X-Men: Days of Future Past Review

X-Men: Days of Future Past Review

Before we start the review, I think it's important to address the super-powered elephant in the room. Yes, the sexual assault allegations made against director Brian Singer are heinous. No, they in no way affect my opinion on his new film. 

I love X-Men. I've grown up on the first two and they mean a lot to me. X2, along with Star Wars, is the movie that got me interested in the art of film. Which is why I'm glad to announce that X-Men: Days of Future Past is not only one of the best films of the year, but one of the best comic book movies of all time. It's no Dark Knight, more Hellboy II...

The film, based on the Chris Claremont comic of the same name, follows The X-Men, as they send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants. If the film was in the hands of, say, Brett Ratner (the worst human being in the history of terrible human beings) we could have ended up with an unfocused and rushed disappointment. Luckily, Singer holds a clear artistic vision and his experience with and passion for the material is evident in every frame. What we're left with is a morally complex and thematically rich film, one that truly transcends its genre.

Singer has assembled what is perhaps the greatest ensemble cast in a comic-book movie. Seriously, this film's like The Expendables of, you know, good actors. From the future, old favourites such as Patrick Stewart's Xavier, Ian McKellan's Magneto, Halle Berry's Storm and Hugh Jackman's ultimate bad-arse Wolverine return with franchise-best performances from all. The revelations, however, are the First Class returners. James McAvoy gives a genuinely Oscar-worthy performance as the broken, self-destructive Xavier. Michael Fassbender is at his usual best as the conflicted Magneto. Nicholas Hoult clearly discovered the art of expression between First Class and DOFP, as he gives an impressive turn as Beast. It is Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique who is the standout, and not just because I'm in love with her. She provides a jaw-dropping performance to rival that of Heath Ledger's Joker. If there was anyone yet unconvinced of her talents, they will be easily swayed by the finale. Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage is also superb as the somewhat underwritten Bolivar Trask, a mutant-fearing businessman looking to capitalise on post-Vietnam paranoia. 

Other characters, such as Shawn Ashmore's Iceman and Ellen Page's Shadowcat, are slightly left by the wayside, but still do the best with what they're given. The new mutants, too, fail to make much of an impression. I'm still no wiser as to what Bishop's powers actually are. Something about being awesome, I guess? The only newcomers to register are Evan Peters' Quicksilver and Fan Bing Bing I-Would-Kill-For-That-Name's Blink. Quicksilver gets the films standout action scene, a sequence of such stylistic invention and creative ingenuity, it would be a sin to spoil it. Blink also gets some incredible Portal-style set pieces.

The X-Men series (the good ones at least) have always prided themselves on social commentary and allegory. Here, Singer seems to focus on 1930s Germany and, in the opening future scenes, the Holocaust. In terms of visual metaphors, the opening shot of mutants being herded and piles of dead bodies serve as chilling reminders of man's capacity for villainy. In terms of morality, Singer and scriptwriter Simon Kinberg draw on ideas of addiction, redemption, hope and forgiveness. These ideas culminate in an astonishingly moving confrontation between the young Xavier, Magneto and Mystique, featuring one hell of a Nixon. 

Days of Future Past is perhaps the most ambitious comic-book film since The Dark Knight, willing to completely reverse the franchise's previous continuity, finishing with a mind-blowing final scene worthy of the moniker "game-changing". Without giving anything away: Kelsey Grammar! 

Whilst X-Men: Days of Future Past still suffers from the franchise's Kryptonite: too many characters, it makes for hugely satisfying and deliriously entertaining viewing. One can only wish for Singer to stay on to lead the franchise into the brighter future promised here. If nothing else, he has left a fantastic blockbuster, one that will be treasured for years to come. Let's just hope those years don't entail giant robots killing everyone...

Five Word Verdict: Back To The Promising Future!

Score: 4½/5