Director:Bryan Singer
Stars:Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman
Wolverine is sent back in time to alter the past thus preventing a future war between man and machine. If this plot sounds familiar you have most likely have seen one of the many Terminator films, the time travel to alter the past to effect the future is kind of a staple of that franchise. While the concept is not holly original the execution is spot on.
Easily the best film of the seven x-men films (counting the two wolverines). DOFP is the perfect marriage of old and new taking the cast of the first three and merging them With their younger counterparts from “First Class”.
A scarily ripped wolverine (a Jackman so jacked you forget that he is 45) is the only one who can physically handle the pain of having his consciousness sent back so far in time. Logan’s mission is to convince a younger Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) to free Magneto (Michael Fassbender) from the pentagon with the help of Quicksilver (Evan Peters) which leads to the highlight of the film a scene featuring Quicksilver’s blazing speed set to the Jim Croce Classic “Time in a Bottle”. Once the team is united the goal is to stop mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from assassinating Dr Trask (Peter Dinklage) setting in motion a chain of events that will lead to Trask’s creation “The Sentinels” a type of robot that can detect the mutant gene and irradiate the mutant menace once and for all. If Trask is killed the Sentinels get unleashed as well as advancements in technology that allow the Sentinels to gain Mystiques power of turning into anyone they want, except rather than looking like the mutant they gain the mutants powers and can utilize a mutants own powers to destroy them.
Jumping back and forth from current to past we see a an impending Sentinel army approaching in a bleak moment in time for Humans as well as the flash and style of the 1970’s era. Singer does a fine job balancing the entire film between serious and playful and this is another example. There have always been serious themes, you can literally substitute mutant for any minority or disenfranchised group, being able to chart your own destiny, the list goes on. The fact is that DOFP covers it all with a balance of fun and a level of acting most super hero films don’t possess. The cast could do Shakespeare in the park and would feel just as at home as they do wielding super powers.
It has all the action that one expects from the franchise but a cleverness and maturity that the others never quite possessed.
A smart and often funny super hero film with a stellar cast.
Grade – 92
