What is there to say about Fox's "X-Men" films? To the more cynical fans, they are X-Men in Name Only, giving Wolverine the spotlight while not even bothering with continuity. To the more forgiving fans, the films (at least the better ones) expertly capture the mature themes of the comics, despite not being direct adaptations. For better or worse, we often forget that the "X-Men" franchise has been going continuously for the last 14 years, making it by far the longest-running superhero film franchise without a reboot.
If not for Bryan Singer's two original "X" films, the genre might not have the credibility it currently enjoys. These films inspired Sam Raimi and Chris Nolan to make their Spider-Man and Batman trilogies, which in turn legitimized the genre as both a critical and commercial powerhouse. For all the mistakes the "X" franchise has made, it gets more right than it does wrong.
After seeing the latest film, "X-Men: Days of Future Past" in theaters, I found it to be among the best, if not THE best, of the entire series. But part of the reason it works so well is because of the storied history of the franchise. For "Future Past" to work, it needs the other X films. Therefore, I'm dedicating this rant to reviewing the X franchise as a whole.
In the beginning, there was "X-Men". Bryan Singer's original film dealt with Wolverine and Rouge joining the long-standing fight between Charles "Professor X" Xavier and Erik "Magneto" Lensherr. Boasting a dark and sophisticated tone, magnificent performances from Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart and Ian Mckellan, and an intelligent socio-political subtext about racism and homophobia, the original "X-Men" was a great start to the franchise.
A simple yet effective plot keeps things interesting, and balances its multiple characters throughout the run-time. If there are any flaws, it's that the effects and action are pretty tame by today's standards, and some of the dialogue is cringe-worthy (Do you know what happens to a Toad that's struck by lightning?) While a little dated, the first "X-Men" still has staying power for nailing the mutant plight in such a human fashion.
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The sequel, "X2", ups the ante in every way. From the opening White House scene with Nightcrawler (which made him my favorite X-Man) all the way to the tearful cliffhanger ending, this film doesn't let up. It's a textbook example of a sequel improving on the original in every way. Brian Cox's William Stryker makes for a fantastic human villain, the insights into Wolverine's past are exciting, and the teases for the Dark Phoenix Saga would make any comic fan swoon. The action, story, and characters are all top notch, cementing "X2" as not only a franchise best, but one of the best films in the superhero genre.
And then there's "The Last Stand." In my 3-part rant about trilogies and franchises, I balked about how the first three "X" films could have been one of the best superhero film trilogies ever, if they just nailed this flick. While there are some standout action scenes and a few noteworthy new characters (Beast and Kitty Pryde anyone?), "The Last Stand" ultimately fumbles by trying to pull off too much at once. Just like "Spider-Man 3", there are too many undercooked characters and plotlines jumping around, and none of them are fleshed out.
It's no wonder Fox decided to move backwards instead of forwards when it came to future films. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" followed, and did the impossible. It made "The Last Stand" look Oscar worthy. Despite a thrilling opening act (especially the pre-credits scene) and some genuinely good performances, "Origins" devolved into a video game by the time Logan gets his iconic adamantium claws. Don't believe me? They turned Deadpool, a cult favorite, into a Mortal Kombat Baraka ripoff. Not to mention giving Gambit, another fan-favorite, next to no screentime. The greatest sin, however, is taking Wolverine and turning him into an utter joke, complete with obviously fake CGI claws and a weakness to adamantium bullets. Many fans, myself included, wished we could be like Logan and have our memories wiped by film's end.
It's no great surprise, then, that by the time "X-Men: First Class" was announced, I had next to no enthusiasm for it. The choice of B and C-list mutants was weak, the prequel or reboot confusion was noticeable, and the photoshopped posters were laughable. It's a miracle, then, that the film turned out as well as it did. "First Class" was on par with the first two X films as the best in the franchise, wisely focusing on the friendship of Xavier and Erik.
The '60s period setting and Cuban Missile Crisis backdrop gave it a spy-thriller type vibe, while Michael Fassbender's Magneto completely stole the show. Just thinking about the bar scene with the Nazis gives me chills. The only thing that kept me from completely enjoying the movie, ironically enough, was the continuity errors with the rest of the franchise. From Xavier's crippling to Cerebro's creation, these little nagging plot points left me wondering how connected this film was to the original X trilogy. But plot holes aside, the film itself was fantastic, and got the franchise back to basics.
When "The Wolverine" was announced as being based on the Japanese Saga, I prayed Fox learned from "First Class" and delivered a hit. What I got was a solid, entertaining solo film that captured Logan's character effortlessly, and made up entirely for Origins. I won't go too much into this film, since I already reviewed it, but suffice to say it still holds up on repeat viewings, especially the R-rated extended edition. "The Wolverine" was a gritty, character-based drama that wisely focused on Logan's inner turmoil rather than video-game fight scenes. The one real flaw is the ending, where the hard-edged Japanese film noir turns into a standard superhero slug fest. But third act aside, "The Wolverine" was a welcome addition to the X-Franchise.
