** WARNING ** **THIS IS NOT, I REPEAT NOT, SPOILER FREE!!***

So, Diane and I went to see X-Men: Days of Future Past last weekend. Now, a few things you should know.

1. I love the original trilogy.
2. I thought First Class was good, but over hyped.
3. My Favorite character in the Trilogy is Magneto. (Followed by Mystique)
4. My favorite character in the reboot is Hank. (Followed now by Quicksilver)
5. Plot will be in Orange, and Commentary will be in Black.

So, the basic plot: The future is a Matrix-like state, where these crazy robots have taken over the world. They can sense mutant DNA, and even if you aren't a mutant there is the possibility that you could have a mutant KID, so they are killing or enslaving all people with this mutant DNA. Professor X and Magneto have come up with a plan to change the past by sending the consciousness of someone into their past body, in the hopes of getting Mystique to not kill the man who invented these robots. Apparently after Mystique killed this guy, she was captured and her DNA was extracted and was what they used to program these robots. Of course, Wolverine is the only one whose mind can regenerate, so he is the one sent back with the help of Kitty Pryde's power. Once Wolverine is back in his old body, he goes to the Mansion where he convinces the Professor and Hank to help him. With the help of Quicksilver, they free Magneto and stop Mystique from killing the inventor. However, Magneto takes it upon himself to expose the "Mutant Threat" and all sorts of craziness ensues resulting in the past being changed, and therefore some interesting things in the present being affected.

Now for the spoiler parts.

They open the movie with this Matrix-like world. When I say this, I mean it REALLY looks like the world that Neo wakes up in. We see this gang of littles, that is what Im'a call them, fighting the robots. Iceman, Kitty Pryde, Bishop, Blink, Sunspot, and Warpath. everyone but Kitty and Bishop die because the robots are like the Borg, in that they can adapt. they basically take the powers and use them against the mutants. Kitty sends Bishop's consciousness back and the whole scene is negated.

Now. You know we hate temporal paradoxes. This scene is exciting, and action packed. When they started dying we were shocked. It was a great way to showcase mutant powers, which I always like. I also liked that they show us how the littles powers have advanced since we last left them. I especially liked the look of Blink's powers. She was like Portal, portal, portal. it was great. But the temporal paradox made me think "WTF I might as well not watched that!". I know it sets up the whole movie by showing us that Kitty can do that. basically that is the point of that whole scene. "Look what Kitty can do!".
 
Once they send Bishop back to warn their past selves, we see the Jet come in with Storm, Magneto, Wolverine, Colossus, and Professor X. The Professor and Magneto explain what happens in the past, and what they want Kitty to do. The Professor wants to be the one to go back, but Kitty explains that even his mind is not strong enough to handle the pressure. Wolverine volunteers. Basically when he does her mojo, wolverine will be unconscious in the present and will wake up in his past body. when she wakes him up in the present, the past will have been changed. the Professor tells Wolverine that his past self is a little indisposed and that Magneto's situation is complicated, but that he has to get them to work together. Then Kitty puts Wolverine to sleep.


If you have watched all the other movies, this scene is basically useless. All it does is set up that Mystique needs to be stopped. Which is fine, but I felt like they were talking too much. It seemed to me, that they were repeating things and it was like "Ok audience you get it? We have to stop Mystique. ok? Mystique needs to be stopped. Who do we have to stop? Mystique". The audience is not dumb. just say it once.

The next scenes are Wolverine waking up in the past, and traveling to a now deserted Mansion. Hank answers the door looking normal, and Wolverine pushes his way in and a little fight ensues where Hank "Beasts-out". Their fight is broken up by Xavier who WALKS downstairs. Wolverine tells him to read his mind, but Xavier cant. Hank believes he is from the future and explains that he invented a serum that makes Xavier able to walk, but it suppresses his power. Hank also uses this serum to look normal. He explains that Xavier started taking too much of the serum and his powers no longer work. Xavier comes back and tells them that he will help. Wolverine says they need Magneto. The guys tell him he is in a maximum security cell under the Pentagon for killing Kennedy. Wolverine suggests someone he knows from the future to help them break Magneto out.


These scenes were better with the exposition than the last. A little bit of humor, a little action. I like that they brought up that Wolverine didn't always have the adamantium-laced skeleton. I am sure with these movies, people have forgotten that his original powers were invulnerability and BONE claws. I love Hank, he is so awkward, and adorable. James McAvoy does a great job in this movie as a troubled man. I little over worked, but great.


Meanwhile, we see Trask (the inventor), played by Peter Dinklage, showing off his robot program to military bigwigs to ask for funding, for which he is denied. We also see a soldier in Vietnam examining "special" soldiers, some of whom you might recognize; Toad, Havok, Ink, and some random mutant guy. Another soldier, special ops, who is revealed to be William Stryker, says he needs to take them back to the states "to receive medical attention". The Major is revealed to be Mystique (no surprise there), who rescues the guys and sends them back to the states. We then see Trask going into his office late at night. Obviously this is Mystique. She learns that Trask is experimenting on mutants, and she gets angry and is out for revenge.

The only point to this section in my opinion is to show us what is going on with Havok (whom we met in the last movie), and to establish that Stryker was in play at this time. There was no doubt in my mind that the Major and Trask were Mystique. It was obvious and kind of a dumb section.

