X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX REVIEW

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It's hard to believe it's almost been twenty years since the release of the first X-Men in 2000. While not the best superhero film, it was still a good film and a solid start to the franchise, which now includes several sequels, a prequel and a spin-off film that focuses on Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). However, following the release of Days Of Future Past in 2014, which was successful both at the box office and with critics, another instalment was released two years later, Apocalypse. While this follow-up failed to match the quality of its predecessor, I still enjoyed it more than most people. When it comes to the X-Men films, I'm easily pleased and don't expect much. I think that this is why I was looking forward to Dark Phoenix, the follow-up to Apocalypse. However, does it meet expectations?

Dark Phoenix focuses on one of the X-Men's most beloved characters, Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), as she evolves into the powerful Dark Phoenix. During a life-threatening rescue mission in space, Jean is hit by a cosmic force that transforms her into one of the most powerful mutants of all. Wrestling with this increasingly unstable power as well as her own personal demons, Jean spirals out of control, tearing the X-Men family apart and threatening to destroy the very fabric of our planet. 

Dark Phoenix is the most intense and emotional X-Men movie ever made. It is the culmination of 20 years of X-Men movies, as the family of mutants that we've come to know and love must face their most devastating enemy yet – one of their own. 

Since its release last week, Dark Phoenix has received a negative reception both from critics and audiences. I was disappointed by this as I was looking forward to finally seeing it. How. ever, despite this, I enjoyed Dark Phoenix. It's not without its flaws, including certain characters being underused and a weak villain, and it's far from the best film in the franchise. Those hoping to see more of the shape-shifting mutant, Raven (Jennifer Lawrence), and Quicksilver (Evan Peters), are going to be disappointed as they're only seen in the beginning of Dark Phoenix. The story focuses more on Jean and her inability to control her powers. After a fight breaks out between her and the X-Men, leading to a tragic death, Jean runs away. She soon meets Vuk (Jessica Chastain), who is the leader of a shape-shifting alien race known as the D'Bari. While Chastain does her best, her character is underdeveloped.

The Dark Phoenix story was previously adapted in The Last Stand which was released in 2006 and directed by Brett Ratner. It was negatively received by critics and audiences which is why Simon Kinberg, who makes his directorial debut with Dark Phoenix after co-writing several films in the X-Men franchise, wanted to remake it. While I don't think The Last Stand is a bad film, I do think that Dark Phoenix is an improvement. 

Kinberg is known for writing The Last Stand, Days Of Future Past and Apocalypse, which makes him the ideal choice to direct Dark Phoenix which he also wrote. Those expecting a film among the lines of something like Avengers: Endgame will be disappointed as both films are completely different, in terms of tone and story. For his directorial debut, I think that Kinberg has done a good job and has created a film that will be appreciated more by fans of X-Men. 

We're only six months into 2019 and we've already had our fair share of superhero films, including Dark Phoenix, Endgame, Captain Marvel and Shazam!. Because of this, I think audiences are suffering from 'superhero fatigue'. It's hard for superhero films to be unpredictable as they feature several cliches and the same narrative, which focuses on the superheroes trying to defeat the villain. This is one of Dark Phoenix's problems. Those who have seen several superhero films will not be surprised by certain outcomes.

I've always found previous superhero films to be lacking in tension because it was obvious that everyone was going to survive, due to the protagonist saving the day. Fortunately, I didn't think that this was the case for Dark Phoenix. Due to Jean's inability to control her powers, a main character is killed early on. Following this death, the X-Men are left broken and unsure of what to do. In my opinion, I think that this is the most dramatic X-Men film since Days of Future Past. The early X-Men films were hard to take seriously which made them more entertaining to watch. However, I think that the serious tone works for Dark Phoenix. 