And now, at long last, we come to "Days of Future Past." It was important for me to review the entire series because this film really honors it. While it doesn't wrap up every single continuity error, the film does make you believe every other film fits into a single timeline. The more nagging plot holes can be rationalized if one thinks hard enough, but this film never focuses on that for too long. It's more focused instead on uniting the original X trilogy cast and the "First Class" cast in a way that's both organic and exciting. In this regard, "Future Past" doesn't disappoint.
The time travel elements are integrated in a clever way and are never confusing. It's to the film's credit that the plot moves as swiftly as it does, while never getting bogged down by time travel paradoxes. The future segments are fleeting, but returning director Bryan Singer does a great job of not only setting the hopeless atmosphere of these scenes, but establishing the desperation the X-Men feel. New characters like Bishop, Blink, Warpath and Sunspot don't get much in terms of characterization, but their powers are well utilized and they all serve a purpose. Kitty, Iceman, Storm, Collosus, and Old Magneto likewise don't get much, but they too get standout moments. It is only Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart who really shine in the future, but that's due more to their links to the past.
At heart, "Future Past" is a "First Class" sequel bookended by the future scenes. It's great that these future segments are not only an extension of the action in the past, but also of the events of the original X trilogy and both "Wolverine" films. We buy that everything we've seen in the franchise up to this point extends out of what happens here, and the severity of the future makes the mission to the past that much more crucial. This is highlighted chiefly through the future Sentinels. While sporting a T-100-esque look that's a far cry from the comics, these Sentinels are delightfully creepy and crazy effective against mutants. When the X-Men fall twice while fighting them, you know these robots aren't to be messed with. The past designs work too, but got nothing on the brutality of their future counterparts.
But while the plot is something to be praised, what makes this film a real winner is the characters. With the master Bryan Singer returning, so too does the focus on an ensemble we want to root for. Mcavoy, Fassbender, Lawrence, Hoult, Peter Dinklage, and Hugh Jackman are all standouts, with the main arc going to Lawrence's Mystique as she is caught between Xavier and Magneto's dueling ideologies. But Xavier gets a hefty amount of development too, as the time traveling Wolverine helps him go from drug addicted shut in to embracing his destiny as Professor X. A mental meeting with his future self makes young Xavier's too human flaws all the more apparent, and emphasizes the X-Men's ever present ideals of hope.
It's also worth noting that while Wolverine is a treat to watch here and in many ways drives the plot, he is not the focus, allowing the younger cast around him to really flex their acting muscles. Among that younger cast is newcomer Quicksilver, who despite limited screentime gets what is easily the film's best scene. Him zipping through the Pentagon kitchen at super speed, redirecting bullets while time slows to a still, is breathtaking, not to mention hilarious. A sly nod to his connection with Magneto also had me smiling, as it should any comic fan. The true brilliance of this scene is showing the film still wants to have fun even with the threat of a dark future looming.
Not to knock Aaron Taylor Johnston or Joss Whedon, but they've got their work cut out for them if they want their Quicksilver to top this one. But while they could learn from "Future Past", it's clear this film also learned from them, given its greater attention to comic mythology. The future X-Men fighting the Sentinels easily delivers the best action of the franchise, ripped straight from a comic book. The use of time travel to make massive timeline retcons also feels delightfully comic book-like. And boy, are these some retcons.
By film's end, Logan wakes up in a new future where the Sentinels never happened and Xavier heeded his warnings. Not only do we see all the future X-Men alive again, but also Anna Paquin's Rouge, Kelsey Grammer's old Beast, and a very alive Jean Grey and Cyclops. At long last, "X-Men: The Last Stand" is erased from canon, creating a truly better future. But the best part is that there are now 50 years of history to fill in and completely rewrite, including re-doing "Origins" properly. Mystique impersonating Stryker and getting hold of past Logan is a great development, and leaves the film with a great cliffhanger.
Most fans would be content with just that, but the film outdoes itself again with the credits scene. In what amounts to a full on nerdgasm, we see a young En Sabbah Nur, aka ultimate X-Men villain Apocalypse, telekinetically building the pyramids in Ancient Egypt, with his Four Horsemen watching. A new direction has been set for the X films, the old canon stripped away, and past mistakes forgotten. But while the old films (barring "First Class" and the pre-credits scenes of "Origins" and "The Wolverine") no longer technically exist, their memories are still in Logan, and are the reason he had to go back and start this new timeline in the first place. In other words, they pulled a "Star Trek" and rebooted the franchise without actually rebooting it. It's nothing short of brilliant.
By combining just the right amount of action, story, character, and attention to movie and comic mythology, Bryan Singer has crafted the ultimate X-Men film. I personally rank it the best of the franchise, but it's at the very least on par with "X2" and "First Class". A great continuation of the "First Class" story and an emotional send off for most of the old crew, this film honors everything that's great about the X-Men, both the films and the comics. Despite a few set backs like "Last Stand" and "Origins", and the still annoying plot holes, the "X-Men" franchise is among the finest superhero film series when looked at as a whole. "Days of Future Past" only cements how ground-breaking, emotional, and ambitious the series is. I can't wait to see what Fox has in store, now that I know the studio can honor the past and look to the future.
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