X-Men: Days of Future Past

In the near future, mutant-kind is facing extinction. Ruthlessly hunted down by the Sentinels, giant robotic guardians able to adapt themselves to any situation, old enemies Charles Xavier (Stewart) and Erik Lensherr (McKellen) put aside their differences in pursuit of one last desperate gambit. Their plan: to send Wolverine's (Jackman) mind back into his 1973 body, allowing him to prevent the Sentinel's rise by stopping the assassination of their creator, Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage), by the mutant Mystique (Lawrence). But to do this, he needs to enlist the past Xavier and Lensherr, then both damaged men for whom the future is less of a concern than their own agendas.

Serving as both a sequel to X-Men: First Class and the X-Men trilogy, Days of Future Past , helmed by X-Men and X2 director Bryan Singer, has the unenviable task of both welding the now supremely confusing series canon into one fluid timeline, as well as being a good film. Luckily, the film succeeds on both fronts, turning what could easily have been a boring slog into a fast-paced, confident, action-packed spectacular not afraid to occasionally have a bit of fun at the expense of its mostly 70's setting.

This success is definitely helped by its performances. Both Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen lend their considerable gravitas to the world-weary older Xavier and Lensherr, whilst Hugh Jackman is on appropriately grumpy, gruff form in what continues to be his stand-out role. Really though, the film is carried by James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender as the younger Xavier and Lensherr respectably, both feeling like worthy successors to the older generation.

14 years after X-Men first hit cinemas, Days of Future Past shows that the franchise is still going strong, and likely to be bringing us its enjoyable mutant antics for many years to come.

Tom Freeman