Most of the cast from Apocalypse, including James McAvoy as Charles Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Erik Lehnsherr and Lawrence as Raven, return and, while their performances are far from Oscar-worthy, they each deliver solid portrayals of their characters. The most impressive is Turner who successfully captures Jean's struggles with her powers. In order to deliver an effective portrayal of Jean, Turner studied dissociative identity disorder and schizophrenia for the role, particularly for scenes where she has to change from the vulnerable Jean to the confident Phoenix. 

One of the highlights of the past X-Men films are the action sequences and I think that this is where Dark Phoenix was at its best. I think the fight sequence in New York City is the most memorable as we see most of the mutants, including Xavier, Lehnsherr, Scott Summers (Tye Sheridan), Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and Storm (Alexandra Shipp) fighting against each other. This is due to Xavier and Lehnsherr having a disagreement about Jean. Lehnsherr wants to kill Jean, however, Xavier thinks he can help her control her powers. 

Prior to watching X-Men: Dark Phoenix, I was hoping for a solid follow-up to Apocalypse that features a lot of mutant action, fortunately, I wasn't disappointed.

7/10

LOGAN REVIEW

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"All good things must come to an end". This quote couldn't be more appropriate as Logan showcases Hugh Jackman's final portrayal of the titled clawed mutant. It's hard to believe it's almost been two decades since Jackman made his first appearance as Logan in the first X-Men in 2000. It was an impressive performance that gained the Australian actor recognition and success in America. Since then, Jackman has gone on to become one of the most talented and versatile actors working today. However, is Logan a fitting conclusion to Jackman's 17-year reign as Wolverine? 

It's 2029. Mutants are gone - or very nearly so. An isolated, despondent Logan (Jackman) is drinking his days away in a hideout on a remote stretch of the Mexican border, picking up petty cash as a limo driver for hire. His companions in exile are the outcast Caliban (Stephen Merchant) and an ailing Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), whose singular mind is plagued by worsening seizures. But Logan's attempts to hide from the world and his legacy abruptly end when a mysterious woman appears with an urgent request - that Logan shepherd an extraordinary young girl, Laura (Dafne Keen) to safety. Soon, the claws come out as Logan must face off against dark forces and a villain from his own past on a live-or-die mission, one that will set the time-worn warrior on a path toward fulfilling his destiny.

This is the third spin-off film that focuses on Wolverine, the others being X-Men Origins Wolverine and The Wolverine. The former was a prequel that gave Wolverine a backstory and received mixed to bad reviews while the latter was an improvement but still had minor issues, especially with the final climax. This lead to many people having doubts about whether Jackman's final Wolverine film would be any good. Fortunately, Logan has received critical acclaim with many saying it's the one of the best superhero movies ever made. I couldn't agree more with this statement. Because there's been a lot of superhero films released in the past few years, it's hard not to feel a sense of deja-vu when watching them. Most of them follow a predictable narrative path where the superhero finds out about the villain's plan, tries to stop them and, after a CGI-filled battle, the superhero succeeds. The plot for Logan is unpredictable and, throughout the film, we're not entirely sure if Logan is ever going to make it out alive. 

The Wolverine we've come to know is strong, fierce and, because of his self-healing abilities, can always recover quickly after a fight. Seeing Logan in his weakened state is a shock. In the film's thrilling opening sequence, we see that he's barely able to fight off several thugs that are trying to steal the tyres from his limo. Jackman doesn't just perform as Logan, he embodies the character and gives us further reason to believe why he will always be the best actor for this role. It's difficult to think of any other actor who could give half as good as performance as Jackman. Like Logan, Xavier is struggling too and his mental ability has weakened him. This is far from the kind and helpful Professor we all know from the previous installments. Their father/son relationship has developed a lot since the two first met in X-Men. Seeing them both leave the franchise is heartbreaking but understandable. 

