After over a decade away from the X-Men, director Bryan Singer finally returns to the franchise that made him superbly famous. Singer helmed the first X-Men film in 2000 and its even more enjoyable sequel X2 in 2003 but then stepped down. The X-Men series would expand with four more films in Singer’s absence, the best of them Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class in 2011 and the worst of them Gavin Hood’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009. The point being that while the X-Men films have persevered in Singer’s absence, they certainly have had their ups and downs. Nonetheless, Singer’s entries have each miraculously improved on its predecessor. While I still feel X-Men: First Class is the strongest X-Men film overall, Singer’s third entry X-Men: Days of Future Past is certainly his finest of the bunch and a real crowd-pleaser at that!
At first glance, the plot of X-Men: Days of Future Past sounds like it would be fraught with confusion and dramatic subtext, but it is actually just Back to the Future with mutants. The present day X-Men are living in a world where man has defeated the mutant. With the creation of Dr. Bolivar Trask’s (Peter Dinklage) Sentinels, mutants are being hunted and executed to the point of extinction. A small army of original X-Men, lead by Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) have so far eluded the Sentinels, but time is running out. A final Hail Mary play involves using the telekinetic power of Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) to send the consciousness of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back to 1973 where he can hopefully sway the younger X-Men to stop the series of past events that allow Trask and his Sentinels to come to power. Great Scott!
Singer is thus tasked with the challenging undertaking of balancing the present day cast of original X-Men with that of their engaging and charming First Class counterparts. Fortunately, he is up for the challenge and succeeds by crafting a film that does not look for balance but puts the attention firmly on the new and absurdly talented First Class. Many fans will likely balk at the frame story that leaves Stewart, McKellen, and company as book ends of an otherwise straight-forward sequel to X-Men: First Class, but I feel this is precisely the direction to take these films and I am thrilled that the rest of the original cast seems to feel this way as well. Michael Fassbender in particular brings a great deal of complexity to the character of Magneto and truly commands the audience’s attention the way Jackman’s Wolverine used to in the original films. Jackman is still fantastic as Wolverine and has somehow not worn out his welcome at all. His character feels like the appropriate choice for anchoring the film’s point of view, and Jackman’s performance is nuanced enough to be tough yet endearing. This is most evident in his scenes with James McAvoy’s Charles Xavier; these two fall into stride in an almost Butch and Sundance kind of way.
There is a lot of star power in this film; I mean, I haven’t even addressed Jennifer Lawrence yet! However, there are also a host of new mutants introduced in this film. This inundation of countless new characters was the tipping point for the third film, X-Men: The Last Stand. Too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth, as they say. Yet, Singer somehow manages this feat effortlessly, seemingly poking fun at the previous idiom by setting one of the film’s most enjoyable scenes starring a new character literally in a kitchen with way too many people in it!
Speaking of too many people, Jennifer Lawrence reprises her role as Mystique and Nicholas Hoult is back as Beast. These two blue beauties were front and center in X-Men: First Class but seem far less utilized in this film, even though Mystique is pivotal to the film’s plot. This is unfortunate since their chemistry and vivacity were so fun in the previous film.
X-Men: Days of Future Past does exactly what Fox, Marvel, and fans hoped it would. It revitalized the franchise, it spun the storyline in a new and vibrant direction, and it made lots of money. I am eager to see where Singer takes us next in X-Men: Apocalypse. A-
X-Men: Days of Future Past is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 2 hours and 11 minutes. As always, stay through the credits for a brief but vital scene at what’s next for the X-Men.
The Peoples Critic 
I love this review! I think I know your answer, but which movie is better, this one or back to the future and why?
The answer is Back to the Future. There is no contest. Days of Future Past is not a classic film. It is a repurposing of the series so that it can enjoy an alternate timeline. It’s a fun movie, but not a movie that will be celebrated like Back to the Future.