In the near future, the war against the mutants (be they superhero or supervillain) is being won by the humans, but only because they have developed giant robot Sentinels with the ability to absorb and use any superpower they come into contact with.
Magneto (Ian McKellen) and Prof. Xavier (Patrick Stewart), fearing that all mutant-kind may be wiped out, come up with a plan to send Wolverine’s (Hugh Jackman) consciousness back in time, to his 1973 body, to convince younger Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and younger Prof. Xavier (James McAvoy) to team up much sooner than they did in the current reality.
It is hoped that together they may stop the war against the mutants before it’s even begun.
We say, “X-Men: Days of Future Past breathes new life into a franchise now 14 years old.”
TAYLOR: If your comic book film franchise is suffering from ageing actors, simply start the stories again, with younger actors playing the same characters. The next film, X-Men: Apocalypse, is already in the works with James McAvoy as Prof. Xavier, Jennifer Lawrence as the “new” Mystique, Nicholas Hoult as Beast and Channing Tatum rumoured to be Gambit.
Having said that, I quite enjoyed this current reboot. It had a fun, interesting plot, inventive use of special effects and didn’t overuse frantically choreographed fight sequences.
HOWE: I would have to agree with you on most of what you have said, but, and it’s a big but, it is missing the all-important ingredient that made The Avengers a better all-round movie. That missing ingredient is a huge slice of cheddar.
TAYLOR: I liked that the X-Men take themselves seriously. They were always supposed to be the “more realistic” batch of superheroes, at least in my mind. The X-Men deal with the more philosophical questions that arise by the mere existence of mutants in the first place. Prof. Xavier starts his school for gifted youngsters to address the apparent needs of the planet. That aside, the things that impressed me in this film were the clever ways in which battles were fought.
HOWE: I guess what it comes down to is the acting for me. McKellen and Stewart, even though they are only in it for about 10 per cent of the movie, are as good as usual. Jackman is great. McAvoy and Fassbender take to their roles as Charles and Erik like a duck to water. My biggest disappointment, and I can’t believe I’m saying this as she is a fantastic actress, is Jennifer Lawrence. I can’t put my finger on it but she seems so out of place. It looks and feels like this is her first acting role.
TAYLOR: I don’t share that sentiment. Mystique becomes a central figure in this plot line and Jennifer Lawrence is just as sexy, tough and blue as Rebecca Romijn-Stamos was. Lawrence is also able to deliver a personal back story of pain and betrayal that I guarantee her predecessor would have found difficult, perhaps impossible. I’d put money on the next X-Men film having her romantic interests be a major plot point.
– Howe gives X-Men: Days of Future Past 3 mind trips out of 5.
– Taylor gives it 3.5 wax jobs out of 5.
The film is currently playing at the Galaxy Cinemas in Vernon.
Brian Taylor and Peter Howe are film reviewers based in Vernon.
