X-Men: Days of Future Past

Following the release of The Wolverine, the next film in Fox’s X-Men series, X-Men: Days of Future Past (DOTP), returns to the greater ensemble cast. Released in 2014 while the concurrent Marvel Cinematic Universe was in the middle of Phase Two (both figuratively and literally), this film notably beats Marvel Studios to the time travel punch by five years, serving as a soft reboot of the X-Men films (while incidentally serving as the literal middle of it) by setting up an alternate timeline. While I was aware of this film as it came out, I did not end up watching it until I began my earnest viewing of the series as a whole, though I did know about the timeline reset going in. While it actually does a good job with this premise, there are places where it gets a little muddy.

In 2023, the Sentinels have left the Earth in a post-apocalyptic state in their pursuit of the X-Men. With the X-Men cornered, Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) conclude that they must use Kitty Pryde’s (Elliot Page, credited as Ellen Page) phasing ability to send someone back in time. With the risk of survival too high, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) volunteers to be sent back since his healing factor will allow him to survive the trip. After being sent back to 1973, Wolverine has to figure out how to stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), whose actions caused a domino effect leading to the Sentinel threat in the first place.

Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is sent back to 1973 to rewrite history.

For what it is, the plot is actually pretty easy to follow, with the events of the past and future clearly defined in addition to the stakes and consequences of the endeavor, as well as a rather clever depiction of the time travel concept that takes advantage of the setting. That said, its treatment of the timeline gets a little odd the longer you think about it. While X-Men: First Class (First Class) was designed to be a hard reboot, which was quickly abandoned when The Wolverine returned to the original timeline, DOTP retcons its placement as a prequel to the original timeline, despite having a number of inconsistencies that conflict with the original trilogy. Additionally, there’s the matter of Wolverine having adamantium claws in the future, despite The Wolverine having him revert back to his original bone claws by the end of it, seemingly just so that Magneto can have involvement in making sure Logan is properly detained while being sent back in time.

Speaking of Magneto, although the film is generally accurate in its depiction of 1973, minus some comic book logic in terms of technological advancement, a couple things stood out more. The bigger of these is the involvement of the JFK assassination to give Magneto a reason to be imprisoned where he is. While admittedly clever, it does so by leaning into conspiracy theories, seemingly just to set up a particular moment later on, which rubbed me the wrong way personally. Other events, such as the Vietnam War, are mentioned but discussed from an oddly modern perspective, without taking enough into account how they were perceived at the time in which they occurred. Overall, if you’re a history buff, some things might bother you.

On the flip side, DOTP has some impressive visual effects, some of the best in the X-Men series up to this point, especially in regard to the mutant powers. Of particular note is Quicksilver, whose speed powers are visualized in an interesting way, surpassing even the effects in the recent The Flash film. This film also formally introduces the Sentinels to the big screen, having been previously teased in First Class, and they sport a very unique design that stands out from other Sentinel interpretations while still coming off as a threat. Although the CG Sentinels are seamlessly woven into the live-action footage, there are moments in the past where they don’t feel like they have quite enough “polish” to them to properly blend in, mainly when they are in flight.

Quicksilver (Evan Peters) using his powers against armed guards is easily one of
the best sequences in the film.

DOTP is also well-cast, with many actors reprising their roles from both the original trilogy and First Class. In addition to Hugh Jackman giving one of his best performances as Wolverine up to this point, Peter Dinklage is very effective in his role as the villainous Dr. Trask, as is Evan Peters with making Quicksilver one of the best characters in the film. James McAvoy and Patrick Stewart are both good at playing Charles Xavier, but while McAvoy’s differences in his portrayal were more acceptable under the idea that First Class was a reboot, the fact that that film is now canon to the original timeline makes it so that the two actors aren’t quite convincing as the same version of the character, with one of the biggest roadblocks being the difference in their accents.

 

In 2015, an alternate cut of DOTP was released on home video, dubbed The Rogue Cut, which reinserts 17 minutes of cut footage. Unlike the Unleashed Extended Cut of The Wolverine, a home video of this cut is a lot easier to come by, however you can also rent it through Amazon Prime Video as of this writing, the latter of which we opted for due to circumstance.

This new footage includes adding or extending some sequences, notably inserting Rogue (Anna Paquin) into the second half of the film and adding an entire sequence with Mystique in the X-Mansion where she talks with Beast (Nicholas Hoult). A number of minor scenes are inserted as well, among them an implication of Quicksilver’s heritage and an explanation of how the Sentinels in the future were able to track down the X-Men in the climax. Most, if not all, of these new sequences in some way significantly fill in some story gaps in the theatrical cut, making The Rogue Cut the more ideal option for the full experience.

X-Men: Days of Future Past has trouble making sense of a disjointed timeline before resetting it, mainly saying that it makes sense if you squint, but it overall stands as one of the better films in the X-Men franchise. It’s best if you’re familiar with the previous films before going in, but if you do decide to watch it, The Rogue Cut is the best way to go.