Much-needed shot in the arm. The X-men live. And die. And live again.

Rating: 7/10 (29 May 2014)

In 1994 David Carson linked two eras of the Starship Enterprise with his Star Trek: Generations. It wasn't entirely successful but was far from being the biggest turkey in the cinematic outing of the franchise. With X-Men: Days of Future Past, Bryan Singer returns to the series (as director) with a more audacious link between eras and with markedly greater success.
X-Men: Days of Future Past is a convoluted but thoroughly enjoyable excuse to throw two Magnetos, two Professor Xs and a host of our favourite mutants into a time travel romp with evil doings, minor destruction, moderate violence, naked pecs and blue breasts. And what's not to like about that? It's a hit, it'll be a success and there's clearly a market for more.
Waaaaay back in 1973, money-grabbing, almost villainous Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage) develops a blueprint for an army of sentinels to hunt down the pesky mutants, aided by the DNA of Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence). Fifty years later, the sentinels are not only wiping out the mutants but also the humans who aided them and time is running perilously short for the remaining X-Men. Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) opt to send Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back in time to persuade the young Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik (Michael Fassbender) to prevent Raven from inadvertently initiating the demise of mutantkind
There's lots on screen that doesn't quite make sense, there's an awful lot of action packed into the 131 minute running time and there'll be plenty of viewers who emerge scratching their heads, having had a great evening but not really following all of it.
But no matter. X-Men: Days of Future Past is great fun that packs in the cameos, ups the ante and opens the door for a whole new chapter of X-Men movies. The Marvel world has always been in good hands with Singer at the helm and his reappearance has strengthened it just as the attraction was beginning to wane.
Where X-Men: Days of Future Past rejuvenates the series is that it remembers not just to thrill and entertain, but to have fun being fun. The introduction of Quicksilver (Evan Peters) is a most welcome injection of adrenalin and the scene in the Pentagon basement is an absolute joy. Singer takes his time, slows the pace down and enjoys constructing the sequence as though choreographing a ballet with the mother of all punch-lines. It is thrilling, funny and a superb change of pace that will have you pressing the rewind button when you watch it again at home.
Yes, X-Men: Days of Future Past is a little cluttered and there is the sense that drastic steps needed to be taken to put the franchise back on track and refill the Marvel bank account, but far from being desperate, it works. It's fun and it's too long to wait for 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse.
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