[Movie Review] X-Men: Days of Future Past exceeds expectations

 

X-Men of the future. (IMDB)
X-Men of the future. (IMDB)

Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? YES!!!

Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? Yes!

Secret ending? Yes.

Running time: 131 minutes (~2 hours)

“X-Men: Days of Future Past” is a superhero movie in the X-Men franchise, starring the cast from both the original trilogy and 2011’s “X-Men: First Class.” The story revolves around a time travel plot that holds the fate of all mutants at stake. It stars Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Patrick Stewart (old Professor X), James McAvoy (young Professor X), Ian McKellen (old Magneto), Michael Fassbender (young Magneto), Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique), Halle Berry (Storm), and Peter Dinklage (Bolivar Trask).

Bolivar Trask develops the Sentinels. (IMDB)
Bolivar Trask develops the Sentinels. (IMDB)

Of course I think this is an amazing movie, both as a Marvel fan and as a scriptwriter. And the highlights are, in particular:

Professor X & Magneto’s interactions

There’s just so much to watch and compare whenever they interact, whether it be the young or old ones. What is left unspoken, all the layers of subtext, and the nonverbal communications make their performances a treat to watch. And there’s so much comparison between their interactions when they’re young, and when they’re old. There’s just so much regret, pain, and friendship between these two (figurative) brothers that you truly wonder – what would the world be like if they stood united (but not in the X2 way lah).

Merging of the two different styles of previous X-Men movies

First and foremost is, of course, the colour correction – the darker, slicker, moodier blues of the first three X-Men movies, and the brighter, warmer, more innocent yellows of First Class. And it’s used to great effect to support the workings of the plot and the situations the X-Men find themselves in. Just as the bleak future represents a dystopian eternity, the mutable past represents a hope for a better age, and the two different styles enhance the thematic visuals of either time period.

Magneto enters the battlefield. (IMDB)
Magneto enters the battlefield. (IMDB)

A large cast that doesn’t feel bloated

It is a big cast. Wiki the movie and you’ll see a huge string of names. But unlike X3, you don’t get the feeling that some characters are there just for the sake of a cameo or to pander to fans. Each character has a legitimate reason to be there, and a satisfying amount of screentime is given to them. It helps that they are in two different time periods, but it’s not overstuffed with one minute appearances. The multiple characters are handled very well, in this respect.

Action

Sentinels, lasers blasts, psychic powers, magnetic fields, explosions – the film truly delivers on the action where appropriate. Even if you just saw this as the run of the mill action flick, it would deeply satisfy your contemporary fantasy needs. There’s also melee combat choreography, so it’s not all just CGI pew pew pew!

Emotion

Similarly, even without all the action and explosions, it’s a legitimate story of heartbreak, hope, and healing. And the key to all this is forgiveness, redemption, and the willingness to let oneself be hurt again. The heart is capable of great pain, but with this risk comes the possibility of great happiness as well. And that’s what X-Men: Days of Future Past is all about.

Professor X must convince himself to save the world. (IMDB)
Professor X must convince himself to save the world. (IMDB)

It’s a fantastic movie, but it’s not perfect. What flaws were there that marred its potential perfection?

Young Magneto feels underutilised

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Michael Fassbender’s performance as young Magneto, don’t get me wrong. But he feels more like a plot device in the movie, rather than a rounded character that pushes the plot forward. You can see where all this is going and what it is setting up. But given the events of the movie, his character’s arc feels rather artificially constructed, if not mechanically sound.

Bolivar Trask has no satisfying resolution

And given how much focus was on him, his fate was revealed in the most token way possible. He has no real character development to speak of – and in a movie where character growth is placed in such prominence, the juxtaposition makes his lack of change or awareness very stark.

Professor X hesitates before Cerebro. (IMDB)
Professor X hesitates before Cerebro. (IMDB)

Ultimately, I liked this movie very much. It wasn’t just an action flick, it was a movie about a heartbroken young man who must learn to love again or the world will be destroyed. It was an emotional, inspirational film which calls out to a generation who is just as uncertain of the future, just as in dire need of hope, and just as in need of love as the main characters are.

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