X-MEN: Days of Future Past

This Marvel universe's future depends on its past being rewritten. 

X-Men: Days of Future Past. 2014. PG-13. 131 minutes. Starring Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Halle Berry, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Shawn Ashmore, Omar Sy, Evan Peters...and a host of cameos (some you'd expect, others you won't).

The X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants. (IMDb)

Nicole: Cassidy, I can just hear you now: "Oh, God, not another comic book flick." Well, sorry to say it, but this genre ain't going anywhere. So, buck up soldier and take one for Team Fangirl. 

elizabeth: You just woke me up from a nap. Colin Firth and Daniel Day-Lewis were fighting over me. I was just going to tell them which one I would run away with and then I asked them both to don tights and fancy head gear. 

Nicole: Not a cravat or waistcoat? You’re slipping, Cassidy. Of late, the clever and mischievous minds at Marvel have been all about drastically rewriting history (as evidenced by the complete dismantling of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Captain America: The Winter Soldier). Well, this part of the X-Men franchise, which hinges on 2011's X:Men: First Class, is no different. Where First Class helped to establish the historical foundation of the X-Men team of mutants, Days of Future Past obliterates it, rebuilds it and leaves room to renovate it for 2016's gravely titled X-Men: Apocalypse. 

elizabeth: Say what?

Nicole: What. I said it. There. Moving on… To prevent the very bleak future from ever having taken place, Charles Xavier/Professor X (played in the future by Patrick Stewart and in the past by James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto (played in the future by Ian McKellan and in the past by Michael Fassbender) task Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) with sending Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back into the past to warn their younger selves of their impending doom. Wolverine's mission includes stopping a now rogue Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from killing the man responsible for inventing the Sentinels, an army of unstoppable mutant-cloaking robots cloned from her own DNA. But, before Wolverine can do that, he must reunite the feuding Charles and Erik...both of whom have seen far better days. 

elizabeth: All this back to the future traveling makes me wonder if it would have been easier if they just used a DeLorean DMC-12. Insert groan.

Nicole: That certainly would have been easier for Wolverine. Fans may disagree with me on this point, but I'm gonna suit up and suffer any punches. I found this movie lagged a little, and maybe by a very small margin wasn't as good as First Class. BUT...it was excellent in providing the surprise factor and a dizzying assortment of cameos. It is dialog heavy and action light, so if you're expecting the same pace as say Winter Soldier or Avengers, you won't get it. Because of the time travel plot line, they had a lot of ground to cover that didn't necessarily involve action sequences. That being said, it's still a great movie that's super important to the entire mythology. (And, do not leave the theater for any reason, lest you miss the movie's best scene featuring Quicksilver [Evan Peters]. Trust me, you're gonna love every second of his screen time.)

elizabeth: I have said this to you before, but it bears repeating: Go outside and stare at the yellow round ball in the sky. Your D-3 need is running low.

The Film Fatales (well, one of us anyway…)
give X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST