Raising the bar on sequels

Rating: 8/10 (13 June 2014)

The sequel/prequel element makes for a complex storyline and there are some 'borrowed' themes from the TERMINATOR and ROBOCOP franchises, but this doesn't interfere with the viewer's enjoyment of DAYS OF FUTURE PAST. The pace is terrific and the action scenes showcase CGI at its very best. I watched the 2D version, having come to feel that 3D doesn't actually add much to a good movie (or a bad one).
Obviously you don't come to a film like this looking for great acting, but all the cast play their roles seriously without any pantomime send- ups. Middle age must be about to catch up with Hugh Jackman, but he's still a hunk. We mostly see the younger versions of Erik and Charles (Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy), but Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen pop up from time to time to add a bit of gravitas. Mark Camacho does a great job of recreating Richard M. Nixon, that most devious of presidents. There's a welcome surprise appearance at the end, and the suggestion that messing with time really does have consequences.
DAYS OF FUTURE PAST really raises the bar on sequels and remakes. It may be the best X-MEN yet. It's certainly the best, so far, of this summer's blockbusters.