Stuff To Buy - X-Men: Days Of Future Past

I enjoyed XM:DOFP (check out my review here). So, I was all set to buy the Blu-ray when I read that there will be director's cut that will be released in 2015. This cut will restore the entire Rogue sub-plot that was dropped from the theatrical release. This is great news - more mutant mayhem! - and I'm pleased that this was announced before XM:DOFP went on sale. I've had to double-dip in the past and it'll be nice not to with XM:DOFP.

Short Attention Span Review - X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). With Spoilers From The Future.

The really short version: this is a really good film with great acting and solid action. Go see it. Want some more? Keep reading.

The movie is set in two time periods. The first is is in the 2020s (although the future is never given a date, characters make reference to it being "50 years" from 1973), in a world controlled by Sentinels, mutant hunting robots. It resembles the future scenes in the Terminator movies, with dark, storm filled skies, ruined cities and fields of skulls. The remaining X-Men - including a number of new characters - are fighting a losing battle against the Sentinels. They come with a "Hail Mary" plan to send Wolverine's (Hugh Jackman) consciousness into the past, to the year 1973, where the bulk of the movie takes place. Wolverine has to stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from assassinating Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) creator of the Sentinels. It is his assassination which prompts the US government to support the Sentinel program. Wolverine must also convince Professor X (James McAvoy) to "hope" again and re-embrace his dream of human-mutant integration. Finally, Wolverine also has to locate Magneto (Michael Fassbender) to assist Professor X in convincing Mystique to abandon her quest for vengeance. Wolverine succeeds...sort of. Once his consciousness returns to the future we see that many of the events of previous films (in particular X-Men 3 and X-Men Origins: Wolverine) did not take place and that the future is not a Sentinel-run dystopia. We also get a glimpse of what the next film in the series will be, with the post-credit introduction of Apocalypse (Brendan Pedder). The end.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film. The acting was good, although some characters, particularly Ellen Page's Kitty Pryde, were underutilized. Many of the "supporting mutants" - including, thankfully, Halle Berry's very bored looking Storm - were little more than action figures for the future fight sequences. However, since most of the film is set in 1973 and the entire cast in that storyline is excellent, this lack of characterization doesn't detract form the film. The time-travel aspect of the story works well enough. Yes, there are some holes in the plot; but I can't think of a time travel film (or book) that doesn't require significant suspension of disbelief. The important thing is that a story sets up rules for time travel and then sticks with them, which this does.

There are some plot/story issues, aside from those related to time travel. For example, it is unclear how much people know about mutants. While the impression is given that the government thinks they might not exist, it is a key plot element that Magneto is being kept in a cell in the Pentagon specially designed to negate his mutant powers and that the military has items (like Sebastian Shaw's telepathy blocking helmet) from the fighting in Cuba in the last film. It is also a plot-point that the military has mutants in Vietnam and knows what they are, although it is not clear if they are using their superpowers to fight the war. Later scenes where President Nixon ( Mark Camacho ) and his staff seem surprised by the existence of mutants don't work, given these other plot-points. There are a few other items like this that inconsistent or just don't make sense when you think about them; however, the movie has such a great, dramatic pace and the bulk of the story is well plotted and engaging. The problems aren't exactly nit-picking; but they are minor to the overall flow of the story.

Sentinels future and past.

Visually, the movie is impressive. The action sequences are great. A stand-out sequence is an amazing scene where we get to see how super-speedster Quicksilver (Evan Peters) sees the world (everyone is basically moving in super-slow motion), while he takes out a half-dozen security officers in the Pentagon. The only visual element I didn't like were the future Sentinels. While the '73 Sentinels are a nice mix of the comic book version and a more "real-world" vision of what 20 foot tall robots would look like, the future Sentinels look far too much like a cross between the T-1000 from Terminator 2 and the Destroyer from . It's a drab design, one that does not have the same unique look as the '73 Sentinels and one that does not 'pop' on the screen.

Since the film is based on a comic book, I should address that aspect briefly. Is it as good as the original Days of Future Past story? That's not an easy question to answer. The film takes elements from the comic, but creates its own story, one that works in the continuity of the films. The comic has a much more streamlined story and presents a believable, yet chilling look at a future America under the control of mutant hunting robots. When the comic was released (1981) it was shocking to see such things as heroes being killed (the future X-Men are decimated by the Sentinels), death camps and political assassinations, moreso because I was a child when I first read it. Writers Chris Claremont and John Byrne were at the top of their game, creating a great alternate future and a dramatic, compelling storyline, all in two issues (The Uncanny X-Men, Volume 1, #141 - 142). Overall, I think the comic is more satisfying and has a much more tightly written story, although some of my feelings about this are based on the impact the comic had on me when I first read it.

