Cinematic brilliance

Rating: 9/10 (24 May 2014)

Days of Future Past is by far, the best of the X-Men films. I can't recall when a film franchise managed to weave in the past and the present like this before, and even though the writers tried hard to throw in tidbits of info for the sake of continuity, but I can't help but applaud Brian Singer for putting it together in such a seamless manner. Expect to see some cameos too!
This is Brian Singer's most beautiful film, and I'm not biting back any words when I say that it truly is a brilliant piece of film-making. The camera-work, the lighting, the vantage points, the use of Slow-Mo, the blur effects during the Charles meets Charles scene...it was just so masterfully done and unexpected. There were some instants where the action was shown from the perspective of old 1970s grainy TV footage, and it seemed as if we were watching real, historical, archived footage that was locked away in some CIA vault!
The main cast, as expected was nothing short of brilliant--and I'd like to start with Micheal Fassbander. He stole the show in my opinion, and I also thought McAvoy, and Lawrence had some Oscar worthy, tear-jerking scenes. Besides the fantastic acting by this young, talented trio, they also had the some of the coolest action scenes. There was an airport scene in the film that featured Mystique and McAvoy, and I thought it was amazing--both on an artistic and technical level. I thought Magneto's superpowers were really stretched to a whole knew level in this film, such as the scene where he was disarmed and still fired the gun as it fell...so creative! However, the single best action scene belonged to the character Quicksilver. His scene was absolutely beautifully shot and should be shown in film schools!
As for the rest of the cast, they all put in solid efforts. Hugh Jackman made for a good wise-cracker as usual, Stewart and McKellan had their moments, however brief they might have been. I really would have liked to see more Dinklage in this film, and I thought Peter Dinklage did such a fine job at playing a scientist that was deeply concerned with Homeland security. However, his screen-time was sadly limited.
Other than that, I really have nothing negative to say about this excellent film, except that it may require multiple viewings for some people who aren't accustomed to Time Travel based science fiction. I myself, am a die-hard Star Trek fan, and so I had no trouble with the complex plot. Just hearing Patrick Stewart say the words-- "We must go back in time" was worth the price of admission alone, and I can honestly say that this is one of the top 3 best superhero films ever made!