X-Men: Days of Future Past

I have to say for the first hour I was completely screwed and had no idea what was going on in the movie. This lasted till the end of the movie, just so I could, with a twist from the future to the past with a stop in the alternative present (which is all this instalment is about), understand that this film cancelled everything the X-Men encountered in the previous movies. Suddenly, the dead from the previous instalments were alive, the bastards were made more human and Bryan Singer created a brand new world he would happily draw from in the future. As for the fans, this movie was quite a mindfuck. (24/05/2015)

I admit that there are some shortcomings when it comes to the profiling of the characters and their interactions, where the reasons someone is doing what they are doing are not always convincingly explained. However, the film manages to be sufficiently entertaining, tense and riveting that I didn’t start thinking about those issues until I left the theatre. In the cinema it was excellent, uninterrupted fun. In short, a very pleasant time spent with old (and new) friends. I liked Evan Peters as Quicksilver, there could have been more of him, his scenes are interesting and fun. Overall, I had more fun than with the (IMHO) overrated First Class. (30/05/2014)

The best comic book movie? No, seriously not. A character driven special effects picture that reflects fear of the future, plays around with historical facts to outrageous lengths, while not becoming any less entertaining, foreboding and, primarily, tense. And that’s quite rare. It’s been a long time since I actually feared for a character and every digression from the original timeline raised my eyebrows. The explanation of time travel is absolutely exemplary, mutation is a great way how. The cast is commanded by Fassbender and McAvoy (their scenes are flawless), Jackman too, even if his Wolverine stays a bit in the background. A perfect screenplay, sure direction and mainly a pure-blooded, intelligent blockbuster. Best scene: Pietro vs. bodyguards. (25/05/2014)

Hollywood’s dogs and cats baked a cake where they wanted to include everything and everyone across universes, time, and space. And as a result, there is no space or time on the screen for anything or anyone. Everything is so rushed that what was the biggest strength of X-Men until now, completely vanishes. I mean the exploration of the characters, their development, their fears, their relationships with each other and the resulting emotions. Here, everyone is invariably relegated to the roles of emotionless puppets reciting big words, interrupted here and there by some mandatory blockbuster action. Moreover, the action is only there for its own sake; which doesn't mean it's bad in itself because it's not. Singer bit off more than he could chew, which is even more of a shame because now and then there is a flash of genius (mostly thanks to the cast), that shows how good it could have been if someone in charge realized that less is sometimes much more. (21/05/2014)

In the case of this film, The Rogue Cut is absolutely crucial, or if Anna Paquin is not in it, then I’m not interested. The result of this change is a distinctly compact work that will engage and not offend even comic book readers. It almost seemed that this old (by today's standards) franchise was over, but now it has gained a second wind and is boldly competing with The Avengers. Rogue nostalgia and the return of characters like Phoenix made me feel better. Of the new characters, Quicksilver got to everyone, while the one in The Avengers was downright lukewarm (even though he had his sister by his side). Well, I'm going to have to watch it again soon. (31/07/2015)