I went into “X-Men: Days of Future Past” with high hopes. After a string of disappointing superhero movies – the latest Spider-Man, “Captain America: Winter Soldier,” the last stupid Thor — I was ready to get back to the glory days of the Batman trilogy.
I thought that this film had the best chance to revive that awesome combination of amazing action, intelligence and emotional impact that Nolan brought to Gotham. After all, 2011’s X-Men: First Class was great and unique among superhero movies in that we got an origin story without pretension and clichéd character development. So those were my expectations heading into the theater. They weren’t met.
“X-Men: Days of Future Past” is a good movie, but not a great one. I wasn’t reminded of Batman. In fact, I would say the most apt movie comparison would be 2012’s “The Avengers.”
It was a film where a lot of superheroes got together and had some fights, showed off their powers and developed as characters or displayed very little intelligence. Any fans of that first Marvel blockbuster buddy movie will likely find no objection with this one.
X-Men aficionados will also probably enjoy the film — if just for the sake of some more obscure comic mutants making an appearance.
Wolverine goes back in time in order to motivate the younger versions of Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), Magneto (Michael Fassbender) and Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) to change the course of events in history.
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is transported through the power of the mutant Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page). Apparently he’s the only one who can make the journey to the past due to his healing powers, which will let him heal his mind after the long journey through time.
Thus comes the excuse to make Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine the star of the film. How convenient! Of course, the real reason is that the X-Men franchise has spent three main films and two spinoffs building Jackman up as the main protagonist. According to the law of the superhero movie he must be the star of this one as well.
Days of Future Past is based on a 1980s comic arc where Kitty Pryde, from a dystopian future where mutants are hunted and killed, transfers her consciousness back to her 1970s body to change an event that would trigger the mass fear of mutants. Page has proven herself to be a sympathetic and engaging lead (“Inception,” “Juno”). A film starring Page would have been original, showing off a complex female superhero at a time when the genre is dominated by white, male heroes. It would be fresh, unique and probably powerful.
I wish that were the movie that had been made.
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 5/29/2014 under the headline "New ‘X-Men’ a formulaic fallback onto action movie clichés"]
