4.3.24
I don’t love the X-Men films to rewatch all of them before Deadpool and Wolverine later in the year, but I remember enjoying Days of Future Past enough to check it out again. On rewatch, I found it to be an entertaining instalment, which at the time breathed new life and dynamics into the mutant universe. By seamlessly blending old and new franchise elements into one delightful package, it acts as a much-needed jumpstart for a series in need of fresh legs to stand on.
While more dramatic than First Class but lacking a definitive villain, Days of Future Past is imbued with a reverent admiration for Marvel’s rich source material. The excellent visual effects, star-studded ensemble, witty self-aware writing that knows when to inject some comic relief without becoming too jokey, and Bryan Singer’s skilled direction elevate it to an incredibly fun balancing act of beloved characters. Using Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine as the bridge between timelines is a brilliant move that grounds the fresh storytelling in a familiar, iconic character.
While using Richard Nixon as a villain is admittedly a cheap ploy, the climactic showdown between past and present villains, one real and one fictional, still satisfies. For better or worse, Days of Future Past wholeheartedly embraces unabashed comics-style storytelling more than any previous Marvel film entry. It’s a crying shame the subsequent Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix failed to capitalise on this film’s deft balancing of casts and emotionally resonant stakes.
While not perfect, Days of Future Past combines the best of both eras to create an immensely entertaining whole that reinvigorated the X-Men series, at least for a little while, leading into the Deadpool and Logan movies. With its daring narrative ambition and seamless melding of rosters, it’s a temporary triumph in the Marvel Universe that has me excited for 2025’s Fantastic Four reboot starring Vanessa Kirby and Pedro Pascal.