New additions include British comedian, Merchant, who is almost unrecognisable as Caliban, a mutant who is allergic to the sun. Both Richard E. Grant and Boyd Holbrook give solid performances as the two main villains. However, of all the new additions, it's Keen who stands out. Her portrayal of Laura makes Chloe Grace Moretz' Hit-Girl from Kick-Ass look gentle. For the majority of the film, she barely speaks but her eyes and facial expressions are enough to make anyone scared of her.

James Mangold, who previously directed The Wolverine, returns to direct. The fight sequences are brilliantly choreographed and, because it's a 15 rating (R in the US), Mangold doesn't shy away from showing us the heavy violence. By using a steady camera, the violence is clearly shown. Mangold has also stated that this film has a more 'human' feel and relies very little on computer-generated imagery and green screens. This is what makes the stunts all the more impressive.

Like all of the X-Men films, Logan is worth watching just for Jackman's incredible career-defining performance of the title character alone. It's a fitting conclusion to his 17-year long reign as one of the most iconic characters in the superhero genre. It's sad to see him leave but, fortunately, he leaves on a high note. Logan is a violent but surprisingly thoughtful superhero/action film that defies genre conventions.

8/10

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE REVIEW

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If it wasn't for Days of Future Past, I'd say that Apocalypse is the best film in the X-Men franchise. It's just as exciting and features one of the best battle sequences between the mutants and Apocalypse.

The film's main focus is on Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac) who was the first and most powerful mutant from Marvel's X-Men universe and amassed the powers of many other mutants, became immortal and invincible. Now, upon awakening after thousands of years, he is disillusioned with the world as he finds it and recruits a team of powerful mutants, including a disheartened Magneto (Michael Fassbender), to cleanse mankind and create a new world order, over which he will reign. As the fate of the Earth hangs in the balance, Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) with the help of Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) must lead a team of young X-Men to stop their greatest nemesis and save mankind from complete destruction.

Yes, some characters are left underdeveloped but that doesn't make the film terrible. The film's strongest characters come from Charles' team of X-Men including Mystique; Jean Grey (Sophie Turner); Scott Summers (Tye Sheridan), also known as Cyclops; Peter Maximoff (Evan Peters), also known as Quicksilver and Hank McCoy (Nicholas Hoult), also known as Beast. After they learn about Apocalypse's plan to cause destruction to Earth, they immediately team together to save the planet.

Most people will be surprised to see Storm (Alexandra Shipp) side with Apocalypse but due to the events of Days of Future Past, history has been altered. This means that some of the mutants have turned out differently than they did in the previous installments. We are also introduced to a new mutant, Psylocke (Olivia Munn), and she can generate psi-bolts that can stun, injure, or kill others. When we first see Angel (Ben Hardy), after damaging his wings, he is depressed but after Apocalypse improves them, he teams up with him. The fourth member is Magneto, who after Days of Future Past, is now living with his wife and daughter. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes causing him to team up with Apocalypse and cause destruction to the world.

McAvoy, Fassbender, Lawrence, Hoult and Peters give performances that are even better than the previous installments they featured in. We see McAvoy's Xavier struggling even more with his ability to read minds, Fassbender's Magneto has become even more vulnerable due to the tragedy he has just witnessed and Lawrence's Mystique shows off her fighting skills. One of the most memorable scenes from Days of Future Past was the sequence that featured Quicksilver using his ability to escape the Pentagon. That sequence is improved when he turns up at the school to find it being destroyed so he swiftly moves around and saves everyone. It's one of the most fun scenes to watch.
After appearing in the latest Star Wars film, The Force Awakens, Isaac shows us what a diverse actor he can be by giving an unrecognisable performance as the evil Apocalypse.

For those hoping for a certain mutant with claws to make an appearance, you won't be disappointed. However, it is short and sweet but that doesn't stop it from being one of the best scenes in the film.

After watching Days of Future Past, I had high expectations for this film. Were those expectations met? Yes. In fact, they were beaten. Director Bryan Singer has successfully created another exciting installment.

8/10

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE REVIEW

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Fortunately, while it's not the best in the X-Men series, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is still a satisfactory film.

