Although First Class underperformed at the box office despite its excellence, Days of Future Past was by far the most financially successful X-Men movie and thus Fox gave us this film starring the younger set of actors. Of course it’s strange that nobody’s aged a day in the 20 years since First Class was set, yet in less than 20 years everyone will apparently look the way the did when the very first film was set. It’s particularly strange in the scenes where Mystique acts as a mentor to the younger X-Men, when Jennifer Lawrence not only doesn’t look older than those actors but her character looks the same as she did 20 years earlier and in 17 years she’ll look like Rebecca Rojmin…who was only five years older at the time of X-Men than Lawrence was at the time of X-Men: First Class. Of course maybe in that one case it’s justified since Mystique’s whole human appearance is one she designs by choice.
Let’s focus on the movie’s quality though. Bryan Singer returned one last time after Days of Future Past. It shows because, despite the tepid reviews compared to First Class and Days of Future Past (and the fact that it actually got even worse reviews than The Last Stand 😱) this is a great film!
Now we’re in 1983. The most powerful mutant in all of recorded history, Apocalypse, manifests in physical form again and seeks to make himself ruler of the whole world by, among other things, utilizing Professor X’s psychic powers against humanity. The “X-Men” as a group basically ceased to exist when many of them were murdered following the events of First Class, but now, when mutants are under attack not just from Apocalypse but from Colonel Stryker
Villain who spans generations!
and his henchman who want to fight back against him (also using Xavier), a huge battle ensues. Mystique, Quicksilver, Beast, and Xavier’s CIA love interest Moira, along with some of the new teenage mutants studying at the academy and now caught in the crosshairs (Nightcrawler, Cyclops, and Jean Grey), attempt to save Charles, and consequently the whole world, from Apocalypse. The big question: where do Magneto’s loyalties lie, after his attempts to lead a normal life and fit in with humans only amplifies the tragedy that is his life?
The returning characters mostly play their characters well, although Nicholas Hoult really seems like he’s playing The Incredible Hulk and not Beast. As far as the new people, the Nightcrawler brings none of the charm to the role Alan Cumming did (I get he’s supposed to be an insecure adolescent here but that certainly doesn’t mean he can’t be engaging), the Cyclops is fine (I do find it interesting that they retconned his origin story from X-Men Origins: Wolverine AND they recast the actor), and the Jean Grey is wonderful (as portrayed by Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner). The latter was seemingly being groomed for the title role in the next main installment, but we’ll get there shortly.
For now it’s powerful, seeing the decade-by-decade struggle between Charles and Erik and their conflicting philosophies, how various generations of younger mutants alternate in their support of them, and how all of humanity views them as enemies…perhaps.
This leads to a film…where it all turned out to be meaningless? Okay, let’s get to that next installment then.
Bottom Line: Good film.
Up Next: Dark stuff.
Questions? Comments? Feel free to write below.
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