Once upon a time I'd have rushed to see any movie derived from a comic book source. They were few and far between. But we live in a new time when comic book movies are available almost every month of the year. So seeing them all in the theater is an impossibility and seeing them later is unlikely as well. I've gotten quite used to waiting for television screenings for many of the movies. I'd likely have done the same for X-Men Days of Future Past if my daughters had not seen fit to get for me this past Christmas.
And I'm glad they did. Spoilers below even all this time.
This is a really good movie for X-Men fans. I've liked all the X-movies to date, but this one really showcases the wide range of mutants exceedingly well. The previous X-movie set in the 60's is my favorite of all of them, so it's pleasant to see many of the cast get another chance to shine in this time-traveling saga which mostly takes place in 1973.
The Sentinels are a wonderful device and it's good to see them in multiple forms in this story, though I will confess the prototypes don't evoke the classic Sentinels as much as I'd prefer. I find I like Wolverine better in the movies than in the comics, as Hugh Jackman makes him more empathetic than anything I've run across in the comics. Jackman has taken a smug tough guy and added a level of pathos which ought to be in the comics but which I rarely discovered. Wolverine is a great glue to bond the two halves of the story together.
Wanted more of Quicksilver but what we got was very entertaining. I'm not sure what to make of this punk version and I've got to wonder what became of his sister but I guess the upcoming Avengers movie might fill that pocket.
Good Beast hijinks and decent Mystique stuff, though frankly I found her less compelling in this story than in the first one. Something about the make-up on the face works against Jennifer Lawrence when she tries to show feelings. Nice Toad, good to see Havok and sad to see Dragonfly (or "Angel" as they insist on calling her).
Magneto was great as always. Michael Fassbender is ideal for the role and his cool presentation makes even the most heinous crimes seem sleek and elegant. Ian McKellan as the repentant Magneto does well too, but of course little is expected in this one. The two Professors were more well balanced with both James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart spot on.
Loved the dark future action sequences especially the Iceman action alongside the Sunspot fires. Blink was fun and even Bishop seemed okay. (I don't really have much regard for Bishop, a character who screams 90's comics to me.) And after many years Colossus finally gets to let it hang out a bit, though the cost is bitter indeed. Nice to see Storm, Cyclops, and even Marvel Girl again. Just like the comics, dead never means dead.
The tag ending did very little for me as I guessed what it was, but since it's been well over twenty years since I regularly read an X-comic, the arrival of Apocalypse carries little value. This one was a winner though, almost completely.
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But yet again no Nightcrawler. One of the core members of the X-Men since 1975 and he's ignored as if he never existed - this is why I can never take comic-book movies seriously as they take too many liberties with the characters.
ReplyDeleteI don't by and large have problems with changes if they work. But they have to work. Nightcrawler was in the second one (great portrayal), but he's been notably absent since, and it's because of the Beast I reckon, too similar I suppose.
DeleteAnd I never take superhero movies that seriously ever. Watchmen maybe, but the others...nah.
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