X-Men: Days of Future Past

**Some Spoilers, but not many**

Director: Bryan Singer/Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Ellen Page and Peter Dinklage

Days of Future Past...hmmm, isn't that the title of a Moody Blues album? Uh, never mind. The latest X-men iteration is upon us; this time combining the "old" and "new" casts though what those designations mean character-wise is subject to the audience's point-of-view.

I was able to breathe a sigh of relief upon exiting the theater; Marvel Entertainment finally came through with a terrific super-hero film, which builds upon the equally terrific X-Men: First Class. Though the new cast; James McAvoy, Michael Fassbinder, Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult occupy most of screentime in X-Men: Days of Future Past, the old cast returns, sharing the latest adventure. Wolverine acts as sort of a liason between the old and new and by now Hugh Jackman can play this role in a coma. But he hasn't taken his character for granted; offering a marvelous performance and his signature rippling torso, bursting with vascularity.

I won't offer a complete synopsis because I would rather spend more time mentioning what I liked about the film, which was nearly everything.

Mankind is threatened and mostly conquered by what are called Sentinels; robots with mutant DNA, specifically Raven/Mystique's (Jennifer Lawrence). How did such a thing happen? Back in the early 70s', a mutant-hating scientist named Dr. Bolivar Trask (an excellent Peter Dinklage) designs robots to combat what he believes is a mutant menace. Raven/Mystique, wise to Trasks's research and agenda, tracks him down and kills him but in doing so, is captured. Her DNA, bone marrow, and other bodily contents are utilized in his robot-design, which make them nearly invincible. The Sentinels can not only identify mutants, but can effectively neutralize them with near impunity.

The film begins with scenes of urban darkness; the aftermath of Sentinel domination. Only a small unit of mutants hold out in remote China. Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellan) both hatch a plan that will send Wolverine's consciousness back in time via Kitty Pride's (Ellen Page) time-bending powers. His mission is to find both the younger versions of the Professor and Magneto and convince them that Raven's assassination attempt on Trask must be stopped, thereby denying him access to mutant DNA. Plenty of obstacles present themselves, and an effective ticking clock is employed to ratchet up the tension. In the the future, the Sentinels have discovered the mutant hide-out and threaten both the future and past Wolverine's mission. Very exciting stuff.

The screenplay by Simon Kinberg and story by Jane Goldman are inventive, intricate, intense, rich in character development and spare no opportunities for humor.

For once, CGI doesn't play an exclusive role in the visuals but are used sparingly and effectively; serving the story rather than smothering it. The actors are allowed to act, to explore their characters, rather than just react to a green-screen.

The acting, as one would expect, is top-notch, which is what one would expect from such an exceptional cast. McAvoy and Fassbender scintillate as Professor X and Magneto, particularly in an airplane scene where X accuses Magneto of ruining his life while Magneto accuses X of abandoning the mutants. Fassbender allows his character to be angry without spilling all his rage; he holds some in reserve behind his taut jaw and saber-gaze. McAvoy's X is a blend of wavering confidence and fear of his own powers, which gives his hero more depth. Jennifer Lawrence is an actress that seems to fail at nothing. She gives Raven/Mystique an edgy determination and it is always thrilling to see her character onscreen. But it is the small role of Evan Peters' Quicksilver that presents the film its memorable, mutant jester. Quicksilver seems more trickster than hero and the scene where he directs the bullets and aggression of a security force away from the other mutants is deliriously entertaining and funny. That it all plays out to Jim Croce's Time in a Bottle makes it all the more inspired.

By now Bryan Singer has earned his super-hero movie bona-fides but he doesn't Tweet his effort in. He demonstrates the new X-Men franchise is one Marvel series that deserves some longevity. It is inspired from opening to closing credits and it is one of the very few super-hero movies I can honestly say I would pay to see again. I hope Hollywood is taking note; (though it doesn't really care if their product has charm; the bottom-line is king) X-Men: Days of Future Past provides instruction on superhero-movie-making how-to. We'll see if they can recreate the magic in the next installment, which was hinted at the end of the closing credits. We'll see, indeed.