In 2000, 20th Century Fox and director Bryan Singer brought one of comics most popular teams to the big screen. X-Men was a hit. So much so, that it warranted an even better sequel. The films made actor Hugh Jackman a household name. And set the standard for comic book films.
And then everything fell apart.
Singer decided to leave the franchise and direct Superman Returns (which bombed). The third X-Men film was placed in director Brett Ratner hands. At the time, Ratner was only known for those God awful Rush Hour films. So Ratner took the X-Men franchise, and drove it into the ground. Leaving a bad taste in fans’ mouths.
But the pain didn’t stop there. The producers decided to do a Wolverine solo film, which at the time made sense. The problem was, it just plain sucked.
Thankfully director Matthew Vaughn took up the reigns and did X-Men: First Class. The film dealt with events that happened years before the first X-Men film. But as wonderful of a film it was, it’s continuity didn’t match up to the previous three X-Men films. It made fans confused about the entire timeline. And even more fans wanted the X-Men film rights returned Marvel Studios. So when Fox announced a new X-Men film with Bryan Singer at the helm again, fans weren’t just upset. They were pretty much rioting on the net. They didn’t have doubts. They had hatred.
Well, let me be one of the first people to say they fixed it!!!
In the new film, X-Men: Days of Future Past, it is very loosely based on the story line of the same name that ran in Uncanny X-Men #141-142.
In the future, mutants are either put in camps or killed by these giant robots called Sentinels. But the Sentinels became self-aware and rebelled against humanity. I know some of you are reading this and thinking it’s a rip off Terminator, but the the comic story pre-dates the film by 3 years. So who copied who?
Anyhow, to change their future, the X-Men have to send someone into the past to change events from ever happening that lead to this dystopian future. But instead of sending a person back, they can only send back their mind to their younger self. And the only one that can handle this stress is Wolverine. His mission is to help Charles Xavier form the X-Men, and to stop the event that changes everything.
Look, like the rest of you, I was questioning things. How would they ever put this mess back together again? With Bryan Singer directing again, and Matthew Vaughn working on the script, they did a pretty decent job.
I’m not going to lie and say it’s perfect and everything is fixed, but most of the stuff is, and now the franchise can move on. It does bridge the gap between First Class and the first X-Men film. Best of all, this film pretty much wipes X-Men: The Last Stand out of existence. Hee hee!
Most of the cast returned to the roles they’ve made famous, and they do a great job here. But, in case you haven’t already heard, the one who really steals the show is Quicksilver, played by Evan Peters. His big scene is not only action packed, but it’s freaking hilarious.
There are a lot of characters in this film, and the balancing of all of them isn’t that easy. Most of them only appear on screen for a short time. But while they are on screen, they are used extremely well.
One of the minor things about this film that did bug me was there was no Stan Lee cameo. But, just watch very carefully the Senate committee scene. You might just recognize at least two familiar faces.
Seriously, I ended up loving this film more than I thought I would. And it brought back hope to the franchise. I’m seriously looking forward to the next film. If it continues from the point X-Men: Days Of Future Past ended, I’ll be a very happy camper.
This is a film you need to see on the big screen, but, and a very big BUT, do not waste your money on 3D or Imax. Don’t believe the hype because neither added anything to the film. This film wasn’t shot in 3D or Imax, so there’s not point to dish out extra to see it like that.
And as always, stay through the credits. There is a scene at the end.
In closing, if you’re finished reading this review and still think this film won’t be any good until Marvel Studios has the rights again, then you’re an idiot who should not be allowed to have an opinion.
Go see it. It’s awesome.
X-Men: Days Of Future Past opens everywhere on Friday, May 23.
Newsdesk