Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about the X-Men films. I've even written reviews of many of them. X2 is still one of my favorite comic book movies and that X3 is my most reviled. So while I was excited for DoFP, I approached it with much trepidation. It was following in the footsteps of First Class which was a good sign. It had Bryan Singer returning which, as an X2 fan, was a godsend. But it also had a bloated cast list that could really go off the rails if not handled well. So how was it? I will keep this review spoiler-free and will write a later update that discusses things more in depth.
The Story
It is the future. Humans and mutants alike are being hunted and killed in mass genocide by Sentinels, T1000 like robots that can adapt to different mutant powers making them almost impossible to kill. That's not where the comparisons to Terminator end. The future depicted in both franchises seem eerily similar. The remaining X-Men gather for one final plan: to send Wolverine's consciousness into his younger self in 1973 to prevent the one event that lead to the creation and implementation of the Sentinels: the murder of Bolivar Trask, the creator of the Sentinel program. Back in the past, Wolverine has to get Xavier and Magneto back together, which is difficult considering how things ended in First Class, and get them to work towards a common goal: wipe Brett Ratner's X-Men Last Stand out of existence. And who wouldn't risk everything to do that?
What Worked:
1. Magneto - Michael Fassbender is great in the role, seething with anger, passion for his fellow mutants, and really embodying the charismatic leader/terrorist that he is in the comics.
2. Quicksilver - he's not in the movie very much but he steals the film with a prison break sequence that rivals the Nightcrawler White House attack from X2.
3. The pacing - the movie is 2 and a half hours but hardly seems like it. Singer does a pretty good job balancing humor with the drama as well as throwing in some politics and ideologies between Xavier and Magneto.
4. The ending - I won't spoil it here but I was so excited by the end. It was a nice mix of nostalgia and excitement. And best of all, in the task of wiping out Last Stand, mission accomplished.
What Didn't Work:
1. The "science" - transporting someone's consciousness back into their younger self? Pretty hard to believe. But it is true to the comics so there's that.
2. Not enough of the modern X-Men. I would have preferred more cross cutting between the future and the past rather than pretty much being bookends.
3. Not enough Quicksilver. Seriously. He stole the movie and needed to be in it more.
In Conclusion
I loved the movie. It was a great way to be a sequel and a reboot at the same time. Singer did a great job lending real world gravitas to the movie while still maintaining humor and fun. Was it perfect? No. There are parts that fall flat. Some characters are there just as glorified cameos. But it tells an exciting story with a lot of stakes once you get past the crappy science. Walking out of the movie I felt the same as I did walking out of X2: excited at where the franchise would go from here. Is it better than X2? Not to me. X2 had more emotional resonance with the death of Jean Grey. Definitely a must see.
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