A good addition to the X-men franchise

Rating: 7/10 (2 January 2017)

A good addition to the X-men franchise. What makes it original is the strong contrast between the future scenes featuring a final band of X-men standing up to the power-absorbing Sentinels, and the scenes from the past featuring a young Xavier and Magneto.
The future scenes feature some impressive special effects and earthquakingly powerful mutant-on-Sentinel battles. The opening sequence in particular is a cracker.
The scenes set in the past are interesting for their insights into the early years of Xavier and Magneto but don't have the same oomph. James McAvoy is a little too fragile as the young Xavier - he's not a persuasive match for Patrick Stewart and seems to be easily outclassed by the young Magneto.
The climax of the movie is a tad pedestrian, but taken as a whole this is worth a watch.