About Time: Review of X-Men: Days of Future Past

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Director: Bryan Singer

By Alex Watson

 

The X-Men series has so far been one of the finer points of Marvel’s successful on screen saga, and these movies have been among the most entertaining comic book adaptations that we have seen so far this century. But the last two efforts have provided a bit of a misstep with Brett Ratner’s underwhelming ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’ and Matt Vaughn’s interesting, but ultimately incomplete re-boot ‘X-Men: First Class’ Last year however, fans got a major surprise when it was announced that original director Bryan Singer was reuniting both new and old class members for one hell of a reunion. So finally everyone, we bring you X-Men: Days of Future Past!  Will this be the definitive version of this series? Or will too many cooks spoil the broth?

In 2023, the world is in a state of total destruction and a mutants are hunted by a series of killer robots called Sentinals. To help prevent this onslaught, Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) decide to send back their old friend Wolverine (Hugh Jackson) back to 1973 where weapons maker Boliver Trask (Peter Dinklage) is on the verge on landing a big deal with President Nixon to see mutants wiped out. Also Wolverine will have to convince a depressed younger Xavier (James McAvoy) to get over his regrets over losing his surrogate sister Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) and aid them in rescuing the younger Magneto (Michael Fassbender) from a very complex prison.

X-Men: Days of Future Past is certainly the most fun and entertaining movie of this series in quite some time, and it is wonderful to see the original cast together in this, but also linking them with their newer cast also works. The playful feel to the early movies has returned and it adds to the joy of the movie- particularly during the thrilling and impressive sequence where the X-Men aid by new (and very cool) new recruit Quicksilver (Evan Peters) bust Magneto out of his Pentagon Prison. If you thought the Nightcrawler sequence in X-2 was stunning, prepare to be amazed here! But one of the more clever elements to Singers movie is the challenges that the characters now face in the past. Wolverine no longer has adamantium claws and the young Charles is a wounded animal who refuses to accept the future and dopes himself up on a special serum that is blocking his mind! Plus there is the added pressure of whether or not to trust old pal Magneto and throughout we are keep guessing his true motives.

The past setting is a good choice for Singer and he follows the lead of previous director Matthew Vaughn and there are many cute in jokes to that period, such as Wolverine waking up to seeing a Lava Lamp glow nearby and the connection to Vietnam and the loss of several Xavier students, which has contributed to his depression. One sequence through default introduces a certain Major William Stryker whose presence although minimal, has the desired effect on Wolverine! There is also a thrilling final sequence set against the shadow the Whitehouse and our heroes to battle to prevent each other from changing the future- which leads an unexpected result for all. Also worth watching sheerly for the part when Magneto raises the entire RFK Stadium in Washington.

But although X-Men: Days of Future Past looks splendid and is for the most part good viewing, the alternation between the two different universes does weigh heavily on the story and at times events feel a little confusing. Although it is nice to see old members Storm (Halle Berry), Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) and Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) they don’t feel like neccessary inclusions, and after a point, it just feels like Singer is trying to cram as many old faces in as he can. The story to its credit, does tie up a lot of loose ends, but it is also highly underdeveloped, we never learn enough about villian Trask and his reasons for wanting to destroy mutants and this lack of knowledge lessens the impact of the character to the point where he feels irrelevant.

Hugh Jackman again takes centre stage in his most iconic role as Wolverine and once more, he has the presence to keep us entertained and his character has lost none of his impact, but a more sympathetic side has grown to him and watching him trying to reason with young Charles brings about some poignant moments. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are both equally impressive as the youthful Magneto and Xavier and they carry across their inner conflicts well from their previous time on first class. But while younger ones get their time to shine- Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart are criminally underused when the movie demands more or their presence!

After his fine work on HBO’s Game of Thrones, Peter Dinklage is not given a meaty enough character to sink his teeth into and although he is tries his hardest as Boliver Trask, he is not able to conjure up any kind of real threat. But real prize of the movie goes Evan Peters who a blast as super fast kid Quicksilver and through complete accident becomes the coolest thing in the movie- just watch his effortless ability to take out several guards while still having time to move bullets out the way, this kid is far too cool for school!

