, the emphasis on the development of Mystique is a pleasant surprise, as is the fact that Charles Xavier's rock bottom feels perfectly natural. And why does it still end up getting five stars in the end? The ending. For a person who has seen most of the installments several times and still worships the first X-Men as one of the best comic book movie franchises ever, the feeling of (semi)closure of one chapter is so poignant that I would forgive much more than just a few loose ends. (02/06/2014)

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. (31/07/2015)