Mutants vs. Sentinels = Peter Dinklage Getting Laid.

Days of Future Past. Otherwise known to regular English speakers as "yesterday". Although in hindsight, that movie sounds like a gushy teen drama involving an awkward one nighter. Nevertheless, the brand new 
X-men movie was always going to be a box office big hitter what with the countless trailers featuring both the cast from First Class and the original trilogy directed by Bryan Singer. I'm talking X-Men & X2. Not the 3rd instalment where Famke Janssen had a mental and the story had the consistency of a runny fox poo.

As soon as the teaser trailer for X-Men: Days of Future Past was released, I knew I was gonna like it. Superheroes. Time-travel. Captain Picard. These are my favourite things. What I was unaware of was the plots direct association with 1981's The Uncanny X-Men comic book, with the exception of a few minor details so that Marvel Studios could cram Hugh Jackman in some more to justify their margins. 

I'm going to stop being a sourpuss there though because

what I have to say about the movie is very, very positive. Set in the near future, mutants are being eradicated by the Sentinels; artificially intelligent fighting machines a la terminators who's only purpose is to dispose of superior beings to humans. Even with some of the most extravagant powers held by mutants, these robots are otherwise unstoppable what with their stupid melty fire faces. 

Sir Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart reclaim the original roles of Magneto and Dr. X and held up somewhere along the Great Wall of China, devise a way for Ellen Page's character, Kitty Pryde, to send one mutant back in time to stop the Sentinels from ever being developed by Bolivar Trask, played by Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage. Long story short, it has to be Wolverine because of his rejuvenating abilities for some far-fetched reason about his brain being torn apart by the time-travel yet it can repair at a faster rate. That bit only last a few seconds, just roll with it. 

Anyway, he must travel back to 1973 where the whole Sentinel business started after Mystique (played by the bloody splendid to look at, Jennifer Lawrence) made a boo-boo involving a dwarf, some government officials and a roundhouse kick. He must also convince the younger Dr. X to stop using Beast (played by Nicholas Hoult) as his live at home drug dealer. Thus, Wolverine has to convince James McAvoy, Fassbender and Co. from the past to work as one to stop the military ever putting the sentinel program into action and wiping out the mutants! And, breaaaaaaathe....... *sigh

I'm a Marvel fan, yes, but by no means am I an expert. There are thousands of people the world over who read every comic book and are savvy with each of the given story arcs, within each of the extraordinary universes. Yet, with my far from superior knowledge, I didn't feel too overwhelmed by it all at any point. It was good to see that Singer had followed on from First Class by choosing a time period in which he needn't depend on special effects. Its a superpower movie, but it didn't feel top heavy with CGI (did Spielberg need anything besides a talcum powder Arc of the Covenant spirit in Raiders, I don't think so!) which it so easily could've done (Transformers *cough) and that's a huge achievement in my book. 

I loved the array of new X-Men which made the cut such as the energy absorbing "Bishop" played by Omar Sy, Daniel Cudmore's metal-skinned "Colossus", Fan BingBing's portal boasting "Blink", and a very funny scene with Peter Evans as "Quicksilver". Look at him dash around that kitchen all stupid with his goggles and his fast speeds changing the flight path of bullets and crockery, and such! What a card. Every character is well thought out and its brilliant to watch the ways in which they work together to hinder the sentinels reaching Wolverine and the fogeys.

The story is also really well crafted. It might not be any BTTF Enchantment Under the Sea dance shenanigans but the introduction of new characters, the visible downfall of Magneto and the origins of the world's history told by the writers at Marvel is ridiculous...but a great bit of fun to watch unfold.

Hey Adam - were there any downsides to all these positive vibes though, man? Yes, there were the Californian man in my brain. 

There aren't many movies which should lean on reimagining a series AGAIN after doing such a good job to revamp it. Star Trek being the biggest triumph in recent times. First Class and Days of Future did this wonderfully too by introducing the origins elements to its movies. But, when I've got to sit through the rebirth of all the calamitous characters who we're collectively glad shuffled off this mortal coil already (Cyclops, you massive nonce); it felt like a step backwards to me. We've come all this way, why go back for seconds when all she's gonna do is taste of cigarettes and make you cry..? 

Days of Future Past was a brilliantly fun movie which I highly recommend seeing on the big screen, particularly if you like seeing most of your favourite actors performing magic tricks and watching Jennifer Lawrence remind us that blue can do wonders for the imagination. Oh, and don't forget to stick around for the finale post-credits to catch a certain someone get frisky with a triangle. I assure you, its not Jimmy White.

X-Men: Days of Future Past receives 4/5 Macho Man Randy Savages because Singer's throwing all kinds of quality shapes back at the helm (...it would've been a 5 if it weren't for James Marsden's cameo giving it a -1 like that annoying bonus card in Uno. I loathe you, Cyclops).