There are a lot of great superhero films; The Dark Knight, The Avengers, Iron Man, Spider-Man 2, and now X-Men: Days of Future Past can be added to that list. This is a perfect superhero movie in an era filled with greats. Director of the first two X-Men films, Bryan Singer returns to direct the seventh entry in the franchise. He sets the story in the early 1970's and fills the film's atmosphere with common tropes of the time. By doing so, he makes the movie feel as though it is taking place in an altered reality, complete with its own twisted version of our country's history. Singer's film is well paced and well made. This is a well edited film too. The film's 131 minute run time never feels too short or too long. Simon Kinberg's script takes care of past continuity issues in an incredibly effective fashion. No scene ever feels unnecessary or out of place. The special effects are all terrific and the cinematography adds to the 70's feel when it has to. Bryan Singer sets a fun yet serious tone and has many characters to play with.
The time travel element of the film allows the combination of both, the cast of the original X-Men trilogy and the cast from X-Men: First Class. While he is featured prominently, Hugh Jackman's Wolverine isn't exactly the star of the show. He plays a huge role in the film, but it is a story centered on all of the prominent members of the X-Men, unlike what the trailers for the film would suggest. This is truly a team movie. Hugh Jackman is still great at playing Wolverine, a character he has been playing for fourteen years now. My favorite performance was that of James McAvoy and his take on the hopeless Professor X.
James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart
The screenplay and acting add so much depth to the character, making him somewhat of an addict, and someone who is tortured by his abilities. Sharing the role of Professor Charles Xavier is Patrick Stewart, playing the older version of the character. While he isn't in the film much, he is a staple of the franchise. His wiser professor X is someone who can bring out the best of people. Ian McKellen is a great Magneto but Michael Fassbender makes the role his own. While McKellen's Magneto sees the need for peace and unity, Fassbender's Magneto is much more aggressive in his beliefs that man and mutant cannot coexist. Michael Fassbender is terrific at playing villains and what makes him so special here is the fact that you can understand his cause. Jennifer Lawrence is a much better Mystique here than she was in her last outing as the character. The character's inner struggle with right and wrong gives the twenty-three year old, academy award winning actress much to work with. Joining the cast is Peter Dinklage as the creator of the sentinels, Dr. Bolivar Trask, who commands the screen whenever he is on it. Ellen Page was great in her small, but important supporting role as Kitty Pride. Peter Evans stole the show as Quicksilver. His comedic timing was great, he was a fun character, and had the best scene in the movie.
Peter Evans as Quicksilver
There are seven films in this universe, therefore there is a lot the audience should know going into this movie. To get the most out of the experience, I believe the audience should revisit the earlier films. Days of Future Past is an ambitious film with a lot of moving parts. It does a good job of cleaning up the mess that earlier X-Men films have made, but it also works as its own complete story.This film does benefit from multiple viewings and I encourage the audience to see it multiple times.This is a fun movie, this is a great movie, and this movie is my favorite of the year so far.
5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment