"foX-Men" Re-Watch: "X-Men: Days of Future Past - The Rogue Cut"

 "X-Men: Days of Future Past -The Rogue Cut" (2014)

"X-Men: First Class" was a new start for Fox and the X-Men. Matthew Vaughn did a great job rebooting the franchise in the swinging Sixties and using the characters rich histories to add new pathos and depth. Vaughn was all set to return for the sequel that would adapt one of the most famous X stories for film, taking place in the early Seventies and in a post apocalyptic future featuring returning cast from the original trilogy. Vaughn ended up jumping ship to direct the first "Kingsman" movie and the "Fantastic Four" reboot. One good choice balanced by a really bad choice. Fox decided to bring back director Bryan Singer who had directed the best X movie up to this point.

Principal photography on "X-Men: Days of Future Past" began in April 2013 and concluded in August 2013. Additional filing took place in November 2013 and February 2014. The film starred Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine, James McAvoy & Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier, Michael Fassbender & Ian McKellen as Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto, Jennifer Lawrence as Raven/Mystique, Halle Berry as Ororo Munroe/Storm, Anna Paquin as Rogue, Eliot Page as Kitty Pryde, Peter Dinklage as Dr. Bolivar Trask, Nicholas Hoult as Hank McCoy/Beast, Shawn Ashmore as Bobby Drake/Iceman, Omar Sy as Bishop, Evan Peters as Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver, Josh Helman as Major Bill Stryker, Daniel Cudmore as Peter Rasputin/Colossus, Fan Bingbing as Blink, Adan Canto as Roberto DaCosta/Sunspot and Booboo Stewart as James Proudstar/Warpath. The film was written by Simon Kinberg. It was directed by Bryan Singer. "X-Men: Days of Future Past" was released on May 23, 2014. 

The gang's back together.

"X-Men: Days of Future Past" is loosely based on the comics story from "Uncanny X-Men" #141-142. In the comic story, Kate Pryde goes back in time to stop the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from assassinating Senator Robert Kelly and bringing about the post-apocalyptic future. The "X-Men: The Animated Series" episodes that loosely adapted this storyline was a bit more faithful to the comics while the movie takes the overall premise and adjusts and expands it to fit the cinematic universe. 

We will be chatting about the "Rogue cut" of the movie, because I feel like it is the definitive version of the story. Anna Paquin wasn't able to be on set very often for the filming of "DoFP" and then when the film was being edited they got rid of most of her scenes, so she's in the movie very briefly overall. I think the version with her scenes edited back in makes a great movie, even better.

From the very beginning, you get the feeling that this movie is going to be something special. We get the patented Professor X voice over, talking about the Sentinels and the messed up future and the classic X movie intro. I am pretty sure I got chills watching and hearing that the first time in the theater. The movie hits the ground running and doesn't really let up. We get a pulse pounding action sequence that opens up with the movie with new and old mutants taking on these new advanced Sentinels that feel very close to the Nimrod Sentinels. They quickly adapt and can use the powers of a mutant once they have been used on them. They are also immune to said powers once they have adapted. There are old favorites from the original trilogy like Iceman. It's super cool to see him in his more classic iteration, completely iced over and ice sliding all over the place. I had been waiting for a live action version of Blink for so long it was so cool to finally see her, opening portals all over the place, throwing her knives. Omar Sy is the perfect Bishop. It's just like he stepped off the comics page. It still makes me giddy every time I see it. 

Look at dem cheeks.

As per usual, it's the actors that really elevate this movie. Just when you think he has done everything he can with the role, Jackman finds new depths to plumb with Wolverine. Jackman brings out something new with all of his scene partners, particularly the ones that are new. Logan is in a new role here. usually, it's Xavier who is trying to motivate Wolverine to do what needs to be done to save the world. James McAvoy's Xavier is not the put together peace proponent that we know and love. The onset of the Vietnam War saw most of his male students and teachers drafted before the first school year was even complete. Everything is too much for Xavier so he takes too much of the serum that Hank developed to help repress his blue fuzzy form. It helps him to walk, but also gets rid of his telepathic powers which isn't great. So, we have Wolverine trying to motivate the Professor to embrace his destiny. McAvoy and Jackman have great chemistry and I really love that they reference Erik and Charles' brief interaction from "First Class."

