I am here to gladly inform you that X-Men: Days of Future Past isn't actually Wolverine: Days of Future Wolverine.
X-Men: Days of Future Past, a movie loosely based on the story where it's title is taken from. Supposedly, it's the most ambitious X-film yet. Does it succeed? Rest assured as I am very happy to say that it does, it marvelously does. Bryan Singer's return to the director's chair is truly a welcome one as he really does understand what it takes to craft a film like this and he really knows what he's doing and where he wants to take these characters.
This film is easily the best out of all the X-Films as it truly brings out the best out of itself. Unlike some other X-Films which failed to get the point, this movie really understands what the X-Men are about. The X-Men aren't about their mutations, but rather the humanity that lies within these mutants. It is the great usage of that element that elevates this movie to new heights. If you were expecting to see a superpowered action flick, prepare to be disappointed because this movie isn't a mindless display of superpowers. The movie is an intricately weaved and carefully crafted story (thanks to an impressive story and screenplay), truly a compelling tale. The screenplay is where the movie finds its greatest strength, featuring scene after scene of carefully thought-out sequences and dialogue that don't fail to amaze us and immerse us into the film.
Along with the great screenplay comes brilliant performances from the movie's ensemble. James McAvoy and Jennifer Lawrence are the heart of the movie, giving us even stronger performances than their first outing in First Class. These two, along with the story, are the best assets of the film. The amount of emotion and development we get from Charles and Raven were tremendous. Hugh Jackman gives a solid performance as Wolverine as usual and Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart give brief but strong performances as well. Oh, and as others have said, Quicksilver is one of the film's highlights and the sequence centered around him was truly remarkable.
And like all great movies before it, the movie uses its impressive score to great effect, heightening the intensity given off by the movie. On the aesthetic side... The use of 3D was great and I can say that DOFP is one of the best 3D movies I have seen. And along with Quicksilver's impressive display of superpowers, I found that Blink has the most visually impressing display of superpowers. Oh, and they don't really have much costumes in the movie.
But alas, even the best films have flaws. It appeared that the movies worst villain wasn't Bolivar Trask, nor Magneto, nor even the government, it was the large cast that the film possessed. Like every other X-Men film before it, the film suffers from the lack of attention on a lot of characters. Bryan Singer opt to focus on Mystique and Charles which was great and some of the characters such as Quicksilver, Future Magneto, and Future Professor X make the best out of their little time. The others? Not so lucky. Lord Tyrion Lannister in particular isn't given much justice here. We've seen what Peter Dinklage is capable of, but in here, we see an okay but rather unmemorable outing. From the growing character that he was in First Class, Beast is reduced to an exposition device in this movie which was rather disappointing considering his first outing which was really good. Michael Fassbender starts out pretty good but hits a flat note afterwards, which was really surprising. The other X-Men in the future? Most of them are just glorified cameos, offering us no glimpse on their personalities, just their powers, especially the newer cast members. But aside from these? The film was pitch perfect.
VERDICT:
Overall, X-Men: Days of Future Past is truly a great film. Featuring an intricately weaved story, brilliant performances from its central characters, and impressive visuals, X-Men: Days of Future Past is truly Xquisite and truly Xtraordinary. It had some flaws, but it really is a marvel in every sense of the word. This is superhero storytelling at its finest. Easily the best X-Men film to date and easily one of the best Marvel films. Do I want to see it again? No, I HAVE to see it again, I NEED to. It's just that good. I give the movie 9.5 out of 10.