X-Men: Days of Future Past

Starring: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, & Jennifer Lawrence

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

I love science fiction and I hate superheroes, but I credit the X-Men series with giving me an appreciation for them. X-Men has showed me that in the proper context, with some great writers, superheroes movies don't have to be the lowest form of sci-fi entertainment. Days of Future Past seemed to confuse some people, as it's not part of the trilogy and therefore it's timeline is off. The ending of the film also creates a paradox, which eliminates certain mistakes made in the other films. In layman's terms, some of the things that happen in the other X-Men movies, never happen, because of Days of Future Past. In an undetermined era, sometime between the end of the original film and Last Stand, a new enemy has been targeting mutants. These machines, meant to eliminate the mutants have malfunctioned and are now targeting humans as well. The machines are made with mutant DNA and therefore have the combined forces of all the mutants it's come in contact with, making them unstoppable. The only chance the X-Men have is for one of them to go back in time and stop the machines from ever being built. Wolverine is the only one with a mind strong enough to survive the trip and is sent back to the 1970s, where he meets the cast of X-Men: First Class. While difficult for non-sci-fi aficionados to understand, this film was not only extremely well written, but serves dual purposes for the series. First, it brings both casts together in an extreme fashion and it's a tremendous gift for the fans. Second, it allows the writers to undo mistakes from The Last Stand, which was at the time, set to be the final X-Men film. The ending to Days of Future Past, effectively explain that everything that happened in Last Stand, never happened, as it was part of an alternate timeline. This allows the writers to bring back characters like Prof. X (who is seen killed in that film) for possible future films. It really was an ingenious move for the franchises future, but it also allowed fans to experience the "old timers" and the "new class" working together, in a huge, diverse, and very impressive cast. Seldom are superheroes films so complicated or as well written as Days of Future Past. The writing is out of this world, the cast is full of stars, and the special effects were absolutely amazing. Love it or hate it, superheroes are part of the science fiction genre, but Days of Future Past was simply incredible and for that, it's our latest must see movie!