Written by Brennan
Directed by Bryan Singer
Written by Simon Kinberg
Plot Synopsis:
In the near future, mutants have been hunted to the brink of extinction by robots called Sentinels. In a last ditch effort, the remaining mutants decide to send Wolverine back in time to prevent the Sentinels from being made.
----------20TH CENTURY FOX STUDIOS, HOLLYWOOD, CA - 2011----------
(A Fox executive sits down with some writers)
Fox executive: “X-Men: First Class was a hit! We’re back in business, boys! Let’s make a sequel because money. Here’s what we want. First, Wolverine. People want Wolverine! It’s an X-Men movie so Wolverine has to be the main character! Duh. Make sure Hugh Jackman hits the gym and puts on like 40 lbs of muscle.”
One of the writers: “But Wolverine isn’t in the X-Men yet, remember? He didn’t join until the first X-Men movie, which is decades after X-Men: First Class.”
Fox executive: “Who invited this nerd? Shut up and put him in! Next items. This Jennifer Lawrence girl is trending, make her more important! Also, audiences like James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender as the young bald guy and the young magnet guy, but audiences like Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen too, and they’re still alive…….ish. So put them all in! Next, set up more sequels, for future money. Next, get that Dinklage guy from that fantasy nerd HBO series. Last, comic book nerds want to see uhh… (looks at a list) … Beast, Iceman, Shadowcat, Bishop, Colossus, Quicksilver, and Blink. Or whatever. Put em in boys! Ok? Did you get all that? Good! And don’t screw it up like we screwed up X-Men 3 and the Wolverine movie! Now get to work! I want a screenplay in 2 weeks!!”
(the writers look at each other nervously)
The point I’m trying to make is that the story X-Men: Days of Future Past is a convoluted mess. Luckily for us, they got Bryan Singer back (director of X-Men and X2) and they assembled an A+ cast. The smart direction and the excellent characters and performances elevate what could have been a complete disaster into an exciting and ambitious superhero movie with a heart.
Things that work:
- The strong moral messages about the cycle of violence, consequences, hope, teamwork, and sympathy. One of the most moving parts of the movie is when young Charles Xavier is faced with his fear of entering minds and sharing in the pain of mutants and humans. He must decide whether or not to embrace the pain of his brethren to unlock his potential. Another is when Jennifer Lawrence’s character Raven/Mystique is faced with her aversion to kill and her desire to avenge the lives of fellow mutants. She must decide whether or not to let go of hate, as justified as it may be. The themes inspired me and I came out of the theater hopeful and wanting to do better and be better. It’s been a while since a superhero movie has done that for me.
- Strong characters, as I just mentioned. Eric/Magneto, Charles/Prof X, Raven/Mystique, and Logan/Wolverine are all multi-dimensional people who struggle against themselves and the other characters. These internal struggles give the characters depth and make the movie much more compelling. Also, because I cared about the characters, I was able to overlook a lot of the problems in the script.
- Some excellent visual sequences. If you’ve seen the movie, you know that I’m talking about Quicksilver’s wonderful scene in the Pentagon. I haven’t had that much fun in a superhero movie in a long time. Also, the “past” scenes all took place in the early 70s, so the visual style and soundtrack kept things pretty groovy.
- Assured direction. I’m so glad they got Bryan Singer back; I don’t think this would have worked without his ability to get great performances out of his actors and keep difficult narratives engaging.
- The performances. James McAvoy conveys his character's deep fear and emotional scars very well. He’s not as fun as he was in X-Men: First Class, but his character is in a much darker place now. Michael Fassbender is perfect as the young Eric/Magneto. He is cold and calculating, but he burns with indignation and loyalty to his fellow mutants. Watching Fassbender in his role reminds me of the clips I’ve seen of Malcolm X, with his intensity and confidence. Hugh Jackman is good as always as Wolverine, although his character took a backseat, and Jennifer Lawrence is good in her role as well. Also, Tricky Dick gave his best performance since he glad-handed Mao Zedong in 1972.
Things that don’t work:
- As I’ve said, the story. At least ten times I thought to myself “Huh? Wait why don’t we just do this? What?” As I illustrated earlier, there are so many things going on that it’s amazing that it worked at all, it’s a mix of Looper and The Matrix with four main characters, about twenty-five supporting characters, AND it’s a sequel to two movies that take place 30 years apart. I can’t help but think that there had to be a better way to do it.
- Some characters needed more time, in particular, Jennifer Lawrence’s character Mystique. Her role is pivotal to the story, but not very much time is given to her, and I feel like her motives aren’t very well established.
While Captain America: The Winter Soldier had a much more coherent story, I have to say that X-Men: Days of Future Past is the best action movie of the year because of its heart and ambition. The former is grounded, efficient, and exact, but the latter is big, moving, and messy – and most importantly, human.
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