Very good for the genre but...

Rating: 8/10 (27 May 2014)

The X-Men movies X1, X2 and First Class always felt superior to me to loads of other superheroes movies, save Nolan's two last Batman maybe, because the action and the special effects are not what drives the movie, it is definitely their characters, and that makes the X-men movies far superior to me. Which is why the third one was so terribly awful: Rattner forgot all about what the first two ones were about, made it the Wolverine show, and forgot totally about the heart of the story.
Days of Future Past is a great movie in this regard: the trio Charles/Erik/Raven is what is at the core of it, they are what makes the movie engaging, and of course, the cast is excellent. James Mcavoy is an exceptionally talented actor, particularly when it comes to portray the emotions of his character. Charles sentiment of loss, whether regarding Raven, Erik, or his hope in general is brilliantly portrayed, and the shared scene he has with Patrick Stewart is a highlight of the movie. Jenifer Lawrence is equally as compelling and subtle in her embodiment of Mystique and her inner conflict towards which choice to make, and whose line of thoughts (Charles or Erik's). Michael Fassbender as usual is perfect as Magneto and commands the screen effortlessly.
The breakout star really is Evan Peters as Quicksilver, who shines in every scene he is in, and provides a great comic relief in an otherwise pretty dark movie.
It was also great to see both casts mixed together in this installment, even if it meant that some had very limited screen time, and I was very, very pleased that, also inconsistent, the ending allowed to set straight where X3 screwed up and brought back Cyclops and Jean (Cyclops treatment and relegation to the second plan in favor of Wolverine in comparison to the comics being my major quip with Bryan Singer).
Now I don't think that DOFP was better than First Class, mainly because of the time loop issues. Time travel always made me cringed because of the inconsistencies it creates, and the movies falls at the very beginning into the plot hole, since it is the premise of the movie. Indeed Wolverine is sent in the past to prevent the war. But then, if the war never happens, then there is no need to send him back in the past. If there is no need to send him, then he is not sent in the past. If he is not sent in the past, then the war happens... the paradox can't be solved, and the story is not possible.
This is a major plot hole to go over, but other than that, the rest is really, really good. I definitely rank it among the top 5 of the superheroes movies ever made.