Friday, May 23, 2014

Let's Talk Movies! X-Men: Days of Future Past (Spoiler-free!)



Wolverine: "Hey..Mystique...did the Professor just fart fire?"

When they announced that they were going to do the DoFP storyline for the next X-men movie. Alot of comic fans (me included) were both excited and curious. Excited because if they're going to follow the story from the comics then its going to be uber awesome. Curious because IF they're going to follow the story from the comics  then you wondered how they were going to pull it off since it was going to be a sequel to First Class and Kitty Pryde wasn't in FC...and of course, Sentinels.


Hey! This isn't the Blue man group!


In the following weeks and months before the movie was shown,  we were treated with tons of pics of the movie. The one above shows the Sentinels. Now....alot of comicbook fans were doubtful of these Sentinels mostly because of how they looked. But they do explain why the Sentinels are like that in the movie (so you better listen closely!).

On the left: original cover of the comic On the right: fan-made for the movie

Anyway, the story of the movie is quite simple. The whole film starts in the future where mutants and people who help them are killed/imprisoned in a world run by Sentinels/Nimrods (they're not called that in the movie and they're far from what the Nimrods look like in the comics but meh). A group of surviving X-men has come up with a plan which involves sending Wolverine back in time to stop the future of Sentinel overlords from ever happening. Of course there's a whole lot more than just that but that's what watching the movie is for.

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Why was Wolverine sent back and not Kitty .

When I heard that it was Wolverine and not Kitty that was going back to the past like what happened in the comics, I was a bit confused at first as to why they would do that. But naturally they would try to do some liberties and deviate from the comics a little bit. It made sense because Kitty Pryde wasn't even in First Class and trying to retcon the whole thing to make it appear like she was sounds stupid. Wolverine is a well-known character. Alot of people can identify who he is and let's face it X-men: Days of Future Past would sell more tickets if Wolverine is in it because frankly he's a cash cow. Also he WAS in FC albeit in a small cameo so having Wolvie go back in time rather than Kitty work.

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Sentinels.

So..yea..Sentinels man...

As mentioned above, their is a specific reason as to why the Sentinels from the past look the way they do. The Sentinels of the future (which I shall now call Nimrods even if they don't resemble them) look more sleekier and maybe a bit organic. A BIG upgrade from their past counterparts. Sure, sure when they said Sentinels we were all thinking the same thing.


"Maybe if I stay still...no one would notice i'm hiding behind this building..."

^ That. We were all thinking they would be bringing those in..or maybe actual Nimrods or maybe that single sentinel head they showed us in that one X-men film I won't mention. But hey, for me, the new Sentinels work. Watching them move around and well, do what they do (*wink*), they looked pretty awesome. Their designs have purpose. It would've been quite awesome and nostalgic to see the cartoon Sentinels we grew up watching come alive on the big screen but I can settle for these Sentinels...for now maybe.

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DinklagePeterDinklagePeterDinklagePeterDinklage.
I make this movie look gooood...

Okay. So Bolivar Trask created the Sentinels and when they picked Peter Dinklage, I didn't really see him as the character. But after seeing the movie, I changed my mind. Peter Dinklage did a wonderful job playing as Trask. Sure he lacked the height but the way he talked, the way he presented himself...it just felt right. I think I like his Trask than the comic one.

...as for the rest of the cast...

Well, there's a reason why I chose the picture above. The reason being that these two characters, Quicksilver and Blink, are the characters I found super awesome in the movie.

To be honest, I doubted and joked about how Quicksilver looked. He looked like a male version of Ramona Flowers. Yes, he didn't looked like comic Pietro at all (he also went by the name Peter) and also didn't act like a pompous ass like the Quicksilver we know but seeing him zoom around left and right was fantastic. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much screen time but he made do with what he had..trust me.

Blink on the other hand, had a little more screen time than Quicksilver as being among one opf the X-survivors in the future. They did well with Blink. From casting the actor to her mutant powers and also on how she uses them. Sure she didn't look like her comic counterpart like almost everyone else but you'll get past that once you see her in action. Really. Also i'm glad to have found out that Fan Bingbing (who plays Blink) will be appearing on the next four(!) X-men films. Good news indeed.

As for the rest of the motley crew. We have: Bishop, Kitty, Iceman, Warpath, Sunspot, Colossus, Storm, Wolverine, Magneto, Prof. X, Beast and Mystique. That's a whole alot of mutants already. Pretty solid roster too. But there are still more mutants that are present in the film. I'll just let you guys guess who they are and let you enjoy a who's-who of cameos, mutant and non-mutant (but still part of the X-Universe) alike.

I was happy with the roster they came up with and how their powers were portrayed. Bishop looked like Bishop and his mutant power (which is the ability to absorb energy and redirect it) didn't deviate from the comics...and yes, he also had a big gun. Warpath looked more like his recent X-force costume which I think is okay since it blends well with the costume motif of black(LOL). He was pretty much a sensor and scout than the big bodied brawler he is in the comics but I guess with Colossus already in the film then I guess it was okay. Sunspot, however, looked more like Human Torch than Sunspot. I guess portraying him like that is way easier to explain his power than what he really looks like. Wolverine is still Wolverine. He's been in all X-men movies and that's the only thing i'll say about him.

As for Charles and Eric, seeing all the actors from the two films come together onscreen was glorious. The 
tandems of McAvoy/Fassbender and Stewart/McKellen were both great and did very well in reprising their roles. Although Fass-neto could've had a more better costume but hey, that's just me talking. Lastly, Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique sees a bit more action in this movie. Kicking butt, taking names AND identities as well. I do find her Mystique red hair a bit....weird and off though.

If you're wondering where's the rest of the gang from First Class, try to look out for it in the movie. It's explained in it as well.

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What else can I say?

I am a big X-men fan and despite alot of people not liking the movies, I love those movies as well....maybe to a certain degree. Days of Future Past is a good X-men movie. They could have done a few things a bit better but the things they did was already okay. Sure it's not the DoFP that we comic fans know and love but it's close. It feels like riding the same rollercoaster at a different theme park/carnival. It's something old but you get something new.

If you've watched all of the X-movies or at least First Class then you won't be lost on who's who. But seriously, I am suggesting that you DO watch ALL the X-movies (yes, that includes Wolverine's movies as well) AND X-men First Class to really get the into what's-what in Days of Future past. Also, you will be able to figure out a ton of easter eggs that's in the movie. Some are too obvious while some aren't. And yes, there IS a post credits scene...BUT if you're not familiar with the X-universe then you won't prolly understand what's going on.

It's one of the good hero movies so far this year (at least for me) and maybe one of the best X-movies so far (yes, I loved X1). Whether you're a comics fan or movie-verse fan, it's still a great movie to watch and most definitely will leave you craving for more.

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