Past near Perfect...

Rating: 9/10 (3 December 2015)

The tendency of today's filmmakers to rely on state-of-the-art technology presents its own paradox: the more the alleged "filmmaker" relies on cgi, the less convincing the film s/he produces. X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, like the first two films in the franchise, boasts an interesting enough premise- and the opening sequence is certainly shocking to fans of the serial-, but the rapidity of the action almost manages to undercut its shock value: as with Chapter Two of THE AVENGERS (and I can't help but think of most of today's movies as serials; because they ARE), the cgi hits the fan so fast and furiously that many of the more Dramatic Moments get lost in the backwash. It's only when the movie finally slows down enough to catch its breath that X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTUTRE PAST becomes an absorbing piece of Entertainment, as beautifully realized as Chapters One and Two (Three wasn't bad, but it wasn't as well crafted as this one). Filmmakers would do well to remember that it's the CHARACTERS that make these movies worth seeing for some of us.