X-Men: Days of Future Past 3D review (12A)
If you’re as big an X-Men fan as me, it’s likely that you’ve not been overly happy with what you’ve seen from the series since the awesome X2 way back in 2003.
I am, however, delighted to tell you that Days of Future Past more than makes up for a decade of disappointment and firmly secures the popular franchise a seat back at the super-hero head table.
With Bryan Singer back in the director’s chair, this is a fan-boy’s dream of a movie, with pretty much all of your favourite characters making an appearance at some stage.
The world we find our heroes in is more of a nightmare, though. In an almost apocalyptic future, mutant-hunting Sentinels are scouring the world in a bid to wipe out all non-humans.
That leaves Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Professor X (Patrick Stewart), Storm (Halle Berry), Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), Iceman (Shawn Ashmore), Magneto (Sir Ian McKellan) and co needing to do something drastic to ensure the very existence of their race.
And by drastic, I mean sending Wolverine back to 1973 to right the wrongs of their past.
Here we meet the younger versions of Professor X (James McAvoy), Beast (Nicholas Hoult) and a then villainous Magneto (the excellent Michael Fassbender).
Wolverine must talk them into stopping Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from assassinating Sentinel designer Dr Bolivar Trask (Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage) in a move they believe with stop the war.
Still with me?
If X-Men: The Last Stand left you sceptical over this branch of the juggernaut Marvel universe, this blockbuster certainly rights those wrongs.
Although the plot feels a little far-fetched, it works perfectly.
Of course, the trademark action sequences steal the show, with the most memorable being a both humorous and brilliant super-slow motion sequence involving Quicksilver (Evan Peters).
As ever, stellar performances from Jackman, McAvoy, Lawrence and Fassbender keep you gripped in the ‘past’ part of the film, while you’ll feel genuine concern for the old guard stuck in a future that is doomed unless the mission is a success.
I read somewhere that Days of Future Past is the Avengers Assemble of the X-Men universe.
Having thought long and hard about it, I can’t think of a better way to sign off this review than with that very high praise.
Rating: 4.5/5
Watched at West End Cinema, Boston
Duration: 2 hours 10 minutes
