The following is a guest post.
The future of the X-MEN depends on the past being rewritten.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Starring: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan,
Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Halle Berry, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Shawn Ashmore, Omar Sy, Evan Peters.
The X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants. (IMDb)
Nicole: I know, I know… I can just hear you now: “Not another comic book movie.” Face it, Cassidy – this genre ain’t going anywhere.
Elizabeth: You just woke me up from a taking a snooze. Daniel Day-Lewis and Colin Firth were fighting over me and I was going to tell them which one of them I’d run away with…and then ask them both to wear tights and fancy head gear.
Nicole: What? No cravat? No waistcoat? You’re losing your touch, Cassidy. Lately, the clever and devilish minds at Marvel have set about to drastically rewrite history (I defer you to the complete dismantling of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Captain America: The Winter Soldier). This part of the X-Men franchise is no different. Whereas 2011’s First Class helped to establish the historical foundation of the X-Men, Days of Future Past destroys it, rebuilds it and leaves room to renovate it for 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse.
Elizabeth: Say what?
Nicole: You will not trick me into saying “What.” I’ve fallen for that one too many times. To prevent a doomed future, Charles Xavier/Professor X (played in the future by Patrick Stewart and in the past by James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto (played in the future by Ian McKellan and in the past by Michael Fassbender) ask Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) to use her powers to send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) into the past to change events in their favor. Wolverine’s mission includes preventing Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from killing the man responsible for creating the Sentinels, a coalition of unbeatable robots cloned from her genetic material. But, before Wolverine can do that, he has to reunite Charles and Erik—who have been estranged for many years.
Elizabeth: All this time traveling makes me wonder if it would have been easier if they just used a DeLorean.
Nicole: Wolverine would have really rocked a DeLorean. (And, might I just wax shallow for a moment – this movie is chockfull of some of the finest looking – and talented – British actors around. God bless Marvel for having the financial means to cast the X-MEN movies. They’re a delightful feast for my anglophile eyes.) But, here’s the bad news (don’t hate me): I found this movie was a little slow at times. I actually enjoyed First Class more. BUT…it was stellar at sneaking in the surprise factor and a head-spinning array of cameos. It is heavy on the dialog and light on the action, so if you’re expecting the swift pace of Winter Soldier or Avengers, think again. But don’t get me wrong; it’s still a great movie and super important to the mythology. (Oh, and one word of advice: Do not leave the theater for any reason or you might miss the movie’s best scene featuring Quicksilver [Evan Peters]. Trust me, you will love every second he’s on screen.)
Elizabeth: I have said this to you before, but it bears repeating: Go outside and stare at the sun. Your D-3 is running low.
The Film Fatales give X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST:
The Film Fatales are two acid-tongued, sassy broads who rant and rave about the best and worst of modern and classic cinema. Elizabeth Cassidy is an artist, creativity coach for artists and writers, an award-winning blogger and the fifth Beatle. To know Elizabeth is to be slightly afraid of her. Avid blogger and smart-arse, Nicole Dauenhauer is an advertising copywriter by day and an aspiring fiction/non-fiction writer by night. She’s an incorrigible Anglophile whose inner voice speaks in a British accent and prefers her Earl Grey with milk and sugar – not lemon.