"Days of Future Past" is the best showing for Jennifer Lawrence's version of Mystique. Mystique is the catalyst for all of this. After discovering the existence of the Sentinel program, Mystique assassinates the creator of the Sentinels, Dr. Bolivar Trask. After the assassination, the government captures and experiments on her, using what they find to create the Sentinels that have wiped out the majority of mutants. Lawrence is a force in this movie and she brings her Oscar winning acting skills to every scene she's in. Lawrence feels like Mystique in ways that she didn't in "First Class" and she doesn't in the rest of the films in the series. Her fight scenes are great, too. They really lean into the Mystique grappling style of fighting and it looks really, really cool. This movie is also the only time that the romance between Raven and Hank feels legit.

Michael Fasssbender goes full heel with Magneto. Where in "First Class," Erik could have gone either way, the Erik in "Days of Future Past" is full mutant supremacist. Magneto is going to Magneto, whether it is trying to shoot Mystique and then dragging her to him using the bullet in her ankle. Or when he takes control of the Sentinels. I definitely want Magneto to destroy some sort of landmark in every "X-Men" film from now on. There was the Golden Gate Bridge in "The Last Stand" and "John F Kennedy Memorial Stadium" in this movie. Ironic, since Erik was accused of assassinating JFK.

How's your head?

The most impressive newcomer in this film is Evan Peters' Peter Maximoff. Maximoff is the super speedy mutant, Quicksilver. You may recognize him from "Avengers: Age of Ultron" but these people are not the same. Marvel was able to use him because technically Quicksilver is more Avenger than mutant. It's very weird and definitely a gray area, but I'm glad they worked it out, because Peters is great in this movie. He doesn't have a ton of screen time but he has my favorite scene in maybe any "X-Men" movie to date. The scene where everyone slows down because Peter is moving so fast and making small tweaks is amazing. Peters brings so much joy to it that it's really fun to watch. We get a little Easter egg too about Peter's mom meeting a guy that could control metal. A neat little nod to Magneto being Quicksilver's father in the comics. Well, he used to be.

Another favorite scene of mine is when McAvoy and Stewart's Xaviers talk to each other. It is super freaking meta but very sweet too. Haven't we all wanted to go back in time and give a pep talk to our younger selves? Well, Xavier gets to do it and it is a turning point in his life. It's really cool, typical time travel stuff that the X-Men really excel at. 

So, let's chat a little about the Rogue cut. When, Wolverine is confronted with Stryker, he freaks out in the future, slashing Kitty. They decide to get Rogue so she can absorb some of Kitty's powers and take over for her. She's being held at the Xavier school so Xavier, Magneto and Iceman go get her. Iceman sacrifices himself to save her and after a thrilling confrontation with some Sentinels they get away. I'm not sure why they cut this because it's great. It breaks things up a little and definitely adds to the movie, not detracts from it.

Surrender mutants.

You may have wondered what happened to some of the other mutants from "First Class." Well, Havok has been fighting in the war and is saved from experimentation that would lead to their death by Mystique. The others, Emma, Azazel, Angel, Banshee, were all killed by Trask during his experiments. 

I have very few complaints about this movie. In fact, I think it is the best movie in the Fox "X-Men" series. I didn't think that any movie would usurp "X2" but this one did. I think Bryan Singer is absolute freaking garbage, but he knows how to craft a fantastic "X-Men" movie. My major complaint is the character of Bolivar Trask. Peter Dinklage is a fantastic actor and at this point he was killing it on "Game of Thrones," so his casting was a little bit of a coup. I do love how they never really comment on his size. It's just a part of who he is. But otherwise, he's kind of a non-entity. He creates the Sentinels and is Mystique's target, but he could really be anyone. It feels like they really do a lot of telling to make Trask seem like this monster, but they never really show us or they don't show us enough. He really could have been anyone and the movie would basically be the same.

"Days of Future Past" basically retcons "X-Men: The Last Stand" which is great. No one likes it and it feels like Singer giving a big middle finger to Brett Ratner. When Logan awakes, he finds himself back in the school like none of that movie ever happened. Scott and Jean are alive. It's great. 

We get two little after credits scenes. One showing Trask inhabiting Magneto's old cell underneath the Pentagon. The other shows Apocalypse and his horseman foreshadowing the next main series installment.

Next up, the Merc with a Mouth makes his official debut with "Deadpool."

I really love this movie. It's really good and I'd love to hear your thoughts, good and bad. Let me know in the comments.