X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

Title: Days of Future Past

Series: X-Men

Director: Bryan Singer

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Hugh Jackman

Rated: PG-13

Released: 2014

Personal Rating: 5/6

Oscars: N/A

Plot: 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.
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Quicksilver
Now Quicksilver is an Avenger and Magneto's son in the comics. However, because of legal issues that make using the character extremely complicated in the movies, in this movie and any sequels him being an Avenger can never be mentioned. When I was reading the imdb trivia page for this movie the whole legal issue was overwhelmingly stupid.That being said: Quicksilver, played by Evan Peters, was a very enjoyable part of this film.

Charles Xavier's Story
I consider Charles the main character of this movie. Everything revolves around him. He was going to be the one to go back in time but he couldn't handle the journey so Wolverine was sent instead. The only reason Magneto got involved was because Charles knew he couldn't convince Mystique to stop without him. Plus Charles went through the biggest character change in the movie while the others just wobbled and basically ended where they began.

Deleting X3
The events of this movie eventually erase X-Men: The Last Stand which will probably cause the majority of you to cheer in jubilation and become happier than you have been in years. Even though I liked X3, I don't mind since the movie explains it logically (at least as logically as a story with time travel can be) and it means certain dead characters can come back to the franchise.

Final Thoughts
This was a fun ride. It's actually one of the few times I was out and about on my own so it makes seeing it extra special (yeah, I'm one of those people that don't care if I see a movie alone). The story line was good and I thought that the time travel aspect held up. It was heart-breaking to see Young Charles early in the film as how pained he was made him do something awful. If you liked X-Men First Class, this is a good follow up to it. The post credits scene seems to be setting up for the sequel that involves Apocalypse. If you're wondering: Yes, I had to look that up as when I watched it I had no idea what I was looking at.

X-Men: First Class (2011)

Title: X-Men: First Class

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Series: X-Men

Based on the Comics Started By: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence

Rated: PG-13

Released: 2011

Personal Rating: 4.5/5

Oscars: N/A

Basic Plot: Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr come together to fight a common enemy.

Overlooked Characters Shown
I think it was a good move to show mutants other than the usual ones we're used to seeing. The better thing, though, is making them just as interesting. So if you're worrying that this movie won't be good because there's no Wolverine or Cyclops: rest assured that this is not the case. I must say I wasn't familiar with Emma Frost before but grew to really love the character (in all her evilness) like I had with Wolverine.

Cameo!
I sort of lied when I said Wolverine isn't in this movie. He is in it for a small cameo. It's the part where Xavier and Erik are recruiting mutants for their X-Men team. As you can imagine, Logan/Wolverine doesn't accept the offer. Though his time on screen is so short, it was a memorable little scene.

The Final Battle
The battle at the end of the movie was just awesome. Not only was it good action, but the personal demons each character was fighting (throughout the movie) are addressed. Kevin Bacon is killed BUT that's not where the action ends. That being said: that's when Erik turns into Magneto. After Bacon is killed, the mutants have to decide how to deal with the humans who are trying to kill them. That's when Magneto and Professor X form their two different groups.

Final Thoughts
When I first heard about this movie I was a little worried. As X-Men 3 and X-Men Origins: Wolverine weren't received well by most people. But when I heard all the positive reviews I knew I had to check this movie out. I was not disappointed with this movie at all. It shows that the X-Men movie franchise has not yet died!

X2 (2003)

I dive into the X-Men movies after years of staying away from them.

Title: X2

Series: X-Men

Based on the Comic series started by: Stan Lee

Director: Bryan Singer

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, and Halle Berry

Rated: PG-13

Released: 2003

Rating: 4/5

Basic Plot: An enemy has come that threatens all mutants. This leads the X-Men and Magneto's mutants to join as one team.

Nightcrawler
Many people love Nightcrawler in this movie. I must agree with them. While I don't love him in this movie, he is a very good character. The fact that he is religious doesn't take away from his good character (since he isn't one to shove a bible into your face or say you're wrong for not believing in God). He is also very amusing and I like the reason for his tattoos.

Jean Grey Foreshadowings
There are many instances of Jean Grey's future turn into the Phoenix in this movie. The fact that she suddenly gets increased abilities (that include her being able to explode bombs) and her eyes turn fiery indicates the coming change. I probably would've missed the foreshadowing if I didn't know that the Dark Phoenix Saga is dealt with in X3: The Last Stand.

Lady Deathstrike
I must admit she is sexy and cool. There are hints throughout the movie that she isn't all she seems to be. The constant knuckle cracking indicates she is a female Wolverine. I would complain it's a cheap trick to take a male character and make him have a female version, but I don't care in Lady Deathstrike's case. I realized early on that the sound she was making was too loud to be normal. She was one of my favorite characters in this movie, nevermind that she hardly (if ever) speaks.

Final Thoughts
This is a highly enjoyable film. It is, in short: Kick ass. Iceman's coming out to his parents draws a clear parallel to a gay coming out (one of the lines being: Have you ever tried not being a mutant?). While there is a connection with mutants being treated like gays (and that is very good and thoughtful) the action also holds up really well. In fact, if the action wasn't done as well as it was, the movie would've suffered.