X-Men: Days of Future Past
"So many battles waged over the years... and yet, none like this. Are we destined to destroy each other, or can we change each other and unite? Is the future truly set? " - Charles Xavier
release year: 2014
genre: superhero action
viewing setting: home Bluray 4/15/17 and 10/30/15 and 10/28/14 and theater, 5/24/14
synopsis: To prevent an apocalyptic future, the surviving X-Men of 2023 send one person back to change the past.
impressions: This movie was good, but complex. The majority of its events take place in 1973, and in the end, it appears that some events in past movies have been altered (it's difficult to explain without giving things away.) Basically, the various X-Men movies and their timelines have been...merged. Anyhow, I got almost everything I wanted: plenty of action, some unusual powers, nasty bad guys and their plots. Wolverine didn't get his claws back, though at the end I realized that (and how) this could actually be accomplished given the events of this movie. There were also a lot of nods to the original source material (the comics) and some new characters.
something this movie has that no other movie has: There were many, but I'll take the lifting/moving of an entire baseball stadium.
post-credits scene: Apocalypse in ancient Egypt!
acting: Good lord, where to start? This had pretty much everyone from the first three X-Men movies plus X-Men: First Class. I see no need to talk about all 30+ characters who come to mind, so I'll just highlight the major roles. James McAvoy (and to a lesser extent, Patrick Stewart) is Charles Xavier, who's kind of the key to it all. Michael Fassbender (and to a lesser extent, Ian McKellen) is Magneto, who's always fun to watch as he wields true power. Hugh Jackman is Wolverine, send back into the past to change it against all odds. Jennifer Lawrence is the shape-changing Mystique, whose actions much be altered despite her deep personal grudge. Nicholas Hoult is the young Beast. Peter Dinklage is the evil military scientist, and reminded me a lot of Brian Cox' similar role in X-Men United. Evan Peters is new as a young mutant who moves really, really fast.
final word: In addition to keeping the franchise alive and entertaining, this was the missing piece needed to fuse the various X-Men movies together.
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