The X-Men sequel we craved so desperately since X-Men 2!

Rating: 8/10 (28 February 2020)

The Last Stand and First Class were both enjoyable but this one manages to capture the atmosphere of the first two films so well; it's a nostalgic trip while also being something new and fresh. The mutants have reached an apocalyptic state where sentinels reign supreme and are causing the near extinction of mutant-kind. Professor Xavier, Magneto and co. all gather in a remote location in order to change the past and affect their present, attempting to cease the existence of sentinels. With the help of Kitty (Ellen Page), Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is sent back in time to reunite the professor and Magneto in their youth and find Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) in order to restore peace and order for their future. It's a top notch action-packed film while also having an emotional core that is genuinely effective; the exploration of Xavier's broken psyche and attempts to find his way again through Cerebro are wonderfully realised and beautifully performed by James McAvoy. The action is pretty flawless and extremely fun; Quicksilver's (Evan Peters) Pentagon jailbreak is visually amazing and very reminiscent of the legendary Nightcrawler White House scene previously in the series. Blink (Bingbing Fan) has really great abilities projecting during the fight scenes, making them some of the most memorable action sequences I've seen in recent years. There's too much to talk about in just one post but the ensemble cast are all brilliant and there's a genuine care and affection for the Marvel source material by returning director Bryan Singer, writer Simon Kinberg and the entire crew. Can't beat the X-Men theme tune too