"Geek Review: X-men "Days of Future Past"" Transcript

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[Footage from the film throughout.]

X-Men: Days of Future Past was a big surprise for me because I wasn’t expecting much. I was irritated that Bryan Singer was taking over the franchise again after Matthew Vaugn did such a great job directing First Class, I thought that there were going to be too many characters, and don’t even get me started on my thoughts on Quicksilver. But I’ll be damned if it wasn’t one of the best movies I’ve seen all year. Days of Future Past is pretty loosely based on the comic-book storyline of the same name, taking the basic premise of time travel and running with it to create one hell of an engaging movie.

The entire cast is at the top of their game, with the standout performance being James McAvoy as the young Charles Xavier. In this film, Charles is at the lowest he’s ever been, and the gut-wrenching performance by McAvoy left me in tears at times, not from sadness or happiness, but from the pure, raw emotion he exhibits in the role. The other standout is, shockingly, Evan Peters as the speedster Quicksilver. There’s been a lot of drama about him being added to this film, but I’ve got to say he steals the show. He’s not in it very long, but he left me wanting more of him. A great performance by a great young actor. Let’s see if Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s version of Quicksilver in next year’s Avengers: Age of Ultron can live up to this one.

The rest of the cast runs from good to great. I’ve grown tired of Wolverine being the X-Men movies’ lead character, but I have to admit that Hugh Jackman does a great job here. Jennifer Lawrence is, as always, fantastic in the role of Mystique, but I wish they had given her more to do. There are talks of her getting a solo movie in the near future, so that might make up for this. Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart are, of course, perfect as the aging Magneto and Professor Xavier, and Michael Fassbender as the younger Magneto is just as good as he was in First Class.

But the real star of the entire movie are the visuals. Bryan Singer knocks it out of the park with the action scenes, which are powerful and exciting but sparse enough to not become overwhelming. This is an oddly poignant film, considering it’s about mutants and giant killer robots. It’s a summer blockbuster with a message that doesn’t beat you over the head with it. In the end, this movie is about hope, as corny as that sounds: hope for the future, and that we won’t repeat the mistakes of the past. Bryan Singer’s return to the franchise is triumphant, to say the least. His love for these characters is apparent, and I’m glad to see that the likes of Brett Ratner won’t be returning to the franchise anytime soon. X-Men: Days of Future Past is a great summer movie that will appeal to the mutant sympathizers, like me, and the casual movie-goers alike. With strong performances across the board, great direction, and thrilling action, this will likely end up being the biggest X-Men movie to date, and it deserves it. Disney’s Marvel movies have got some real competition now.

[On screen: 4.5/5]