‘X-Men’ soar to new heights in time-jumping comic masterclass

“X-Men: Days of Future Past”

Starring: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence

Directed by: Bryan Singer

Grade: A-

The best comic book films are able to toe the line of fun and absurdity. 

Bryan Singer’s third and latest entry in the X-Men franchise, “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” walks that line like a skilled tightrope walker, formulating a dark, complex story arc while supplying a more-than-sufficient amount of flash and frivolity. In doing so, “Days of Future Past” soars, providing a new apex for the franchise.

The film – based on an iconic X-Men storyline written by Chris Claremont and John Byrne published in 1981– opens in a dystopian future where  machines called Sentinels, designed to eliminate mutants, have begun targeting all humans, leaving the entire race in danger. 

Because of this, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is sent back in time to the 1970s by Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) to prevent the shape-shifting Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from murdering the inventor of the Sentinels, Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage, in his franchise debut). To complete this task, Wolverine must enlist the help of the younger Professor Xavier (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) to track down Mystique and prevent the chain of events which leads to their inevitable extinction.

The film features some cutaways to the future, but the majority of the plot unwinds in the past, which Singer utilizes for style, humor and story. When Wolverine arrives, he learns that Magneto is imprisoned for allegedly assassinating John F. Kennedy – following in the footsteps of Matthew Vaughn’s solid “X-Men: First Class” as another mutant period piece.

The effects are dazzling in the film, particularly in the buzzworthy scene involving the super-speedy Quicksilver (Evan Peters). Singer, Peters and a classic Jim Croce song create a showcase for the mutant’s ability — so ingenious that the audience in my screening erupted in applause. The fight set-pieces set in the future are astounding as well. Iceman (Shawn Ashmore), who fights in the future, has never looked cooler than this.

What elevates “Days of Future Past” from its predecessors, though, are the performances. 

Jackman, Lawrence and Patrick Stewart (reprising his role as Professor X from the original trilogy) are all solid, while Fassbender continues to prove that he could probably make a Wheaties commercial interesting, as he allows necessary glimmers of humanity shine through the cold, calculating Magneto. Dinklage, sporting a thick mustache that would make Ron Burgundy envious, is terrific as the radical, but not necessarily evil, Trask, seeming right at home in the X-Men universe.

But the real heavy lifting is done by McAvoy.

In every other iteration of the franchise, Professor X is a pretty standard, one-dimensional character — the Yoda of the X-Men, he is the perfect mentor figure. This time around, Xavier is still reeling from the fallout of “First Class,” in which he lost his pseudo-sister, Mystique, and his best friend, Magneto, while suffering a paralyzing spinal injury in the process. This emotional strain allows the character to explore previously uncharted areas of doubt, anger and confusion   — all of which are reflected in nearly every line of McAvoy’s dialogue.

The film isn’t without its problems. There are some conveniences made for plot’s sake, such as Xavier’s medication, which cures his paralysis but disables his mutant psychic ability, as well as Pryde’s new and vaguely explained ability to send people back in time. The conclusion of the film, while likely crucial for continuity purposes, is somewhat predictable and cliched. 

These blips on the radar are insignificant when compared to the entirety of the film. No amount of nitpicking can dampen the 131 minutes of panel-to-panel fun in “X-Men: Days of Future Past.”