A smart and exciting blockbuster.

Rating: 8/10 (24 May 2014)

Returning to the X-series he made critically and commercially popular with X-Men and X2, director Bryan Singer is at his most ambitious with this sequel to both X-Men 3: The Last Stand and X-Men: First Class. Negotiating time-travel, following multiple timelines concurrently, merging two ensemble casts from essentially separate X-franchises, and tight roping the line between popcorn thrills and metaphorically thought-provoking themes, Singer has to balance all of these elements to produce a cohesive and exhilarating motion picture. Despite the occasional plot contrivance or continuity-blurring choice, scribe Simon Kinberg largely nails a narratively logical and thematically rich story, offering satisfying follow-ups to existing plot threads whilst breaking new ground and presenting fresh characters. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) – who is rapidly approaching oversaturation – is the mutant at the centre of the whole shebang thanks to his unique ability to travel from the future to the past, with the younger incarnations of Magento (Michael Fassbender), Professor X (James McAvoy), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) and Beast (Nicholas Hoult) splitting the lion's share of screen time between them. The "veteran" cast members (Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, Halle Berry et al) are thankfully not short-changed and Peter Dinklage is commanding as villain Boliver Trask, however the undeniable standout is Evan Peters as the hilariously cheeky Quicksilver. From a visual standpoint the action set pieces are meticulously constructed, expertly executed (with flawless CGI) and carefully edited; all combining to maximise sheer awesomeness. The dual finale seeing the mutant exterminating Sentinels closing in on both the future and past lead characters is impressive, however the sequence where Wolvie, Quicksilver and Prof X break Magneto out of a heavily fortified prison underneath the Pentagon is one of the most exciting and enjoyable set pieces of the year. It's not perfect and doesn't surpass either X2 or First Class (despite coming close), but Days of Future Past is a smart, exuberant and highly fulfilling blockbuster.