Critics Rating: 3 STARS*

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender

Direction: Bryan Singer

Produced: Lauren Shuler Donner,  Bryan Singer, Simon Kinberg, Hutch Parker.

Written : Simon Kinberg,Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman.

Duration: 131 minutes

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. If this clichéd adage must ring true, then the X-Men are perpetually on the move. With six prior films showing them dodging crisis upon crisis (two of them focusing mainly on Wolverine’s origins), it’s a miracle they are still standing, despite constant attacks upon their kind.

This time, their future threatens to be overrun by the Sentinels, an invincible breed of robots programmed to hunt for mutants. If their present cannot be salvaged, the key lies in undoing the mistakes of the past, according to Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). For once, he and arch nemesis Magneto (Ian McKellen) are on the same page.

It involves sending Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to the past, via Shadowcat’s (Ellen Page) time-traveling/phasing ability, to thwart an assassination attempt on Sentinel creator and scientist, Bolivar Trask (Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage being brilliant). This dicey mission includes getting the renegade Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) along with a younger Charles (James McAvoy) and Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) on board. It’s also a race against time because the Sentinels are closing in on their current location in the present.

 

It’s good to have Bryan Singer back to direct the ensemble cast. X-Men and X2 were possibly the most engaging films of the franchise, before other directors descended with an uneven The Last Stand and The Wolverine that just didn’t raise the bar. Many would say that this is the most entertaining film in the successions yet, though it does fail with regard to character development and the all-important human touch.

But it’s X-Men, so less-talk, more-action is a strategy that would work for its target audience. There may not be much heart to it, but one could easily ignore that in favour of the relentless storyline, which would hold the attention of the series’ fans. The drama revolves around Wolverine, Charles, Mystique and Erik in the 70s, which means that any other major character role, comes across as a guest appearance. Most X-Men fans won’t be complaining, however.

Watch out for the scene where Peter Maximoff’s (Evan Peters) skill to move at lightning speed is shown in slow-motion when he and other characters have bullets fired at them. It’s bound to bring the house down.

There is scope for confusion among the audience on two fronts: the film is essentially set in the events before the first X-Men film. Therefore, the interrelation between the characters might draw a few questions. Also, this film could be difficult to follow for the casual viewer who has not seen most of its predecessors. The makers assume that you are up to speed, which leads to passing references to a lot of plot points and characters. No attempt is made to fill in the story for the uninitiated.

 

X-Men: Days of Future Past will work for hard-core aficionados, who’d want to see the story of their favourite heroes progress. The others, who neither followed up on the films nor are comic nerds may find the proceedings a bit ‘ho-hum’.

Yes, the effects are put to good use. Yes, it’s great to have the characters together in one film again. Yes, the film has a post-credits scene hidden away at the end. So yes… if this is up your alley, go for it. Just do a quick refresh on the events of The Last Stand and First Class before coming for this one.