It's been awhile since we've seen the X-Men. No, I don't mean the X-Men we've seen in the tepid, unnecessary Wolverine films these last few years, nor the ones we saw in the inspired reboot/prequel, "X-Men First Class" (directed by "Kick Ass'" Matthew Vaughn). The series' veteran director Bryan Singer (who directed the first 2 films in the series) returns at the helm to inject the series with a shot of adrenaline it hasn't had since his masterful "X-2". Singer blends the very best elements from the old films, and the newer ones with an artful, dark twist that recalls Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.
For those of you familiar with the Days of Future Past story, femme fatale/shapeshifter Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) assassinates a government official named Bolivar Trask (Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage). The assassination inspires the government to finally take action against the mutants, by capturing Mystique and harnessing her DNA to create the Sentinels. These Sentinels hunt down the mutants, and kill them. With the help of Mystique's DNA, they can adapt to any given situation, counter acting against any mutant powers.
The Sentinels eventually begin targeting humans, wiping out most of man kind and leading the world into a bleak, dystopian future. A small band of mutants have managed to survive, however, thanks to leader Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) and her ability to send other mutants' consciousness into the past, preventing the sentinels from hunting them down. Kitty and her rag tag team rendezvous with Professor X, Magneto (Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen), who propose the idea of sending Wolverine's (Hugh Jackman) consciousness back 50 years in time, as he is the only one who can physically make the trip (thanks to his regeneration powers). Once back, he will find the younger versions of Professor X and Magneto, who will (hopefully) help him stop Mystique from committing the assassination.
*Phew* Now that we're done playing catch up, let me say that the odds were against Singer and his team this time. The last Singer directed X-Men film, "X-Men Last Stand", was far too busy and cluttered for its own good; it suffered from way too many characters and way too many story lines. Not only did this film have to re-introduce old characters from past films (Kitty, Halle Berry's Storm, Ice Man), new mutants (Blink, Toad) but it had to handle the complex time travel story line, all while preserving the continuity of the timeline set by X-Men: First Class and X-Men Last Stand.
Somehow, however, Singer handles all of these things with a sense of precision, confidence and artistry that was missing from Last Stand (directed by Brett Ratner). It is a necessary breath of fresh air, breathing not only life, but heart and emotion into the series, something it had been lacking. The performances across the board are on point, everyone from Ellen Page to Hugh Jackman bring their all here. But the quintessential trio of Lawrence, McAvoy and Fassbender are the true MVP's of the cast, believably selling their (awkward) love triangle. Lawrence especially is emotionally understated; she takes a step back from her "American Hustle" histrionics to give a sense of nuance to this role in a way she has always had a knack for doing (especially in "The Hunger Games"). Evan Peters ("American Horror Story") even has a supporting role as Quicksilver in one of the film's best, most hilarious moments.
Days of Future Past is most definitely the most energetic, thrilling entry of the series yet. The pace of these films is always an issue for me, however, I never found myself bored during the over 2 hour long running time; the editing is tight as a pocket watch, ticking in the back of your mind and keeping you on the edge of your seat. It masterfully blends the 2 stories happening simultaneously in the past and future, never tripping upon the heavy (and sometimes confusing) material. Not to mention, there are some absolutely gorgeous frames in this film; it's handsomely mounted to boot, with the period elements of the 70's thrillingly gorgeous (those costumes! J Law has never looked better on screen than she does here).
This is a film that will entertain even non fans of the series; there's something to enjoy for people of all backgrounds, because this truly doesn't feel like a superhero movie in the sense that is' cartoony (especially in the way that First Class felt). Days of Future Past, at it's core, is a film about morality, and the choice between right and wrong. Though it never reaches the bar set by "The Dark Knight", the film is the only film in the Marvel series (perhaps besides "Spiderman 2") that gets close to that level of greatness.
Grade: A
Oscar Chances: As we all know, no matter how deserving they may be, Superhero movies never get past the tech categories (sound, VFX, etc), so expect it to *possibly* land a nomination there.
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