The gang heads to the house of a young (Teen-aged? possibly early 20s) Quicksilver, played to perfection by Evan Peters, whom you might know from American Horror Story. Quicksilver is a kleptomaniac speedster. He is wary to join up, but when the guys tell him it is the Pentagon he will be breaking into, he jumps at the chance. The four of them then proceed to break Magneto out of his prison, with a great slow motion scene featuring Quicksilver.

Quicksilver is really one of my new favorites. Evan Peters is great in this role. it is a great change for him from the intense parts he plays on AHS. It is a fun section with action, and a lot of humor.

Once Magneto is free, they bid Quicksilver goodbye, and head off to try to stop Mystique. Magneto and Xavier have a pit of an argument in the plane, were you side with Magneto, because he is totally right about Xavier's attitude and the change in him. We then see Mystique seduce a Vietnamese general, and then take his place at a treaty meeting. Trask and Stryker show up and she is revealed to be a mutant. Stryker incapacitates her and Xavier, Wolverine, and Magneto show up and rescue her from Stryker. Magneto decides that the only way to remain safe is to kill Mystique himself, and shoots her in the leg. she escapes out the window, revealing mutants to the world. a fight between Beast, Magneto, and Mystique ensues. Mystique escapes, but her DNA is scraped off of the sidewalk. Wolverine recognizes Stryker and starts to panic, stabbing Kitty in the future. The people in the future restrain Wolverine so as to not have him attack Kitty again. She struggles to keep him under, but eventually succeeds.

Interesting section. I always enjoy Magneto. I prefer Sir Ian as Magneto, but Fassbender does a good job as well. As usual with a temporal paradox, no matter what you do, the past can't be changed so easy. Did anyone really think that just stopping Mystique from killing Trask would stop the robots from being built?

So now the President says "Yeah lets build these robots.". Magneto, now separated from Xavier, uses his power to alter the robots so that they are in his control. Xavier stops using the serum and tries to use Cerebro to find Mystique, but his fear of his powers prevents him from doing so. Wolverine tells him to look into his mind so that he can see what he is fighting for. In a weird dream-like scene, young and old Xavier meet. Old Xavier tells him not to be scared and basically to suck it up and do what he has to. Young Xavier returns to his own mind and finds Mystique. He jumps into other minds to try to convince her to stop seeking revenge. She, of course, says nope.

So my only qualm with this is the lack of comment about old Xavier being bald. In First Class, the running joke was that he had great hair. I would have been satisfied with even a passing comment at the end. Nope. Nothing.

We are back in the future where the robots have found our friends. They basically kill everyone. Magneto is fatally wounded and Blink transports him into the room so he can survive, but he is dying so he says goodbye to Xavier, who is devastated. Kitty hold on til the last possible moment and wakes up Wolverine.
 
Interspersed with this, is Xavier, Wolverine, and Hank journey to the robot unveiling at the Whitehouse to stop Mystique. They are able to freeze her, but Magneto messes everything up and causes a panic. He wraps Wolverine in metal and throws him into the river. Trask, The President, and Mystique (disguised as an aide) escape to the Whitehouse panic room, where she is discovered. Before she can do damage, Magneto transports the whole room into the yard. Mystique takes Magneto out, and is about to kill Trask when Xavier (who is stuck under a beam) telepathically talks her out of it. She leaves and he also lets Magneto escape as well.

This section was good, but for some reason, I was not as invested in the past characters. maybe because we knew they would survive to become the future characters. Sir Ian and Sir Patrick did a great job with the goodbye scene.

So Wolverine wakes up, and the future is totally changed. Scott and Jean are alive again, as is Rogue, who is obviously with Iceman again. Turns out Wolverine is a teacher now at the school. Xavier realizes that this is the Wolverine who remembers everything and says they have a lot to catch up on. In the past we see Stryker pull Wolverine out of the river. a close up reveals Mystique's eyes. Fin.

I was a little upset to see Jean again. I really didn't like her. I don't know if it was just the actress, or if it was the character. I also didn't like that this movie effectively negated the whole Trilogy. At least the end of X2 and the whole of The Last Stand.

Overall thoughts:

Good things:

In general, I liked this movie. X2 is still my favorite, but I think this one is my second favorite. I thought it was leaps and bounds better than First Class. I thought that the acting was much better. Fassbender especially. He really seemed to understand the character of Magneto better in this movie. Evan Peters was great as well. I always like the sort of "comedic relief" characters. I can't wait to see what they do with him in the next movie. The slow motion scene with him was definitely one of the best scenes in the whole X-Men franchise.

Disappointments:

The biggest disappointment to me is the character played by Peter Dinklage. Now I know, it is probably that he is doing the best he can with a stagnant character. I wanted him to be more of a vilian, and less of a blah person. Marvel does such a good job with vilians, and I feel they fell short here. Stryker as his lacky was a better villain.

Will i buy it when it comes out?

Definitely yes.


Will i see it again in the theatre?

Maybe.


Would i recoment seeing it?

 Yes. If you see at LEAST First Class. But i recommend seeing all of the movies before you see it. It will make more sense.


Post Credit Scene?

There is one! Don't give up!! Usually it is 1/2 way through the credits, but this one is at the VERY END. wait it out! Diane and I were basically the last ones in the theater. people gave up waiting for it. We almost thought there wasn't going to be one.



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