X-Men: Days of Future Past (Movie Review)

Summary: 

Believing that mutants pose a threat to humanity, Dr. Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) creates the sentinels. Sentinels are enormous robotic weapons that are able to detect a mutant gene and zero in on that person. 50 years into the future, the sentinels are not just targeting mutants anymore; they are targeting everyone who are associated with them. Mutants now facing extinction, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) goes to the past and must rally the X-men of the past to help change a crucial moment in history, thus, saving their future. 

Opening Scene:

Right off the bat, we see into a dystopian future where mutants and humans alike are being killed and destroyed. In Moscow, we see familiar and new faces such as; Bobby aka Iceman, Kitty Pryde and Colossus. We see them fighting sentinels and these robots are actually adopting/replicating the mutants abilities. It's insane to see how easily our favourite mutants have been defeated and killed. Right away, this movie is thrilling, engaging and it hasn't been 10 minutes yet.

Holy shit! So they're not dead. Kitty sends back Bishop to the past to warn their past selves about the sentinels attack and to change location. Freaking ingenious! I've never been so impressed with an opening scene before but it was so well orchestrated, innovative and put together that I tip my hat to whoever came up with this brilliant idea. 

Why am I not surprised that the first scene in the past we find Wolverine naked and gets into a fight almost instantly. I feel at this point it's classic Wolverine. 

"Get off the chandelier, Hank!" I don't know why but I cracked up so much when Charles' said that.    

I think what was truly touching to see was Mystique's reaction to finding autopsy's on her former teammates. It was emotionally heart-breaking finding out that they were being  tested/experimented on and eventually killed. Despite them committing criminal acts, no one deserves to be subjected to such torture. 

I have to say that Peter Maximoff is my kind of guy. His mannerisms are right on point with mine. (I know in the comics Wanda and Peter are Erik's children but I wonder if it'll be further discussed in the following movies). However, Peter does mention his mother knew a man who could control metal. But Peter and his kick ass power! I'm loving this kid! The kitchen scene against all those guards was beyond epic!

Logan flipping out and suddenly not remembering anyone and Charles' solution is to tell him that he's on acid. It's so stupid and funny that I was crying of laughter. But on another hand we have Erik trying to kill Mystique. This fucker really doesn't hold much attachment to her. 

It's so trippy seeing past Charles' speaking to future Charles'. I find it quite interesting that the past Charles' needed the guidance of the future Charles' to become the future Charles'. Have I lost you yet? I still don't quite understand how Trask was able to create a device in identifying the mutant gene without the need of DNA. Isn't that just weird?

The problem with creating a movie of this magnitude where both the past and future/present are being shown to the audience is that both of these time periods need to balance one another in terms of action, the characters involved and the whole flow of the scenes. As an audience, we need our attention to gravitate towards both time periods not just one of time. Let's be honest with each other, the dystopian future/present we saw with all our favourite characters from X-Men: The Last Stand from all those years ago is a lot more exhilarating than the past Raven, Erik, Charles and Hank characters we've grown accustomed to.  I found the scenes from the 'past' were slow paced and predictable while the scenes from the 'future' were enticing and grabbing my attention. 

I found myself quite compelled during Erik's speech of how much pain and suffrage mutants have gone through due to humans fearing and not understanding them. Those fifteen minutes where we see both the future and the past really had me in tears. Seeing some of the most powerful mutants being killed by sentinels really moved me. 

What I found incredible was this one crucial moment in the past, one decision made by Raven can alter an entire reality and future. How much this one decision has changed the reality that we as an audience are familiar with? I don't know how much this one decision can truly alter the reality we know but the fact that this X-Men universe altering decision was left to a female character is jaw-dropping and incredible. 

Can someone explain to me why Rogue has a 5-second cameo? I swear I saw her in an off white suit in one of the trailers. So, what's up with that? Well I found out that there was another 'movie' version titled X-Men: Days of Future Past The Rogue Cut. And of course I found it and watched it. I can justly say that what I've watched barely even changed the whole reality of the movie. It was explained that scientists were trying to understand how Rogue's mutation worked and how she was able to absorb other mutants abilities. But isn't that how the sentinels work? They can adopt and adapt to mutant abilities by touch and by these abilities being used on them. That's Rogue's power, not Mystique's. If we take into account the Mystique that we've been introduced to through the movie franchise then we have a sense of how her mutation works. Yes, she can mimic what a person/mutant looks like but not their ability. So how does her genetic mutation improve and make the sentinels that we saw in the future? I hate when there a plot holes and the whole basis of this movie was because of the sentinels wiping out mutants and humans alike. If how they came to be cannot be explained then what's the whole point of the movie? (Obviously to make money) but it's just disappointing not having all the information. 

I hate that these X-Men movies always finish with a cliffhanger. Does Logan end up in the hands of Major Stryker (btw what a fucking hottie!) does Logan still end up with his adamantium claws? What does Mystique have to do with finding Logan? What are the events leading up to the present/future? How come Scott and Jean are alive?

I feel like this movie was a way to fix all the fuck ups that were made in the previous films. In a way, what I really hate is that the first 3 films and more of the history we've seen could have completely changed. Obviously, in just a couple minutes we see that previous characters who have died aren't dead anymore. But will we as an audience be given the new back story? I know there is another X-Men movie out but will it mention the new history? 

What i really do appreciate is that the film makers were correcting past mistakes and pains that the third X-Men movie caused. But I still don't understand how Professor Xavier was brought back to life in the first place. (I have seen the scene of his consciousness being transferred into another body but it doesn't really explain the how or why he still looks the same). 

Rating:

I am giving Days of Future Past 4.5 stars on 5. Looking back on the whole movie I really enjoyed it a lot. It was exciting, action-packed, I saw a lot of my favourite characters and  I really loved that this movie was a way to correct the past while bridging the past and the future. I wish that there would have been more scenes featuring the 'future' characters and we would get the scope on the 'new; back story. Otherwise, it's a great movie despite it's plot issues concerning the sentinels.