If you haven't already guessed, this film tells the back story of one of the most well-known mutants in the franchise, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), whose real name is James Howlett. He and his mutant brother, Victor (Liev Schreiber), born 200 years ago, suffer childhood trauma and have only each other to depend on. Basically, they're fighters and killers, living from war to war through U.S. history. In modern times, a U.S. colonel, William Stryker (Danny Huston), recruits them and other mutants as commandos. James, now known as Logan, quits and becomes a logger, falling in love with a local teacher, Kayla Silverfox (Lynn Collins). When Logan refuses to rejoin Stryker's crew, the colonel sends the murderous Victor. Logan now wants revenge.

I'm not going to state what I didn't like about the film so instead I shall talk about what I enjoyed. For example, I liked learning about Logan's background and how he ended up with his legendary name, Wolverine. I think this film makes him a well-developed character. Jackman's performance is strong, as usual. Schreiber is great as Victor, also known as Sabretooth. He is menacing and doesn't hesitate to kill. In X-Men 2, Colonel Stryker was played by Brian Cox who was interested in returning to this film but the filmmakers hired Huston instead. While I think Cox's performance stands out more, Huston is still just as good. 

This film also features some familiar mutants such as Scott Summers (Tim Pocock), also known as Cyclops. We see him as a young teenager being captured by Victor and Stryker to be used on an experiment. Die-hard fans might also recognise other mutants including: Quicksilver; Banshee; Toad; Psylocke; Whirlwind and Dust. All these mutants are being used for an experiment known as Weapon XI that turns out to be Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds). We first meet Deadpool, real name Wade Wilson, in the beginning as part of Huston's recruitment team and he does have a lot of funny one-liners. However, I do think he will be remembered for his origins film that was released earlier this year.

The scene where Logan has his experiment to have adamantium put in is really tense. We see him in a lot of pain and, when the experiment is complete, he escapes after he learns what Stryker really intends to do. In X-Men 2, we know that Wolverine has no memory of what happened to him. At the end of this film, we learn how he lost his memory after an intense fighting scene between Deadpool and Sabretooth.

I do think this film is worth watching if you want to know everything about Wolverine's back story. 

6/10

THE WOLVERINE REVIEW

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The Wolverine shows another side to the title character. Logan (Hugh Jackman) has always had the ability to self-heal which makes him superior to his enemies as he cannot be defeated. However, in his second solo film, we see him losing those abilities which makes him weaker. Fortunately, he still remains strong which is why this film succeeds.

The film is set in modern day Japan and Wolverine is out of his depth in an unknown world as he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.

One of the biggest themes of this film is death as Logan is surrounded by it. His love interest, Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) haunts his mind after the events of The Last Stand and the soldier he saved in Japan from over 70 years ago, Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi), is now an old man dying from cancer. Things take a sudden turn when Logan realises that Yashida isn't merely thanking him for saving his life, he's asking for him to sacrifice his life by getting rid of his ability to self heal. This makes Logan question, for the first time, on whether or not he wants to live forever. Unfortunately, Yashida soon dies but not before asking Logan to protect his granddaughter, Mariko (Tao Okamoto), from the Yakuza. 

The first hour and a half are just as exciting as any other X-Men film as there are a lot fighting scenes and chase sequences through the streets of Japan. There's also a thrilling fight sequence above a train going at 300mph. 

Many people had their doubts about this film as Wolverine's origins film didn't live up to expectations. Fortunately, those doubts soon cleared and this has since proved to be one of the best films in the X-Men series. 

This film features a lot of strong performances from every actor involved but, as usual, Jackman is the one who stands out as he's the only recognisable name (apart from Janssen). I think his performance as Wolverine will be the role he will always be recognised for even he leaves. 

This film was made with Wolverine fans in mind, but it's worth a watch if you enjoy watching action films. It's unlike any other superhero film that's been made before as it doesn't have any cliches and Wolverine's character is well developed. 

