X-Men: Days of Future Past - Discussion Thread - SPOILERS

[Roshi]

Since Days of Future Past has already been released in a few countries, I've started this thread. I saw it last night at a double feature event (First Class just before DOFP) and thought it was awesome! Better than X² actually...

But that's just my opinion. Let's hear yours!

 

[Roshi]

Oh, by the way, there's a scene at the end of the credits. You've been warned...

 

[DimesDan]

Off to see it tomorrow with the missus. Am really looking forward to it.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Where to begin?

First and foremost, Bryan Singer is back in full force from the very beginning. A brief prologue with an extended version of Professor X's monologue from the trailers about the future sets the mood before melting into the Singer-created opening sequence of the first two films, complete with the silly Cerebro X unlocking into the next scene.

Singer tackles the complicated "Days of Future Past" plot with a very basic theme: Hope. It's a theme that Singer played with in his first two films but this theme resonates through Logan, Charles, Erik, Raven and Hank and their relationships with each other.

This theme is especially highlighted by swapping the roles of Logan and Charles from first film. Now Logan must help Charles with his anger and give him a purpose in the world again.

The role swap is only the tip of the iceberg of allusions to the previous films. There are many great allusions that come naturally with the film, whether they were small gags or helped advance the plot. Such gags as Logan being weirded out by not setting off the metal detector, Erik commenting on the idea of metal claws, or Erik forcibly putting Logan in same cross position as in the first film. Such plot advancements as utilizing Logan's trapped memories of Stryker as a means of disintegrating Logan's connection to future, thus allowing the situation in the past to worsen, or playing on the ongoing tense relationship between Logan and Erik.

Many fans worried about Quicksilver based on his appearance in the trailers and the infamous Burger King commercial, but be rest assured, he was one of the best parts of the film. The kitchen sequence of Quicksilver slowly moving around and readjusting the scene a la Fry in Futurama's "Three Hundred Big Ones" stands out as a great sequence. Furthermore, we get a nice nod to his parentage ("You can move metal? My mom knew a guy like that once") and even a brief glimpse at a young Wanda, mean both X-Men and Avengers has Quicksilver and Wanda. My only disappointment was how quickly (no pun intended) he departed from the storyline, but at least he'll be in the next one.

The kitchen sequence isn't the only exciting action scene. The most ambitious sequence comes in the final act where we see parallel battles of the old and new Sentinels against old and new X-Men. The only thing that keeps that sequence from being truly striking is knowing the characters that we see die won't actually stay dead because time will be rewritten. This was already in my mind because of the opening battle sequence where everyone dies, except Bishop and Kitty, although to be revived because of time travel.

Another great sequence is Charles' communication with Raven at the airport as he speaks through a variety of people as she walks by. This further emphasizes the strong rapport between James McAvoy and Jennifer Lawrence, both of whom shined throughout the film in general. In fact, the whole primary cast was very good, although I do wish Peter Dinklage and Ian McKellan had a little more to do and I was disappointed Lucas Till was regulated to essentially a cameo.

Speaking of cameos...

Kelsey Grammer!!!

It was brief and the make-up was a bit rubbish (especially in comparison to the special effects/make-up Hoult had), but it was a glorious five seconds. Months and months of sounding like a broken record about him appearing have finally been vindicated. Famke Janssen's and James Marsden's cameos were unexpected, but just as wonderful, showing the future changed even more than expected. Sadly, Anna Paquin's cameo was limited to a brief glance with no dialogue. Hopefully her scenes are restored in the film upon release on DVD.

Just about the only thing I didn't quite like about this film is how I felt that the course of the future changing vastly came off a little too easy as a result from a single act. Raven chooses not to kill Trask because of Charles (does Nixon, hist staff, the public, even see his involvement?) and suddenly the future is safe? Erik manipulated the Sentinels, but surely that involvement would be discovered? And Trask is conveniently put out of action because "he sold military secrets" (or whatever it was)? It all felt a little rushed.


Odds and ends:

It's a brief scene, but I absolutely loved Erik's rage at Charles for HIS abandonment to the cause. With so many dead (Azazel, Angel, Banshee, Emma, etc.), he has every reason to be angry at Charles for becoming a shut-in.

