Four stars. Rated PG-13, for nonstop action violence, considerable grim content and brief profanity
By Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 5.23.14
This one cooks.
The X-Men film series has earned
high marks from its debut back in 2000, notwithstanding the frustrating rival
studio issues that prevent these characters from operating within the larger
tapestry of the “Marvel Universe” project that includes Iron Man, Thor, Captain
America and the Avengers.
Director Bryan Singer got
Marvel’s “merry mutants” off to an excellent start with the first two films,
and he returns here, batteries fully charged, for a rip-snortin’ adventure that
satisfies on every level.
Longtime comic book fans, who’ve
followed these characters since their debut back in September 1963, can point
to three periods of writer/artist genius during the series’ half-century
history. Old-timers still cite the Roy Thomas/Neal Adams run, despite its
brevity, as the highlight of 1969 and early ’70. The subsequent generation
scoffs at that choice, pointing instead to the bravura Chris Claremont/Jim Lee
run from 1989 through ’91.
In between, though, we enjoyed
four years of greatness from late 1977 through early ’81, thanks to Claremont’s
imaginative stories and artist/co-author John Byrne’s artwork. And that run
produced a two-parter, “Days of Future Past,” which remains one of the all-time
best comic book stories, anywhere ... not to mention one of the most ingenious
time-travel narratives ever concocted (and cited as such in a recent issue of
the British pop culture magazine SFX).
Fan reaction was guarded, when
word broke that this new X-Men film would adapt that classic tale. Doing it
justice would be difficult enough; carefully sliding it into the big-screen
mythos already established by the first three films and 2011’s X-Men: First
Class, even harder. Screenwriters Simon Kinberg, Jane Goldman and Matthew
Vaughn therefore deserve considerable credit, because they pulled it off. And
then some.
Failing to give Claremont and
Byrne a “story by” acknowledgment, however, is utterly indefensible. And I
rather doubt that Claremont was mollified by his eyeblink cameo.
To a degree, this film also has
been shaped by the wattage of its primary stars, most notably Jennifer
Lawrence, who has become huge since first playing the shape-shifting
Raven/Mystique in First Class. Hugh Jackman’s ultra-cool Wolverine also is
front and center, as are James McAvoy’s angst-ridden Charlie Xavier and Michael
Fassbender’s smoothly malevolent Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto.
But wait, I hear you cry. Patrick
Stewart and Ian McKellen also appear in this adventure ... and aren’t they also
Xavier and Magneto?
Well, yes ... and that’s the
nature of time-travel stories. Done properly, we get to eat our cake, and have
it, too. And this is one tasty treat.