X:Men- Days of Future Past is a welcome return to form for this franchise and aside from a few bumps in the road, is a very entertaining movie. The reputation of the film may have been slighty affected by the rumours of Bryan Singer’s arrest for Sexual Assault, but the end result is one that is pretty decent. Any mistakes can easily be corrected for the highly anticipated, X-Men: Apocalypse. Good to have you back again fellas, it has been a while!

 

The Famous Five: Review of The Usual Suspects

Classic from the Vault

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Director: Bryan Singer

By Alex Watson

To make a truly iconic ending to a film it needs to have an item in it that will stay with people forever- it could be something as ordinary as a Sledge like in Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane or the mysterious box delivered at the climax of David Fincher Se7en. But the object that probably was had the most effect on a film’s ending is the notice board in Bryan Singer’s masterpiece crime thriller The Usual Suspects! But aside from the brilliant ending, we had given to us one of the most slick and mysterious thrillers to hit our screens.

US Customs agent David Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) is investigating a brutal shootout in a San Pedro harbour in Los Angeles which has left only one survivor, crippled con man Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey). Although he has immunity from the governor of LA, Kujan is suspicious of Kint’s testimony and forces him to recount the events to him. Through his story, Verbal tells of his meeting of five others felons in a line up including Fenster (Benicio Del Toro), McManus (Stephen Baldwin), Todd (Kevin Pollak) and the notorious ex cop Dean Keaton (Gabriel Bryne). Through his story, Kujan will the shocking truths about their crimes and most interesting element of all, a man named Keyser Soze!

The Usual Suspects is a thriller like no other because the turn of events are so unpredictable when each scene appears you dare not make any assumptions. The narration by Kint adds to the suspense surrounding the story line and from the very get go we wonder how on earth this seemingly small time felons ended up being in involved in an awful massacre where only one of them is left to live?

However Verbal is not a reliable narrator and as Kujan goes back and forth with him, we realize that when he tells a story, its contents are highly questionable.  Especially when he is left alone in a room by himself, which will lead to one of the most shocking endings in the history of cinema and as Kujan’s mug smashes to the ground, the audience will sit wide mouthed in shock when they realize the exact truth about Verbal’s ambiguous tale.

But it’s the presence of the unseen criminal Keyser Soze that provides The Usual Suspects with it mystery element, because his very name alone creates alarm in the underworld! All the way through we are asking who this man is and what makes him so powerful? His identity is a source of continuing guess, is it the famous criminal Keaton? Or could it be Soze’s well informed foreign associate, Kobayashi (Pete Postlethwaite), a man who seems to know too much about the five for his own good.  Soze’s and his true identity will be the source of repeat viewings in the future because its answer we all want to figure out!

The script by Chris McQuarrie deserved won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar and through his brilliant writing we are given a thriller that has earned deserved cult status and a rightful place in film history. Bryan Singer’s excellent direction has also seen him step forward into the list of Hollywood’s elite. Through his impressive visual eye and some impressive editing from John Ottman the picture sings loudly on screen and the impressive ending punch is delivered beautifully!

The film also boasts a magnificent ensemble cast led by Kevin Spacey as the slippery Verbal Kint, through Spacey’s superb Oscar winning performance he brings a great vague quality to Verbal which drives The Usual Suspects forward- this brought Spacey to the public’s full attention and he has been delivering ever since. Gabriel Bryne also gives a strong performance as Keaton, a man trying to going straight but his past is always catching up with him and his joined by other great performances by Pollak, Del Toro and Stephen Baldwin (who never reached the same heights again).

Chazz Palminteri also holds his own and gives a great turn as frustrated cop Kujan and his hard edge that he brings the interrogation sparks the story into life.

The Usual Suspects is a film that deserved repeated viewing because the story is one that you will want to revisit for years to come and each time there are new theories to consider. Singer and McQuarrie have brought a thriller that is as fresh and original as was years before. But the most important question remains, just who is Keyser Soze?