X-Men: Days of Future Past is a return to form for a once great comic franchise. When the first X-Men arrived in 2000, it ushered in a comic craze that hasn’t abated. But when director Bryan Singer stepped aside to make Superman Returns, 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand took the trilogy and the saga into a creative lull. Properties like Spider-Man, Batman and The Avengers soon stole its crown. But now Singer has returned after a 11-year-absence and has single-highhandedly restored that balance, making Future Past the best installment since 2003’s X2.
Since Singer’s leave of absence, there have been no less than four additions of questionable quality and turns. Rather than dwell on mistakes made during his time away, Singer pushes the story forward (and backward depending on how you perceive things) and manages to use a clever time-travel story element to make all right again. By taking fan-favorite Wolverine (Hugh Jackson in his seventh turn) back in time to 1973, Singer closes the gaps between his cavalcade of gifted super-powered mutants, including the telepathic Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), his former foe, Magneto (Ian McKellan) with the baby-faced incarnations from 2011’s X-Men: First Class, respectively played by James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. Using the mutant powers of Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), Wolverine is able to travel from a apocalyptic future, where mutants and their human allies are on the brink of annihilation, to a point in history where he can thwart an assassination attempt by the shape-shifting Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) which would prevent the travesty from ever occurring.
Like most of the films attached to X-Men lore, there is a lot to digest. There are dozens of mutants with their own abilities and backstories; Singer dances between the groovy 1970s and the Terminator 2-inspired future and even reinvigorates the politics and morals that were so poignant in the earlier films. Despite my qualms with the prior installments over an overstuffed cast, Singer reigns in the amount of investment with the newest additions, like the energy-aborbing Bishop (Omar Sy), the metal-armored Colossus (Daniel Cudmore) and the scene-stealing portal-spawning Blink (Bingbing Fan) who mainly serve as mere soldiers who shield Wolverine from waves of threats while his younger conscience completes his mission. There are even more new faces in 1973, but Singer never inundates the plot with their backstory. Instead, Singer introduces fan favorites like the uber-speedy Quicksilver (Evan Peters) to serve as a fun plot-devise diversion and even tosses in a subtle hint which geeks will lap up with glee.
Days of Future Past somehow becomes a self-contained story in a mere two-hour frame — although you will need to do some home video homework to have any hope of understanding what’s going on. But X-Men fans will relish in the sheer number of plot-points, characters, as well as the surprisingly organic blend of bleakness and humor. Wolverine’s Back to the Future-esk travels leads to some fun moments with 1970s culture, including the mere mention of a phone book which is quaint even for someone in 2014.
Singer recaptures that sense of fun and good humor throughout the film, playing on situations and character conflicts that constantly alleviates what could have been a very dour film. But I caught myself smiling ear-to-ear throughout the film’s midsection and experienced a near euphoric moment as Quicksilver demonstrated his speed powers with pure joy and devoid of any restrain. Singer makes a film that not tangles with the evils or prejudice and bigotry but actually allows his super-powered beings to actually enjoy their abilities.
Future Past is only bogged down by Singer’s ineptness with subtly. There are literally four separate conversations between the righteous Xavier and his angry, obsessed ex-friend, Mystique that drags the movie down. Like every X-Men film, Singer conveys in paragraphs what he could have said in a sentence or even a glance.
The action sequences are a marvel (pun intended). The opening moments in which our doppelganger heroes in the future battle the menacing, mechanical Sentinels, who can adapt to each ability with a counter-attack, making them nearly impossible to overcome. The closing battle is less enthralling as Singer attempts to build up to something grand, such as Magneto’s most impressive display of magnetic prowess yet, but literally ends with a lot of screaming and verbal arguments.
I also found myself growing bored with Magneto. His Malcolm X-style campaign to triumph over his human foes has grown stale. The sheer number of arguments between him and Xavier over their place next to human has reached an impasse. Instead, I would have liked to have spent more time with Stewart and McKellan and explore their new alliance and world-weary predicaments. But the film ends with a closing credit stinger that signals a new era to the X-Men franchise, which includes the restoration of old friends and the introduction to new foes. You get the impression that the X-Men are in for something way different in 2016.
X-Men: Days of Future Past is fun and emotionally engaging thanks to McAvoy and Jackman for injecting some engaging human (no offense, mutants) elements that give the film everything it needs to sit right next to X2 as highlights in a long-spanning franchise. It also restores the film’s best champion, Singer, to his rightful place, who, in turn, has miraculously produced another comic-book to which others should aspire. The X-Men have saved a franchise and mutated into something that will leave you craving for more.
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