I remember when people actually left
when the end credits started to roll. I don't miss those days.
The X-Men practically come gift wrapped
to appeal with their themes of isolation, paranoia, persecution, and
angst. But they've had a very mixed record onscreen, and I seem to
enjoy their movies that inspire hatred and hate
the movies everyone likes.
But “Days Of Future Past should bring
everyone together again. It begins in a dystopian future, where
robot Sentinels have hunted mutants nearly to extinction, as well as
the humans who've dared to help them. They've also enslaved the rest
of humanity, and even killed humans with the genetic potential to
produce mutant children or grandchildren. The few X-Men left are now
scattered and dwindling in number. But they come upon a possible
solution: send Wolverine back in time to the year 1973, to change the
event that caused the devastation.
Said event is the assassination of the
scientist who created the Sentinels, Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage,
brilliant as usual) by Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), her first kill
that would likewise set her irrevocably down her dark path. Trask's
death will ensure the continuation of his creations, and Mystique's
capture means her DNA will enable the Sentinels to adapt to any
mutant's powers.
But when Wolverine wakes up in his
younger body and finds the much younger Xavier (again played by James
McAvoy) the school has long since
closed and Xavier's telepathic powers are blocked by the serum that
allows him to walk. Oh, and they need the still
terroristically-inclined Magneto's (Michael Fassbender) help, who is
imprisoned in the Pentagon. Tough sell.
But wait, there's more. Mystique is
already, if not quite set in her ways, then very inclined toward
them. How to find her, and then convince her of their errors?
And so our merry journey begins. That
some members of the huge ensemble cast get more attention than others
is a given, albeit a somewhat disappointing one given the fascinating
crowd here. But luckily, the ones the film does focus on are
showstoppers. One scene-stealer includes Evan Peters as
Peter/Quicksilver, who delivers some of the movie's best lines and
moments as he literally runs faster than a speeding bullet.
And if “X-Men: First Class” bungled
Mystique's character, “Days Of Future Past” more than makes up
for it. It shows her in all her flawed glory, as a smart, strong,
capable antiheroine, yet still defined by the two opposing men in her
life, who both use and control her in varying ways. Amidst all the
chaos through time and history, she is the focus, (art once again
imitating life) and her choice will determine her future, as well as
everyone else's.
But can the future even be changed? Or
will it correct any changes made to it and arrive at an inevitable
end point? How much power do our choices really have? Are we simply
ruled by fate or another power greater than ourselves? Can a person
choose a different path after making a few wrong ones and really
change?
These questions are all explored in
“Days Of Future Past.” It continues an enjoyable action movie
trend, one that believes explosions, special effects, and being an
action movie in general doesn't have to mean a dumber product.
That's not to say there aren't a few
unanswered questions, some nitpicky (how exactly does Kitty Pryde,
whose power is passing herself and others through solid matter, send
someone's consciousness into the past? Why couldn't the other future
mutants have a few more lines?) to not so nitpicky.
A major lost opportunity is Peter
Dinklage as Trask. That no one ever acknowledges his size is mostly
a good thing, but you'd think there would at least be some mention of
it, especially in a film like this. Dinklage is basically planning a
genocide of mutants, yet some would also view him as less than a
person because of his height. Could there be some serious
self-hatred issues there, and is his focus on mutants part of an
effort to make himself more “normal”? Well, we'll never know
because “Days Of Future Past” refuses to address it. Having the
courage to confront these questions would have made a great movie a
perfect one.
But if those are the only things
missing, it still won't prevent anyone from enjoying the best X-Men
film to date, complete with its own intriguing post-credits scene.
Grade: A-
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