X Marks The Spot!

Rating: 9/10 (11 June 2014)

The original DOFP story was originally a two issue comic back in 1980, however it feels like it was dreamed up especially to solve the problem the studio faced after 2011's X-Men: First Class: what to do with a franchise that has been split into two time lines with two sprawling casts – the originals (Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan etc.) and the younger iterations (James Mcavoy, Michael Fassbender et all.)
DOFP begins in 2023 with a voice-over from Professor X as he explains mutants are on the verge of extinction and asks "is our future truly set?" This is followed by a fantastic action sequence involving characters both old (Magneto, Storm, Colossus, Wolverine) and new (Blink, Bishop, Warpath) against a mass of unstoppable Sentinel robots that have been created specifically to destroy mutants. It is simply a breathtaking display of action cinema.
The only way, it seems, to prevent mutant extinction is to send Wolverine back in time to his 1973 body to prevent the war before it begins. Charged with stopping Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from assassinating weapons-maker Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) – the event which will result in global annihilation, Wolverine is hampered by obstacles – his claws are no longer metal, Professor X is a depressive alcoholic without his powers and he also has to seek the help of Magneto who is being held captive in an unbreakable plastic prison beneath the Pentagon. This is undoubtedly one of the highlights of DOFP as speedster Quicksilver is recruited to assist the team in the breakout.
The film slows down half way as it develops the characters but focuses specifically on the relationships between Professor X, Magneto and Mystique and their quest to prevent the doom that lay before them and all the "What Ifs" that are presented. With time travel films there are always questions that don't get answered thoroughly but it's a fresh idea that both past and future time lines are allowed to coincide at the same time.
The original characters are utilized well in the future setting and the new characters are blended in seamlessly with the story. The music is excellent and the special effects are superb - Singer has put every cent of his $250m on screen for the audience to enjoy.
In short DOFP is far more sophisticated and has the best and most complex story of any X-Men movie to date. Be sure to stay until after the credits for a glimpse of 2016's sequel X-Men: Apocalypse. X well and truly marks the spot!