You may need an 'X-men refresher' course first

Rating: 7/10 (14 January 2015)

I've already seen (and even own a few) of the X-men movies (and they various spin-offs/reboots). However, maybe I should have watched a few of them before I sat down to see 'X-men: Days of Future Past.' I will admit to getting a little confused with the plot, but, eventually, I settled into the film.
I never could really work out whether the previous film 'First Class' was a reboot, or a prequel. Now I find it was just a prequel, as 'Days of Future Past' now cements the two universes together with that modern lynchpin of science-fiction, time travel.
Star Trek got a lot of praise for merging the old and the new cast together (or at least the majority of the fanboys didn't kick off as much as the possible could). So, it seems that every sci-fi franchise feels okay using the 'time travel to create an alternate universe' scenario to gloss over any glitches merging the two films may throw up (Terminator: Genisys, I have my eye on you).
We start in the future when giant robots (Sentinels) are mercilessly hunting both mutants and humans alike, cue a trip for our favourite cigar-chomping hero, Wolverine, to take a trip back in time to the seventies in order to make sure this future never sees the light of day. Therefore, the film-makers can crowbar in both the old cast (Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen and all) with the new lot (James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender and so on). And, yes, it works – if you're okay with that sort of 'plot device.' It all feels well at home with the other X-men movies, not to mention distinctly different from Marvel's 'cinematic universe' of Iron Man, the Avengers and co. It's generally darker in tone and more serious, with less one-liners and colourful action. Not that the action isn't colourful (and even spectacular towards the climactic scenes), it just feels pretty computer generated. You get the CGI fiery person, the CGI icy person and the CGI sort of discount T-1000-type person as they battle their way through various CGI robots.
But, if you can live with a CGI that probably should be a little better for the budget involved (not to mention (future) Halle Berry and Hugh Jackman's bad haircuts) then you should be able to appreciate this movie. Like I say, I got a little confused by the timelines and what everyone was doing. However, that would probably have been cleared up by watching what came before a little more recently. There's plenty of action, explosions and twists and turns in the plot. Plus – perhaps best of all – is that there's plenty of (fan favourite) Wolverine. Many had criticised his two stand-alone movies, whereas here he seems like the natural star who the film is basically all about. But, it's not just about him – there are plenty of other recognisable faces to entertain – just make sure you know your 'X-men lore' before you spend two hours watching this lot.