No-Spoiler Review: X-Men Days of Future Past

Expectations
I consider the first two X-Men films to be among the greatest comic book films of all time.  Obviously the franchise has had its ups and down since then, and most of its downs were the result of too much studio intervention.  Truth be told, the only X-film that I've really liked since the first two was last year's The Wolverine and even that was a mixed bag.  So, when it was announced that Bryan Singer (the director of X-Men and X2) was returning for Days of Future Past...let's just say I got my hopes pretty high.  Singer has had a pretty mixed track record as well since leaving his X-roots, with Superman Returns and Jack the Giant Slayer being two of his big budget disappointments.  Well, I am pleased to tell all 3 of you that follow my blog that both Singer and X-Men are back in true form. 

The Good
First let's start with the action.  The action set pieces in DOFP blow any other movie this year out of the water.  I highly doubt that anything this year will be as awesome as the climax in this film.  Also, Quicksilver's action scene got literal cheers and clapping from my audience.  These two scenes alone are worth the price of admission.

The writing and acting here are beyond any other X-film as well.  I was amazed at the performances that Mr. Singer was able to get out of these actors.  James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, and Patrick Stewart gave remarkably moving performances.  This film adds complexity to these characters that I really don't think we've ever seen in a comic book movie, with the possible exception of The Dark Knight. 

The script was very tight.  Although it wasn't perfect, it was more than I could have hoped for.  Like I said before, these characters are complex beyond anything we've seen.  It's also the most satisfying ending of any in the X-franchise. 

Not only did this movie mark the return of Bryan Singer, but it also marked the return of his Usual composer, John Ottman (did you see what I did there?). Ottman's work is also top notch, and his themes here bring both a sense of nostolgia for the previous films and added depth.  His score is a perfect fit and adds a lot to the film. 

The Bad
There isn't a whole lot bad in this film.  The only thing that bothered, albeit only slightly, was Wolverine's character was a bit too much of a softy.  The performance felt a little phoned in by Hugh Jackman, especially compared with the depth of his work on last year's The Wolverine.  This probably wouldn't have been noticeable if it weren't for the amazing performances surrounding him.  I suppose that Singer had his hands full with such a large cast that he either consciously or subconsciously chose not to spend as much time on Jackman's performance.

The 'Meh'
The studio made us watch the movie in 3D for the screening.  I normally hate 3D, yet this one wasn't as distracting as others that I have experienced (Thor: The Dark World was abysmal and I'm very glad that the studio didn't make us watch Winter Soldier in 3D).  However, when I see it again, I will not be seeing in 3D and unless you really like 3D, I recommend doing the same.

Conclusion
X-Men Days of Future Past is my favorite film of the year so far.  It has stellar performances, complex and likable characters, and action scenes that I don't think will be topped until Marvel releases Avengers: Age of Ultron next year.  It is a return to form by Bryan Singer and I couldn't be happier that he's back.  I'm going to give this a near perfect score (however, when I rate it on IMDB, Flixster, and the like I will round up).  It must not be missed.

4.75/5 Disco Balls