a story of loss, hope and survival that effectively redeems its predecessors

Rating: Null/10 (24 May 2014)

Ambitious, exciting, exceedingly well-crafted chapter of the X-Men saga begins in a dystopian future where both mutant and human populations have been ravaged by extermination robots known as Sentinels. Desperate to restore the world to what it once was, the remaining mutants unite and transport Wolverine back to 1973 to prevent an event that will stop the war before it ever begins. Once there, he's given the difficult task of trying to persuade an embittered Charles Xavier (McAvoy) and a maniacal Erik Lehnsherr (Fassbender) to work together to avoid future annihilation. Those who may have grown weary of all the excessive characters and subplots in the previous films will be pleasantly surprised as this tense, epic-scale saga provides multiple narratives skillfully woven together, breathless action scenes, superior special effects, an ensemble cast, a witty sense of humor, and elements of tragedy balanced by just as many genuine displays of heroism. Singer's use of past and future tense is both clever and confusing, but it's still compelling and guaranteed to pack a wallop for series fans. ***½