There is also an interesting scene mid way through the credits that leads to X-Men: Days Of Future Past.

To sum up, The Wolverine is a exciting action film that focuses on one of the most popular mutants.

7/10

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS REVIEW

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In my opinion, First Class is the most enjoyable to watch in the whole series. This is a prequel to X-Men and we are introduced to many of the characters from the first film. This includes Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender), who is also known as Magneto.

The film has the same opening as the first X-Men which is where we see Erik as a young boy at a concentration camp and discovering he can control metal. However, this scene continues and we meet the antagonist of the film, Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), who forces Erik to reveal his metal-controlling abilities. Unfortunately, this leads to his mother being killed in front of him and his life long vengeance on Shaw. We are then showed Charles and Raven's first meeting when they were children and learn that they were raised together. This may come as a surprise to some people because, in the first three X-Men films, the two have no relationship at all and Raven is actually on Erik's side. Fortunately, this prequel explains that and also how Charles ended up in his wheelchair.

One thing we do know, judging from the previous films, is that Charles and Erik were once friends. This film shows how they met and how their relationship became damaged. Both McAvoy and Fassbender have great chemistry together and pull off strong performances as the iconic characters.

Newcomers also include Jennifer Lawrence as Raven whose performance as the blue-skinned mutant is a lot better than Rebecca Romijn's, in my opinion. She has more personality and has a bigger role than in the earlier films. I also liked Nicholas Hoult as a young Hank McCoy, also known as Beast. It's in this film, we see how he developed his mutation when one of his vaccinations goes wrong.

This prequel also features one of my favourite cameos which is when Charles and Erik go looking for mutants and they find Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) in a bar, who has a great one-liner. It's worth watching this film just for that cameo, if I'm honest. 

It wouldn't be an effective X-Men film if there wasn't any exciting action sequences. Fortunately, the director, Matthew Vaughn (who is directing his first X-Men film), ends the film with a battle sequence between Charles and his X-Men, Erik and Shaw. It's really intense and it's because of this sequence that a conflict begins between Charles and Erik. It's a great way of ending the film as it explains everything that X-Men made us question.

Overall, First Class has everything that makes it a successful prequel: strong performances; exciting action sequences and a effective back story.

7/10

X-MEN: THE LAST STAND REVIEW

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The Last Stand is worth watching for its climatic battle sequence. Most action films lack tension because they're not exciting. Fortunately, the same can't be said for The Last Stand. I think this is one of the best fighting sequences in the X-Men series as it focuses on the mutants fighting against each other by using their unique abilities. 

When a cure is created, which apparently can turn any mutant into a normal human being, there is outrage amongst the mutant community. Whilst some mutants do like the idea of a cure, including Rogue (Anna Paquin), many mutants find that there shouldn't be a cure. Magneto (Ian McKellan), who still believes a war is coming, recruits a large team of mutants to take down Warren Worthington II (Michael Murphy) and his cure. Might seem easy for the X-Men to stop, but Magneto has a big advantage, which Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) doesn't have. Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) has returned, and joined with Magneto. The Phoenix has woken within her, which has the ability to destroy anything in her way, even if that 'anything' is a X-Men.

In The Last Stand, we are introduced to several new mutants including: Angel (Ben Foster); Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page); Beast (Kelsey Grammer) and the Phoenix. The film doesn't spend long introducing us to these characters as the majority of the audience will recognise them from the comic book series it is based on. 

Apart from Days Of Future Past, this is probably one of the most tense X-Men films. This is due to Magneto having a large army consisting of vengeful mutants and the X-Men having a small team that consists of the aforementioned mutants, Wolverine, Storm (Halle Berry) and Iceman (Shawn Ashmore). This is probably their most difficult battle yet due to Wolverine's feelings for Jean Grey, who has now become the Phoenix, a ruthless mutant that sides with Magneto. It's because of this climatic battle that we feel sympathy for Wolverine as he has lost the only woman he has truly loved.

