Enjoyable and satisfying blockbuster thanks to engaging narrative which is well delivered by all

Rating: Null/10 (5 October 2014)

I don't remember being overly taken by the previous X-Men film, although I may be wrong because it has mostly slipped from my memory after it took quite some time for me to get around to watching it in the first place. Days of Future Past came out in a busy summer season and it did strike me as just another superhero blockbuster in a very crowded marketplace. Although it of course has much in common with other superhero films, X-Men doesn't directly take them on at their own game and, although it has the odd touch here and there, it deliberately avoids the knockabout comedy that The Avengers film and some of its offshoots has. Instead we get a darker plot that begins in the future where mutants are either enslaved or killed by robots designed specifically for that purpose. The plot device that triggers the time-travel is as easy to accept as anything else in the film, and it is delivered fairly straight which also helps. This gives us a plot where we know the stakes and the film plays it very well to keep things dramatic.
Having very recently been disappointed by the superficial thrills of Godzilla, I pleased to find that Days of Future Past was an engaging and satisfying film to watch – although I personally think that its current very high rating on IMDb is partially down to an overreaction to low expectations set by First Class. The plot has some good twists and turns and it connects the future and present well. Special effects are well used throughout, with plenty going on that is visible (I'm looking at you Godzilla) and most importantly, is connected to the plot; so yes the film has spectacle, but it is spectacle that the viewer cares about rather than passively watches.
The cast helps give the material some weight and, although some of them have comparatively little to do, they all do well enough with what they are given. Jackman is as good as presence as ever and there is a reason he and this character remain so constant through the series. Fassbender and McAvoy have good material to work with and they engage and convince as to their connection to their future castings of Stewart and McKellen. Lawrence is surprisingly good and although she seems a bit out of place at first, it is her performance that makes her character work. Dinklage is always watchable and he fits in well amongst a cast that includes many famous faces in roles small and big. The balance of all these names and faces is down to how enjoyable the script is, because even though we barely see some people, it makes sense within the context of the story being told, so doesn't feel like they are wasted (although I could have done with a few fewer in the final scenes).
Days of Future Past is perhaps not as amazing as the high IMDb rating suggests, but it is an enjoyable and satisfying superhero movie with good edge and seriousness in the plot, which is all played straight aside from a few moments, helping it carry it off and keep the viewer engaged.