X-Men: Days of Future Past review

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I'm something of an X-Men novice, so be aware that I won't be able to fully appreciate this. That said, here are my thoughts on the newest X-Men film.


Days of Future Past takes place after First Class, starring a cast comprising mainly of Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Charles Xavier (James McAvoy/Patrick Stewart), Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto (Michael Fassbender/Ian McKellen),  Raven Darkhölme/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), a young Hank McCoy/Beast (Nicholas Hoult), in addition to a number of other minor characters. The story involves Logan going back in time to prevent the event that causes the creation of the Sentinels, robots in the Marvel universe that target mutants.

Of course, some familiarity with the X-Men universe would be beneficial prior to watching the film, but for those that don't have that, there is enough information included to catch you up. That said, the start of the film may be a bit rocky for those who haven't watched the previous films, as the film doesn't spend much time setting up its characters. Some characters are quickly understood, while some more inconsequential ones have their biggest scenes reliant on you being attached to them before going in. As such, a relative newcomer might not be as invested in their scenes.

This is the only place where the movie's continuity-driven narrative actively harms it, though, as it's still highly engaging despite how much of it pulls from its predecessors. Fans may enjoy this even more than I did, but the movie doesn't let that drag it down. Once the initial confusion is passed, the narrative almost immediately becomes quite gripping, successfully building up investment through its characters and the stakes at hand, while being very well paced to have payoff at the perfect moments.

As a time-travel story, there's obviously gonna be some confusion if you think too heavily about it. There are unaddressed paradoxes, but few time-travel stories can function without allowing for some of those. Much of the best elements of Days of Future Past, however, are related to the character development. Young Xavier in particular develops quite a bit in the movie, and although young Erik winds up rejecting his character potential, his given motivations are still compelling.

The acting is excellent, with the new actors managing to match the established calibre of the established mainstays. Jackman in the lead role is pitch-perfect as Wolverine as always, and Lawrence gives an expectedly great performance as Raven, while McAvoy, Fassbender, and Hoult give performances that fit their characters and complement the regulars. Even the smaller roles are given effective performances at minimum.

Finally, the action. The effects in this film are definitely indicative of its budget, but the art direction on display here is also impressive. The direction of the fight scenes makes effective use of the computer graphics, and doesn't necessarily resort to big-scale destruction-though some of that is present later in the film. Akin to last year's The Wolverine, fights tend to be more traditional in scale, involving man-on-man fights that are based more around the actual fight than the collateral damage. The result is some very watchable and entertaining fights.

In the end, Days of Future Past is a great addition to this franchise, and one that will delight fans and entertain non-fans. It's aware of its target demographic, but it doesn't prevent others from enjoying it, and that is always a good thing.

8/10