X-Men: Days of Future Past

Rating: 9.5/10

It's kinda hard to believe it's been 14 years since the first X-Men film came to theaters. Now here we stand with an X-Men film doing what comics have been doing for years in keeping a franchise fresh but original: retconning its continuity. For those unfamiliar with the term, to "retcon" something in terms of storytelling, means taking the current continuity and changing a few things in the past to better suit the needs of the overall story. This usually leads, more or less, to the story starting out fresh, while not distorting the old continuity too much, and usually avoids pissing off fans. As stated before, comics do this all the time and the film even takes its title from one of its source material famous story arcs. The story arc in question deals with time travel, thus allowing the movie timeline to fix the so called doomed future that we clearly see in this film, but also the mistakes of the franchise's past.

In 2005/2006, director Bryan Singer was at the top of his game. Coming off his now classic hit "The Usual Suspects" he helped change the Hollywood game, making the first two X-Men films in a time when comic book films were more dreaded at the box office then praised. It helped rush in a new era of fans and other comic book films such as the Spider-Man films, the reboot of the Batman franchise, and even later the beginning of what is now the hugely successful Marvel Cinematic Universe. Then when working on "X3", he was offered the chance to help make the next Superman film. Taking the job and leaving it in the studio's hands, everyone got treated to Brett Ratner's version of "X3" (and hated just about every minute of it). The franchise continued to go down hill even further with "X-Men Origins: Wolverine". The less said about that film, the better. Now Bryan Singer is back in the director's seat, after producing the successful "X-Men: First Class" with director Matthew Vaughn. But the question remains if Singer could come back and reclaim his seat and keep the goodwill going? The answer is yes. Not only does this new film work on an entertaining level, its a great reconstructing story arc. It works brilliantly and sets up the X-Men to not only continue on, but in whole new directions with its wings spread wide.

I will say right off the bat, I found "X-Men: First Class" more exciting and fresh, but that's usually what happens when you start off with a great new cast and a good, fresh story (even by comic adaptations standards). That said, "X-Men: Days of Future Past" works as a film to both reinvigorate the franchise as well as succeeding in delivering a fun, if still serious ride.

Where it really shines overall though, are two huge sequences. One dealing with the mutant called Quicksilver, and the second being the film's ending. I remember seeing a lot of negative feedback from fans on seeing Quicksilver's appearance in the film's trailers and screenshots, mostly I think due to the 70's outfit as well as just sort of appearing right around the same time, so close to "Avengers: Age of Ultron" where his character (played by a different actor because of different film rights and universes) also appears. I can honesty say that this Quicksilver is not only a great character but also one of the best parts of the movie, so much so that you actually hate to see him go when the characters no longer need him after breaking Magneto out of prison. The ending, which I won't spoil here, is worth every penny to see. Whether you're a fan of just the "First Class" film or the series in general, it's an ending that's both satisfying and gives immense closure, while still leaving much up in the air for future filmmakers to expand upon. That's a miracle unto itself. All I hope is that Singer, future filmmakers, and Fox Studios know how to take the advantage they now have in front of them. "X-Men: Days of Future Past" is not only one of the best X-Men films, it's one of the best comic book films of the year. Check it out.