“Is the future truly set?”
This question is a perfect summation of the plot of X-Men: Days Of Future Past. The film begins in the near future when the world has been ravaged into a dystopian state. Men and mutants alike have been murdered en masse by a new enemy called the Sentinels – giant robots that can transform their powers at will in order to combat any mutant’s powers.
Only a small band of mutants remain and are being led by the now reunited Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen). Their only hope at survival is Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), whose psychic abilities enable her to send people’s consciousnesses back into their younger selves. In the comics, this task is left to Pryde herself, but Wolverine has now been assigned to help. I suppose they had to give Hugh Jackman something to do.
Enter the young mutant misfits that we met in X-Men: First Class, roughly a decade after we last saw them. Not only does Wolverine have to get Young Charles (James McAvoy), Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) to work together to save the world, he has to do it with Professor X being stripped of his powers.
The complicated time-travel storyline really should have made for a terrible film, but it’s highly successful in its execution. The performance of the actors in particular is a joy to behold, and it was especially rewarding to delve deeper into the juxtaposed feud and friendship between Professor X and Magneto. Evan Peters is also delightful in his portrayal of Quicksilver, and deserves a special mention for providing the most hilarious and charming scene of the film.
Fans of the franchise and the comics alike are sure to enjoy the latest instalment. Bryan Singer has outdone himself yet again, and the film will hopefully overshadow the train wreck that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
4.5/5 stars
X-Men: Days Of Future Past is in cinemas now.
