The seventh movie in the X-Men Film Series is a well-paced thrill
ride alternating between two timelines with their fates connected. Two
ensembles of cast play different versions of the same characters in the two
timelines. While the time-travel and its consequences are on a shaky ground and
hence hinder the suspension of disbelief, the performances, action set-pieces and
the overall pacing of the movie make it an immensely enjoyable experience.
Clearly it is the best movie of 2014 so far.
The movie begins in a futuristic post-apocalyptic world
overrun by adaptive robots (‘Sentinels’) that hunt down mutants and humans who
would one day produce mutant off-springs. So, that’s pretty much everyone. Professor
X and Magneto believe that stopping the assassination of the scientist (Tyrion
Lannister) that built the Sentinels in the 70s could reset the past and prevent
this future.
‘X-Men : Days of Future First Class to make The Last Stand
in the Past’?
So, the cast from ‘X-Men’ (2000), ‘X2’ (2003) and ‘X-Men:
The Last Stand’ (2006) unite to send back Wolverine’s consciousness through
time to his younger body in the 70s to meet the cast of ‘X-Men : First Class’
(2011). The Wolverine in the 70s is the Wolverine before the events of ‘X-Men
Origins : Wolverine’(2009) and the Wolverine in the future is the Wolverine
after the events of ‘The Wolverine’ (2013). Now you have the setting for ‘X-Men
: Days of Future Past’ (2014).
Wolverine must now try to stop Mystique who is on
self-righteous mission to rescue mutants who she thinks need saving. She comes
across Tyrion Lannister’s plan to build the mutant hunting Sentinels. Now,
Wolverine must work with Xavier and Magneto of the past to stop Mystique to
prevent the future that the movie showed in the beginning.
What!? Huh!? How!?
Meanwhile, the Sentinels start attacking the base where
Kitty Pryde is keeping Wolverine’s consciousness in the past. But you would
think if Wolverine is able to prevent the assassination in the past and hence
change the future, the Sentinels should not exist and the new timeline should
come into existence the moment Wolverine is sent back. So, what was the point
of showing the two timelines simultaneously? Even if an alternate timeline is
set up then the people in that alternate timeline would’ve died, wouldn’t
they’ve? And how come Kitty Pryde can now send people’s consciousness back in
time? And how the hell did Xavier come back? And why the hell am I thinking of
this stuff now and did not think about it in the movie? Well, that’s because
the movie sold all the confusing stuff pretty well. Except, the time travel
concept which took me out of the movie for a bit.
“Mutant and proud”
So, basically everything hinges on Mystique. If she manages
to kill Tyrion then everyone is doomed. She is at the core of the movie as
everyone is trying to stop her. Xavier appeals to the good in her while Magneto
thinks that to stop her, he must kill her. And Jennifer Lawrence excels in
capturing the good as well as the bad side of Mystique. She portrays the
conflict in her perfectly. This conflict that is at the heart of the movie is
what makes this good action movie great.
Magneto, the 70s one, is also another character that is very
intriguing, especially if you have seen ‘X-Men: First Class’. He is menacing as
the vengeful bad-ass that he is and also evokes some sort of sympathy for his
actions. Michael Fassbender is excellent in the role.
Other actors are good in their roles but the size of cast as
well as the limited amount of time in which the movie must be completed
prevents them from showcasing their full acting prowess. Huge (not a typo)
Jackman is Wolverine. Period. Both Xaviers are good. The younger one humanizes
and shows us the vulnerabilities of the calm and stoic leader we know from the
first three movies. Patrick Stewart still has the quiet commanding presence of
Jean-Luc Picard. I like Ian McKellan but he looks perpetually tired in this
movie as well the recent Hobbit movies. Overall both the ensembles of cast are
directed well.
Like ‘Superman Returns’ never happened
And it is a testament to the fact that Bryan Singer is at
home directing X-Men movies. He manages to pull off that vibe that is something
between ridiculous and dead serious. That vibe is present in many of the scenes
in this movie. The action scenes are also executed well. The movie has a good
balance of modern CGI spectacle as well as good-old fashioned practical effects
and hand-to-hand combat. The best scene is, of course, the Quicksilver scene
that everyone is talking about which is just spectacular. I wonder if
‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ ‘s Quicksilver will be as cool.
Wolverine vs Water-Mattress
Talking of old-fashioned things, the 70s settings is
depicted well with the characters interacting with events and people like
Vietnam War, Nixon, Kennedy, 70s music and objects like lava lamps and water
mattresses. The music and the choice of soundtracks is also very interesting
throughout the movie. The dialogues are great and a lot of the characterstic
Marvel humor is present throughout.
A must-see movie if you’ve ever liked X-Men.
Rating : 9.5/10.0
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