Despite knowing her scenes were cut, I kept expecting Rogue to show up to help heal Kitty a la the first film.

Unless I missed it, I didn't like how there was no explanation about Kitty's new power of sending people into the past. I haven't read the comic, but I know she was the one who goes into the past. Is there some way the comic can explain this power?

Nixon was a little over the top. Ironically, Doctor Who handled him better.

Josh Helman is now the third person to play William Stryker, going even further into his past. Unfortunately, I found Helman's performance the weakest of three, although he was up against Brian Cox and Danny Huston, so that might not be fair.

I liked how Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart were credited together on the same line after "AND." I don't know who has control over how the credits are presented, but it felt like a small nod for their grand friendship.

A few parts from the trailers (most notably Rogue) are cut from the film, but the most notable was Charles' "I remember" bit. I hope it makes its way back in along with Rogue.

I have to turn in my Trekkie card in because I don't know with any certainity which Star Trek episode was playing in Hank's TV room. I'm guessing "The Ultimate Computer," but it's been a long time since I've watched The Original Series.

So THAT'S how the Great Pyramids of Egypt were built.


Days of Future Past > X2 > First Class > The Wolverine > X-Men >>> The Last Stand (Grammer and Ellen Page are the only reasons its better than) > Origins: Wolverine.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I am glad you liked it. There is an early, 10:15am showing on Friday. Which is rare here. I will definitely be seeing. There is a 10pm on THursday I can not see working 3rd shift...

 

[Tosk]

All I can say is I loved it, and not a single negative comes to mind. A+

Washed the taste of ASM2 out of my mouth quite nicely and helped patch over the shittier of the X-Men sequels all in one go.

Josh Helman is now the third person to play William Stryker, going even further into his past.

Fourth, technically.

 

[Ethros]

Just saw it a few hours ago. OMG.

Is it the best X-movie? Check
Is it the best Marvel movie? Check
Is it the best comic book movie? Check

IMO of course, but man that was awesome!


I'll use spoiler code just in case there are any lurkers here, but the ending...

Spoiler: Big spoilero

My thoughts near the end- "Oh cool Rogue is in it! No lines but hey it's really nice to see her.... Awesome, Kelsey Grammer!! Brilliant!... Famke Janssen too!! She was in The Wolverine but great she came back for this too... OMFG James Marsden too!!!! THIS MOVIE IS AMAZING!!!"

That's basically what went through my head in that scene



And man, those scenes of the future X-Men vs. the Sentinels were intense! And wow pretty violent and gruesome too. At the start I was a bit bummed when Iceman, Sunspot etc died as I thought that was it for them, so I was glad when they reappeared. But only to see them all be killed again at the end. Poor Colossus. And Iceman, first he got his head ripped off, second time he was melted to death

But yeah, overall fantastic. Worth waiting 11 years for to have Bryan Singer back. Just seeing the X in FOX at the start staying for a few frames more, and hearing the theme from the first movie at the start ahd me grinning like mad. I'll definitely be seeing it again.

 

[Captaindemotion]

Not long in from the cinema and I'm party too tired and partly too buzzed to write a full review. But this film was everything I hoped it would be and more. Not perfect but immensely entertaining, emotional, funny, action-packed and with nods to the previous films while setting out its own direction. It's hard to believe that it's been 12 years since Singer made an X-movie, he didn't put a foot wrong. This was the film he's been threatening to make since the first one.

A+ for me and roll on Apocalypse.

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

Saw it yesterday. Loved it. Easily the best movie so far of the series and of this blockbuster season.

 

[NX74205]

Great movie and like someone said before, it easily washed the taste of asm2 out of my mouth.

BTW, the future sentinels were high unstoppable.

 

[Agent Richard07]

I enjoyed it well enough. It was nice having an X-Men movie involving both generations. Lots of good character moments from all the players as outlined by Emh.

Did Jennifer Lawrence do all her own stunts? If so, she displayed some great skill and flexibility.

As for continuity, it looks like it goes as follows...

