USA | UK 2013
Starts May 22, 2014
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Writing credits: Simon Kinberg screenplay, Jane Goldman & Simon Kinberg & Matthew Vaughn story
Cast: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry, Nicholas Hoult, Anna Paquin, Peter Dinklage, Evan Peters, Ellen Page, Omar Sy
Length: 131 minutes
Set in a distinctly distant future, Mutants valiantly struggle to dodge, repulse fleets of Centurions in Moscow, then China. Professor (Stewart) and Magneto (McKellen) set a daring plan in motion: in order to survive, the past must be revisited. “Countless choices define our fate.” The dangers involved dictate only someone who possesses a mind that has the ability to snap back go; the logical candidate steps forward. One slight alteration can change the course of history; Dr. Bolivar Trask (Dinklage) must live. The mission: return to 1973; locate their future leaders, and naturally the principal player. Time is of the extreme essence. “Sometimes we just need a little help.” Switching from present-future to past-present, exploits drive the story at breakneck speed to an attention-grabbing present-day inference.
Bryan Singer, on the strength of a cleverly thought-out storyline and screenplay, directs this continuing sage of the ultimate X-Men (and women) based on the original trilogy X-Men: First Class albeit from the characters’ altered perspectives. Dialogue leads—with puns, retorts, and naturally oodles of action; special effects work overtime negating the obligatory 3-D. The cohesive cast deliver stellar performances: Jackman (Logan/Wolverine), McAvoy (Charles), Hoult (Hank/Beast), Fassbender (Erik), Lawrence (Raven/Mystique), Berry (Storm), Paquin (Rogue), Page (Kitty Pryde), Sy (Bishop), et al. Newton Thomas Sigel’s cinematography and John Ottman’s editing—accentuated by his music score—stave off audiences sliding into any futuristic abyss. Watch with a loose mind since we shift between time periods with exhilarating speed. Sit through the end credits and be rewarded with a glimpse of the next level of sci-fi intrigue. ()