Absent from the battle is Rogue, who leaves the school after seeing her boyfriend, Iceman, spending a lot of time with Kitty. In my opinion, I think she could have been used in the final battle sequence as she is likable character and does have the potential to be something more. 

Stand out performances include Jackman's Wolverine and McKellan's Magneto, who makes for a brilliant antagonist as he won't let anything get in the way of his violent plans, not even his 'old friend', Charles, who, in a memorable scene, tries to reason with the Phoenix by saying that he can help her whilst Magneto convinces her that he wants her to be rid of her powers. This leads to an devastating tragedy and the hate for Magneto increases. 

The reason why the X-Men films are so popular is that they're unlike any other superhero series, like Fantastic Four and The Avengers. Every character has their own personal struggles and weaknesses but they don't let that stop them. 

In my opinion, because of the final battle sequence, this is one of the best films in the X-Men series.

7/10

X-MEN 2 REVIEW

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After the success of X-Men, of course there was going to be a sequel and thus, the mutants return. 

It's been several months since the X-Men defeated Magneto (Ian McKellan) and imprisoned him in a seemingly impregnable plastic chamber. One day, a mutant by the name of Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) infiltrates the White House and attempts to assassinate the president, setting off a chain reaction of anti-mutant measures by the government. Meanwhile, Logan (Hugh Jackman) is trying to discover his past. As scientist named William Stryker (Brian Cox) discovers Professor X's (Patrick Stewart) secret school and Cerebro, Magneto's partner, Mystique (Rebecca Romijn), is planning to break her leader out of prison. But when Professor X's school is attacked by Stryker's forces, Logan, Rogue (Anna Paquin), Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) and a few are lucky to escape. Those who remain meet in Boston, where they form an uneasy alliance with Magneto to stop Stryker and rescue Professor X.

I think this is a step-up from the first film, we are introduced to more mutants, including Nightcrawler. The film opens with him attacking the President but when Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) and Storm (Halle Berry) go to find him, we learn he wasn't in control of what he was doing and that he's innocent. There's also a great scene where we see both Pyro (Aaron Stanford) Iceman and Rogue using their powers to stop police. In this scene, we see how each mutant's abilities affect others, especially when Rogue touches Pyro's leg in order to stop him from killing anyone. We also learn more about Logan's past and how he became Wolverine through his flashbacks. This is effective as we understand that he hasn't always had his adamantium claws and feel empathetic as he struggles to learn about how he got his mutation.

The performances from every actor involved. The stand out performance is Alan Cumming as the new mutant, Nightcrawler. He gives a comedic yet sympathetic performance. Jackman's Wolverine is well developed. McKellan is menacing as Magneto, just when we think he's become good, he does something evil. We also see that Janssen's Jean Grey is finding it difficult to cope with her telepathic abilities which soon leads to a later tragedy. I'd say that the main antagonist is Cox's Stryker who uses Professor X and the Cerebro as a way to kill all mutants. We also find out that Stryker was involved in Wolverine's past and he uses this to torment him. 

I think that this is a great follow up to X-Men because each character is well-developed, the story moves at a brisk pace and it features some of the best action sequences.

7/10

X-MEN REVIEW

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Before the Avengers, there was the X-Men lead by Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). The first film in the series introduces us to the famous mutants such as Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Magneto (Ian McKellan), Mystique (Rebecca Romijn), Storm (Halle Berry) and many more.

