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.
This cast was filled with everybody who is anybody. After the critical success of X-Men: First Class it put the series back on track, rebounding from that awful X:Men Last Stand and the less than stellar Wolverine films. The film set the bar high for the future potential of the franchise and it fell on the shoulders of this sequel to meet or exceed expectations. And I can definitely say it lives up to the hype as one of the best X-Men films.
The plot was well executed and I appreciated how the it incorporated X-Men as their past and future selves. Though I actually would have enjoyed more screen time dedicated to the older cast. Luckily that’s not a problem for Hugh Jackman as Wolverine does not age. I am a big fan of Jackman and I actually think I prefer him working with X-Men as opposed to going off on his own, like with the spin-offs. And I give credit where it’s due. This guy is so ripped! His physique has been amazing since the first X-Men film so hats off to him for being consistent!
The film was plenty entertaining with great action and intrigue. It wasn’t always easy to predict what would happen so I could enjoy the ride. The acting was excellent, but considering the class of actors with Oscar and Emmy recognition to their name that shouldn’t be a big surprise. Peter Dinklage continues to impress me. Though he is riding the high of being a premier character on Game of Thrones, I thought he was a fine addition to this series. I am really glad the industry is allowing him to be more than Tyrion Lannister because he really is a gifted actor.
My favorite action scene probably belonged to Quicksilver when he dispatches the guards in the kitchen. The sequence is one of the coolest I’ve ever seen in a superhero flick and it’s one I won’t soon forget.
The makeup for Hank (aka Beast) was an improvement over First Class. In that film his makeup looked more like he belonged in a C.A.T.S. production, so clearly they listened to the constructive criticism, but his character didn’t seem as essential as he did in the first one.
Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy reprise their roles as Magneto and Xavier. They were both great, but I preferred their bromance in First Class since it established their relationship and importance to one another. They are more at odds here for obvious reasons but I didn’t sense the chemistry carry over from the first film. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen did a great job of maintaining their chemistry in the old films.
I hope I’m not flayed for this but while I like Jennifer Lawrence she is not my ideal Mystique. With J-Law’s exploding popularity since First Class it was no surprise that she’d have a more prominent role this time around, but Rebecca Romijn killed it in this role and was one of the best things about the older films. I was really hoping we’d see her appear in the future. Unfortunately we don’t but of course that doesn’t make or break the overall quality of this film.
All in all, X-Men fans should be quite pleased with this and it was a definite win for the franchise. So far that’s 3 Marvel films down for the year and one more to go. I’m personally still partial to Captain America 2 as my fave, but X-Men is a solid second. I don’t really think Guardians will top either one for me since I am less familiar with that series, but we’ll see! It’s a great year to be a comic book movie fan!
I agree with you about Mystique. I wonder if is has anything to do with who you first see in the role. I saw RR first and to me while JL is fine she is just not quite right. My daughter who saw JL first has the opposite view.
You might be right. I don’t like the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles either. Give me the 80s gang any day. However kids these days like the new ones. Go figure!