Starting out in 2023, in a world plagued by robot monstrosities called 'Sentinels', mutant kind has been hunted to near extinction. Most of the X-Men are dead, and the others are fighting to remain alive. Xavier (Patrick Stewart/ James McAvoy) and Magneto (Ian McKellen/ Michael Fassbender) send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) into the past in order to change the future. His conscious projected back into 1973, Wolverine must find and stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) who's actions are responsible for the devastating future they are in. Peter Dinklage, Nicholas Hoult and Halle Berry co-star.
You've got to hand it to Bryan Singer, the director of the film. Surely directing a film that is a prequel and sequel all in one must be horrendously difficult? Yet he manages to pull it off with seeming ease, and to great effect. Whilst the topic of time travel can prove to be extremely confusing, Singer minimises the amount of confusion by focusing on the main characters. Wolverine, Xavier, and Magneto. The jumping about between time periods is also limited. This makes Days of Future Past an exciting time travel experience without the confusion. A perfect balance.
X-Men: Days of Future Past introduces new mutants into the X-Men. Many of these are really very exciting, with awesome super powers. One of these is Blink, a mutant with the ability to teleport and create portals. These new characters breathe new life into the X-Men franchise. However, Singer may not have exploited these characters to the best of his ability. It feels almost as though these new characters were thrown into the film in hopes that they would make the combat scenes cool. Which, undoubtedly, they did. They did not, however, adopt individual identities, and seemed almost like a part of the background. Once again, the cast performed brilliantly. Jackman did his usual thing and acted the part of Wolverine flawlessly. In addition to this, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen make the film brilliant just by being in it. After all, they have recently taken control of the internet with their antics. And just to top it all off, the much loved Jennifer Lawrence reminds us all why she is so popular with her spectacular portrayal of Mystique.
The action scenes are amazingly put together, and terrific to behold. However, despite these fast paced, action packed moments, there are also many slow moments. These do drag a little bit, and can sometimes leave you waiting for something exciting to happen. There isn't as much adrenaline fuelled action as there is in other Marvel films. Days of Future Past doesn't keep you on the edge of your seat as much as recent Marvel projects such as Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It should be noted, however, that these slower paced moments are absolutely necessary in order to develop the sometimes complex plot. They add to the story of the film.X-Men: Days of Future Past is a brilliant, entertaining film. A massive leap forward from The Last Stand. Well done Marvel.
