Sequelitis does its best to kill this original comic book film...

Rating: 7/10 (8 January 2015)

'X-Men: Day's of Future Past' has a great deal of potential. It's the first comic book film in a long while that feels as close as one of these films can to being a fully realized story with convictions and characters. This is no small feet at all. There could very well be a four star film in the DNA of 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'. It has brave ideas about destiny and it tackles them in smart ways that are deeper than most other comic book films. The problem with this film is that it exists in the same climate that has given us 'The Avengers'. 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' should exist as it's own entity because it would strengthen the film and it's message. Unfortunately I feel that like it's equally excellent predecessor 'X-Men: First Class' that this film can't quite reach greatness because of the confines of a franchise. Ideas inevitability fall second fiddle to action figure characters, video game dialogue in the action scenes, and worst of all the need to make endless sequels...
'X-Men' has the benefit of longevity and it really can be a benefit. One great thing about this film is that it knows we already have solid relationships with these characters by this point in the series and it doesn't need to introduce us to them again. This is a great relief. What it does need to do though is do new things with the characters. I think some slack is given to these 'X-Men' films because they have such perfect casts. Maybe it is merely a matter of prejudice but I am drawn to Magneto the most and I felt this film is one of the worst in getting the essence of this character correctly out of all the 'X-Men' films. I love 'First Class' in that it took the time to really explore the friendship of Charles and Magneto but because of sequelitis these two had to have their lines drawn in the sand by the end of the film. I wish we could have visited Magneto with a fresher take and explore some of the intricacies of his personality. Sequelitis doesn't let us do this however. Magneto has to be a villain capable of holding up a tent pole franchise. It doesn't give the audiences or Michael Fassbender credit. And I have no complaints about Fassbender, he's brilliant but the character needs work in this script. I felt it didn't do anything new with the characters. I thought the choices in the script really made Magneto look really stupid. I like the fact that the film doesn't follow the crappy tropes used in time travel films but Magneto doesn't listen to the warning of the future even though he believes it. I hate the fact that as soon as Magneto enters the peace conference that he starts up a huge ruckus that gives Trask exactly what he wants to get government support for the sentinel program. Magneto has always had this anger but it's been a righteous anger. He isn't someone who goes out and throws all his cards on the table as he does in this film
I find that like in my review of 'First Class' I have to put a lot of criticism into my discussion of the ending. The last two X-Men films have been good until the endings where they need to hint a sequel with a wink in the eye. Doesn't the movie not work at all if you don't have either Magneto or Mystique there at the school when Logan wakes up in the present? The whole point of the movie is that people are not shackled to destinies that cannot be avoided. We are supposed to have faith in these characters that they could be redeemed and choose a more righteous path. In the end by their omission from that final scene we are lead to believe that they don't make the right choice presumably so you could have them back as villains in a sequel. And then we find out that this movie which was supposed to be about redemption is just another comic book film about nothing but making sequels.
These seem like rough criticisms and to be fair they are. They are big detriments to this film. However like 'First Class' what the film gets right it excels at. The acting is all top notch even with the characters with lackluster motivations. The films' strong central concept of destiny is so brilliantly dealt with that I feel cheated with this ending. This may be why I love 'X-Men' because they are so much about themes and ideas. I get the feeling though that some at Fox don't think we are smart enough to be trusted with ending those ideas on their natural conclusion.