Old Timeline: X-Men: First Class → X-Men Origins: Wolverine → X-Men → X2 → The Last Stand → The Wolverine → Days of Future Past (2023)

New Timeline: X-Men: First Class → Days of Future Past (1973) → Some version of X-Men Origins, X-Men, X2, The Last Stand & The Wolverine → Days of Future Past (ending)

Looks like the events in five movies were altered or erased, so if people really want to ignore The Last Stand, they finally can.

Many fans worried about Quicksilver based on his appearance in the trailers and the infamous Burger King commercial, but be rest assured, he was one of the best parts of the film. The kitchen sequence of Quicksilver slowly moving around and readjusting the scene a la Fry in Futurama's "Three Hundred Big Ones" stands out as a great sequence.

That was a fantastic sequence.

The kitchen sequence isn't the only exciting action scene. The most ambitious sequence comes in the final act where we see parallel battles of the old and new Sentinels against old and new X-Men. The only thing that keeps that sequence from being truly striking is knowing the characters that we see die won't actually stay dead because time will be rewritten.

Loved that too. It was a nice way to give the older cast some screen time.

Another great sequence is Charles' communication with Raven at the airport as he speaks through a variety of people as she walks by.

Agreed. You're hitting all the good parts so far.

Nixon was a little over the top.

I was impressed with this version of Nixon.

Speaking of cameos...

Kelsey Grammer!!!

It was brief and the make-up was a bit rubbish (especially in comparison to the special effects/make-up Hoult had), but it was a glorious five seconds.

Nicholas Hoult's Beast make-up was much better in this film. He didn't look like a plush toy like he did in First Class.

Famke Janssen's and James Marsden's cameos were unexpected, but just as wonderful, showing the future changed even more than expected.

Great seeing Cyclops again.

Sadly, Anna Paquin's cameo was limited to a brief glance with no dialogue.

I thought... What if she shows up? Then a second later she did.

So THAT'S how the Great Pyramids of Egypt were built.

What was that all about? The people in the theatre seemed just as puzzled as I was.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

I believe the episode was Tomorrow is Yesterday

 

[Cyke101]

I believe the episode was Tomorrow is Yesterday

If so, then holy crap, that's genius. That just goes to show how big of a Trekkie Singer truly is.

A good movie all around for the most part. Yeah, Kitty's temporal powers came out of nowhere (much like Colossus' energy field in the X-Men Arcade Game), and for once, the Sentinels were actually scary.

By the way, while Jean, Scott, Anna, and Grammer-Beast cameos all drew applause, the loudest applause from the theater came from the cameo of Logan's tush.

I'm sure I'll have other thoughts to add, but my mind is still overwhelmed right now, having seen it only an hour ago.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

I enjoyed it well enough. It was nice having an X-Men movie involving both generations. Lots of good character moments from all the players as outlined by Emh.

Did Jennifer Lawrence do all her own stunts? If so, she displayed some great skill and flexibility.

As for continuity, it looks like it goes as follows...

Old Timeline: X-Men: First Class → X-Men Origins: Wolverine → X-Men → X2 → The Last Stand → The Wolverine → Days of Future Past (2023)

New Timeline: X-Men: First Class → Days of Future Past (1973) → Some version of X-Men Origins, X-Men, X2, The Last Stand & The Wolverine → Days of Future Past (ending)

Looks like the events in five movies were altered or erased, so if people really want to ignore The Last Stand, they finally can.

Many fans worried about Quicksilver based on his appearance in the trailers and the infamous Burger King commercial, but be rest assured, he was one of the best parts of the film. The kitchen sequence of Quicksilver slowly moving around and readjusting the scene a la Fry in Futurama's "Three Hundred Big Ones" stands out as a great sequence.

That was a fantastic sequence.

The kitchen sequence isn't the only exciting action scene. The most ambitious sequence comes in the final act where we see parallel battles of the old and new Sentinels against old and new X-Men. The only thing that keeps that sequence from being truly striking is knowing the characters that we see die won't actually stay dead because time will be rewritten.

Loved that too. It was a nice way to give the older cast some screen time.

Agreed. You're hitting all the good parts so far.

I was impressed with this version of Nixon.

Nicholas Hoult's Beast make-up was much better in this film. He didn't look like a plush toy like he did in First Class.