When the film opens, the mutants are in hiding in fear of being discriminated. Senator Kelly (Bruce Davison) wants the mutants to reveal themselves and their abilities. A young woman, Marie (Anna Paquin), has just recently discovered that when she touches someone, she drains all of their energy and decides to runs away. This is where we first meet Logan, also known as Wolverine, whose mutant abilities include self-healing and having long claws made from adamantium. He takes on Marie, now known as Rogue, and the pair are suddenly attacked by other mutants, Sabretooth (Tyler Mane) and Toad (Ray Park). Fortunately, they're saved by Storm and Cyclops (James Marsden) and they wake up in the X-Mansion which is where they meet Professor X who informs them of what they are. Meanwhile, Magneto believes a war is approaching and has an evil plan and needs Rogue to help him achieve it. For the first time, mutants must team up to stop Magneto.

I think this is a great way to start off a superhero series. Director Bryan Singer introduces us to the mutants by showing their abilities which is how we identify them. Both Stewart and McKellan give strong performances as Professor X and Magneto. When we first meet them, their relationship is tense due to past events (which are shown in the prequel, First Class). Jackman is the perfect choice for Wolverine, this is the part he will be best known for. Wolverine is strong and brave and Jackman's performance clearly shows that. Paquin is great as Rogue, we feel sympathy for her because she can't touch other human beings without harming them. 

The film moves a brisk pace, it doesn't spend too long telling us about each character, most people who have watched the film will already know who the mutants are. It also has an even balance of exposition, character development and special effects-enhanced action. Speaking of, the action sequences, especially in the battle against Magneto, are choreographed with flair and, by using slow motion and a camera circling the action, this is effective. 

If this film wasn't a success, it wouldn't have lasted much longer than a few years. Fortunately, this problem soon disappeared and there have since then been a total of seven X-Men films. This is due to its strong performances, iconic characters and exciting action sequences.

7/10

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST REVIEW

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It's been almost two decades since director Bryan Singer brought the popular comic books to the big screen in X-Men. It proved to be popular with fans and has become one of the most successful superhero franchises in its own right. It now has a total of six films, including a prequel and an origins story that focused on one of the main mutants, Wolverine.
I would say that Days Of Future Past is more science-fiction than simply a comic book action film. The film is set in 2023 where Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), Eric 'Magneto' Lehnsherr (Ian McKellen) and the X-Men are facing annihilation from the Sentinels which are robots that have only one purpose: to find and kill all mutants. Unfortunately, the X-Men are struggling to defeat the Sentinels and their only hope is for Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) to send one of the mutants' consciousness to 1973 where the Sentinels were first created. James 'Wolverine' Logan (Hugh Jackman) is the only one who can withstand the journey. This may be Wolverine's biggest challenge yet, not to stop Sentinels creator, Boliver Trask (Peter Dinklage), but to reunite the 1973 versions of Charles (now played by James McAvoy) and Eric (Michael Fassbender) as they're the only ones who can stop Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from killing Trask. However, both Charles and Eric have different ways of doing this task. The kind-hearted Charles wants to try and convince her not to kill whereas Eric tries to kill Mystique. Meanwhile, for Wolverine, the situation becomes more and more desperate.
Days Of Future Past is, in my opinion, the best X-Men movie in the series. It's full of action and all of the characters that made the franchise successful return. This includes: Jackman's Wolverine. He is as tough and brave as ever; Charles Xavier, who is portrayed both by Stewart in the future and McAvoy in the past. Both actors give strong performances to Xavier. There's also an interesting scene where the past version of Xavier interacts with the older version of himself. McKellen isn't in Days Of Future Past that much, we see more of Fassbender's Magneto, who is still focused on killing those who have tried to kill him. We meet new mutants including Quicksilver (Evan Peters) who helps break out Magneto from the Pentagon. Lawrence is brilliant as Mystique, I'm happy she has a bigger part here than in First Class.
This film has a great opening, with the X-Men using their powers to try and stop the Sentinels. There is tension throughout the film as we never know if Wolverine is going to be able to succeed in changing the past and preventing the Sentinels from being created. The editing is really good too as it shows how the past can affect the future.
X-Men: Days Of Future Past is not only a brilliant superhero film but it's also one of the best films of 2014.

8/10