As both it's own movie, as a sequel to X-Men: First Class and as a series reboot, Days of Future Past succeeds. Check it out on the big screen.

New X-Men Trailer Out

A new trailer for X-Men: Days of Future Past has been dropped. It looks better than the last one, giving a sense of the scope of the film (big) and showcasing the actors we want to see. No offense to Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, but McAvoy and Fassbender were so good in the last film, that they are the ones I want to see up on the big screen.

We get to see a bunch of mutants (Colossus, Bishop, Storm, Kitty Pryde, Sunspot, Iceman, Blink, Mystique, Beast) and a pretty good look at both the Sentinel Mark 1 and the future Sentinels. The Mark 1 looks good; the future Sentinels...look a little like the Destroyer from Thor after 6 months on Slimfast. Hopefully, most of the movie will take place in the 70s, as the future looks appropriately gloomy, but not very visually interesting. Just another dark landscape of blasted buildings.

This trailer makes me a bit more hopeful for the film. Check out the trailer below.

Trailer Mania!

I went to see 300: Rise of an Empire yesterday. My review of that film will be up in a little bit. However, I was hit with a slew of trailers before the film and, since the coming attractions is one of my favorite parts of going to the cinema, I decided to give a run-down of what was shown.

1. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For: I liked the original.  Visually, it was impressive, the black and white with splotches of color highlighting the unreality of the whole thing (and helping make some iffy CGI look "artsy").  And, for the most part, the stories and acting were good, although I didn't The Big Fat Kill section.  That was the one with all the super-model hookers and Miho, the pixie ninja.  The story didn't interest me.  Anyway, A Dame to Kill For looks like more of the same: pulp/noir style stories, the same black and white visuals, the same stylized filming. In other words, a film I'll be checking out in the cinema. 
2. A Million Ways to Die in the West: Seth MacFarlane's western-comedy.  Either this will be completely awesome...or all the best stuff is in the trailer.   Definitely a Netflix viewing.
3. Deliver Us From Evil:  This might be good, but I got an Exorcist III vibe from the trailer.  Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, since I think Exorcist III, for all its flaws, is an interesting film.  But, it is interesting more as parts than as a sum.  Anyway, this is probably a Netflix viewing for me. 
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past: Same blah trailer. I don not have the warm fuzzies about this movie.  I'll probably still see it in a theater; but, so far, it is not a "must-see." 
5. Edge of Tomorrow:  Same trailer that has been out for a while, but I am still psyched to see this movie.  It seems pretty high concept - if Halo meets Groundhogs Day is high concept these days.  Anyway, I like Tom Cruise (just saw Valkyrie and was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it) and the invasion scenes look they'll make an awesome FPS.   Oh, and the title of the novel it is based on...All You Need Is Kill....much better.  Definite theater visit for this one. 
6. Transcendence:  Johnny Depp becomes Skynet.  Hey, wasn't Transcendence the name of the VR game in eXistenZ.  Well, the game the eXistenZ game was part of.  If it really was a game.  Damn you and your opaque-ish plot!  Netflix for me. 
7. Sabotage: Generic action plus boobs plus lesbo make-out scene plus FPS action plus Arnold! Hell yeah!  Well, Hell yeah Netflix!  Also, "Clean up on aisle three"...isn't that from Threat Level Midnight?  

Captain America and X-Men: Days of Future Past Trailers

So, we got two new trailers for upcoming Marvel movies. Of the two, Captain America: The Winter Soldier looks more promising. It has the spectacle down - the action looks robust, the hanger of Helicarriers is neat, there are a lot of explosions, which, as we all know, make any movie better - and gives a glimpse of the Falcon. Scarlett is looking hot, Cap is looking like he can kick ass and the story is based on one of the strongest retcons in recent memory. Looking forward to this movie.

And then, X-Men: Days of Future Past. Hmmm...the story is what is going to either save or kill this. It has a good cast and director and it looks appropriately dark. But, the question remains whether they can juggle a lot of characters and successfully tie a bunch of different movies together. Hopefully Singer and company can pull off the same magic they did with X-Men and build on the solid foundation laid by X-Men: First Class.