Great seeing Cyclops again.

Sadly, Anna Paquin's cameo was limited to a brief glance with no dialogue.

I thought... What if she shows up? Then a second later she did.

So THAT'S how the Great Pyramids of Egypt were built.

What was that all about? The people in the theatre seemed just as puzzled as I was.

That was Apocalypse, my friend, and in the shot were the Four Horsemen

 

[Captaindemotion]

Scrolling back up, I don't think there's a need for me to review it. EMH has kindly saved me the effort!

I will in particular agree that Quicksilver was one of the highlights and I think even Joss Whedon and Aaron Taylor-Johnson will be hard-pressed to beat this take on him. Oh and I loved that line about his mum's love life!

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

I love how much this Quicksilver just loved... everything. He was like the kid in all of us. He almost lived in the real world the way Bugs Bunny lived in Chuck Jones'

 

[liquorice]

Absolutely loved it. Still third to X2 and First Class but really well made on all fronts. I found they balanced the ensemble well.

Also loved Quicksilver, he was the humorous feel that the film needed as Wolverine couldn't provide the usual comic relief.

I wish they could have focused more on the Erik and Charles relatiomship but I realise they had to decide between that and Charles and Mystique and the latter made more sense plot wise.

 

[Ethros]

Random thoughts-


I thought it would've played more with Quicksilver and Magneto being father and son though. Rather than just the throwaway joke line we got. And Scarlet Witch was in it... for about 1 second. If that was even meant to be her, as they obviously weren't twins, meaning Erik would have had to have gone back for seconds with their mother a few years later at some point.



And did it kinda ignore Origins: Wolverine too?
In that didn't Stryker reruit Logan (and Sabretooth) during Vietnam? Whereas here the war has just ended, Wolverine wakes up in his past body in NY, and when he meets Stryker they don't know each other yet?



I wonder how in the original timeline Magneto escaped from the Pentagon prison then. Mystique? Also what motivated Xavier to get back on track without the appearance of Logan.



So Azazel is dead. I suppose Mystique maybe had a little fling with him before he died (while Magneto was in prison) gave birth to baby Nightcrawler, and then abandoned him. (But that doesn't really jar with her "mutant and proud" shtick.) I was hoping for a little nod to that plot somewhere when Azezel was mentioned.



I guess that kinda explains how Xavier could walk in X3 & Origins... although he was using his mental powers at the same time in both. Maybe he and Beast adapted the syrum over time... so why is he in his wheelchair at all in 1-3? Preferred it?



Also who was playing Apocalypse at the end, I'd be surprised if they've cast him already. But I suppose they can recast and it won't really matter for that 5 seconds of screen time.
I thought it looked a bit like Aaron Taylor Johnson tbh

 

[Captaindemotion]

Yeah, even before the rewriting of time, I thought they were pretty much ignoring it. Stryker was much younger than as played by Danny Huston, Wolverine was bodyguarding in New York rather than fighting in Vietnam, Xavier wasn't yet bald, and couldn't walk and exercise psychic powers at the same time, like he could 5 years later in Origins.

None of which are entirely irreconcilable with the earlier movie, admittedly, but I did get the impression they were deliberately ignoring it.

Certainly in the rewritten timeline, Origins and TLS are kaput.

No explanation for how Logan got his metal claws back then? I assume Magneto did it some time after they met in that airport.

 

[Agent Richard07]

Looks like Jennifer Lawrence didn't undergo ninja training after all.

More than the blue nudity (or bludity, as Tobias Funke might say), Lawrence’s agility in the demanding role was extremely impressive — though it wasn’t just her.

"Isn’t my stunt double the most flexible person in the world?" Lawrence asked, although she added, "You’d be impressed if I pointed to some of the stuff I did, but that she redid better."

Source

No explanation for how Logan got his metal claws back then? I assume Magneto did it some time after they met in that airport.

A lot of people are saying that Magneto did something. It's a fantastical comic book movie, so I'm fine with that fact that he simply got them back somehow in the decade between Wolverine and this. We didn't get much on Professor X being alive and well either but the snippets from The Last Stand are enough for us to put something together.