The most ambitious and ingenious of the long-running series, X-Men: Days of Future Past keeps the key crew of mutants busier than ever.
Between globe-hopping, time-traveling and employing their various powers early and often, these superhuman folks are non-stop in this riveting sequel (* * * ½ out of four; rated PG-13; opens Friday nationwide).
They pretty much have to be, given that the survival of mutant-kind is at stake.
A quartet of X-Men must stop the shape-shifting Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from a deed that will change the course of their lives.
X-Men's multigenerational cast is slyly funny and thoroughly compelling. The intricately plotted Marvel Comics-based tale is full of spectacle, but also playful and powerfully emotional.
Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is sent back five decades from 2023 to change the course of history and alter the future. He's sent by Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto (Ian McKellen) at a time when the world is ravaged and annihilation looms.
The action toggles between a dystopian future and 1973, vaulting across continents, from Moscow to Washington D.C., to Saigon.
It's been 14 years since the first X-Men film, and the power of the series lies in how it has embraced the characters' distinctive other-ness. Unlike such venerated superheroes as Superman and Spiderman, whose general physicality remains unchanged as they perform heroic feats, this legion has been marginalized, even reviled, for the physical abnormalities and vulnerabilities that accompany their superpowers.
The series has always been about the characters' humanity, and that resonates even more powerfully with this richly detailed installment. Audiences get a visceral understanding of the mutants' emotional experience.
The film opens with Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) using her mental powers to transport Logan/Wolverine back 50 years from a remote hideout in China to bustling New York City during the Nixon years.
His mission is to save mutants from annihilation by robotic "sentinels" created by Dr. Trask (Peter Dinklage). Wolverine must stop Mystique from killing Trask, and keep Mystique from being captured and having DNA extracted to further the cause of mutant genocide.
It's a labyrinthine dance that may or may not line up with every detail in past X-Men sagas. But don't worry about fitting all the pieces together. too hard to Just sit back and enjoy.
Wolverine enlists the help of the 50-years-younger Xavier (James McAvoy) and Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender), as instructed by their older versions. He is also assisted by Hank/Beast (Nicholas Hoult) and, briefly, Peter/Quicksilver (Evan Peters).
McAvoy and Fassbender inhabit their parts almost as superbly as veterans Stewart and McKellen. Wolverine's sardonic wit is established just after he's sent back in time and wakes up sloshing on a water bed gazing at a lava lamp. He's both brawny and soulful.
Lawrence takes to her amplified role nimbly —it's hard to imagine anyone better suited to the part.
Several scenes leave an indelible impression, especially one involving Quicksilver, whose speedy powers can stop time. Amid perilous goings-on inside the Pentagon, he freezes everyone and runs around mischievously to the tune of Jim Croce's Time in a Bottle, stopping bullets and turning a bad guy's hand into a fist so he can punch himself. It's an inventive blend of visuals and musical score.
And then there's the surprising connection between the X-Men and a past President.
In its exploration of differences, this character-driven X-Men blends emotional resonance with grand spectacle, humor and intimate storytelling.
Think of it as a thrill ride with gravitas.
Source : http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2014/05/21/x-men-days-of-future-past-review/9392745/
