X Men: Days of Future Past trailer – reaction

Despite their erratic timeline and release pattern, the forthcoming release of X Men: Days of Future Past will be the seventh entry in that franchise in fourteen years, between the original trilogy, two films focused on Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and the 2011 prequel First Class, with the era-spanning new film acting as a followup to all three strands. Inspired by an acclaimed 1980 run of the comic book by Chris Claremont, John Byrne and Terry Austin, it unites the original cast onscreen with their younger incarnations as Wolverine is sent back to an earlier point in his timeline to change history, preventing an anti-mutant apocalypse. Released yesterday, the first trailer already has the Geek Chocolate team united in X-citement.

Sam Read – Let’s be honest here; what can you really tell about a final product from a trailer? The cast? Okay, yeah. The plot? In bad ones, sure. Underlying meaning? Probably not, unless you can telepathically read the writer and/or directors mind. So when you review one you’re going on such tenuous bits of info that to claim any real insight is really kinda pretentious.

I was totally psyched by the World War Z trailer but when I got round to watching it the actual film wasn’t my cup of tea. Ultimately, that would mean I’d have given a massive ‘thumbs up’ to the trailer but been totally wrong. I’ve experienced the opposite too, so I tend to take trailers on what is actually there, not make presumptions based on my own prejudices.

What is present is a pair of super cool knights, whose return to the franchise makes me smile. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are dudes, and the best thing about the original run of X-Men films, even if the movies themselves got a little weak. Their involvement here is a big tick in the potential winner column before anything else. Also, Mr Jackman was born to play Wolverine, so am pleased he’s back (was there any doubt?) and not being kept fresh for solo adventures.

Being very familiar with the original story from which the film takes its title (and an excellent comic arc it is too; I’d recommend to everyone), I can see elements of this in the locations and action.

 

There seems to be a number of key differences; in the roles people are playing, and unexpected activities and locations. This is understandable and potentially both to avoid overloading the cast with new faces and to give more prominent roles to characters not originally part of that storyline.

And that’s cool. Because ultimately every big screen adaptation, from Dickens to Hellboy, needs that, and the world of comics often plays fast-and-loose with continuity in order to give readers the most exciting stories possible, so this happening to bring it to the cinema really isn’t a big deal, though am sure some people will take issue.

All in all, I enjoyed the couple of minutes and change I spent watching it, and shall catch it at the cinema.

Garry Mac – As a lifelong X-fanboy, I’m pinning my hopes on this being the best X-Men movie yet, and the trailer fills me with hope. I’m looking forward to seeing the effects, particularly the Sentinels, but for now, this has whet my appetite for a time-spanning piece that focusses on character, particularly as it looks like Xavier is the central pivot for the movie. “We need you to hope again…” – I like that.

I’m unsure how they’re going to tie this one up with the first three X-movies, if at all, but in the long run, I’m not really fussed if it doesn’t do that. Is it just me or does it look like we could be making more than one time jump? Of course, the scene with older Xavier back in the X-Mansion could be a flashback, but I’m thinking “Hmmmmmmm…”

 

Also, Blink.

Can’t wait.

Kevin Gilmartin – I’ve got a full-on X-Boner for this X-Film. An X-Men movie with Logan and Xavier central to the plot has to be a winner.

I suspect all the favourites will be back for the last X-Hurrah. Looks like Anna Paquin has put her boobies away and left Bon Temps for a spell as Rogue. I’d love to see Gambit back after his brief appearance in Origins and I’m sure that’s Bishop at 0:39.

I can’t say much more than that, having not yet seen First Class or the recent Wolverine movie. It does look like there could be a decent amount of it set in the future and it’s not just a jumping off point for a time-travel piece.

Hell, it’s got Jackman, Stewart, McKellen, MacEvoy, Dinklage…how could it possibly be anything other than awesome?

With Jackman looking older in the role of Logan it makes me hope, nay, pray, that someone will look at him and think, “Hey, you know what? Let’s make Old Man Logan.

 

 

Then I’ll die happy.

Brian Robinson – As trailers go, this early in the game, this is superb. It gets across the tone and seriousness without giving too much of the story away. Going for the usual big draw of Jackman, Logan clearly takes centre stage but that they’ve got the rest of the cast involved, old and new,

It speaks a fair bit about the faith they clearly have in Singer’s vision of a classic storyline.

 

Seeing as the VFX aren’t ready, it could have been a cheap and easy route to go down in just offering a brief teaser of imagery, but this really shows off the characters and that something hugely important to mutant-kind is at stake. No Sentinels but a quick glimpse of Peter Dinklage as Trask offers a tease at the other players.

I’m not sure who some of the other mutants are but hopefully this film is going to go some way to erasing the mind-boggingly awful events of X-Men
3
. Colour me hugely keen to see this film next year.

 

Stephen Sutherland – Looks good, of course. The score is perfect, and lets you know “this is serious” without going full on Michael Bay repeated drum beats.

The cast should be mentioned – with McAvoy, Fassbender, McKellan, Stewart and Lawrence, you have literally no excuse for making a bad film, so I fully expect this to be great, especially with Singer back.

I could do without yet more Logan, but he’s the franchise tentpole character so I’ll grin and bear it. Show me an iced-up Iceman in the next trailer!

 

Les Anderson – Am now officially very excited. The first two X-Men films were Singer’s best work and I’m hoping for a return to form with this. As a child of the sixties I also loved First Class and I’m really keen to see how he brings it all together.

The style and palette of the trailer suggests it will be more like X2 than any of the other films which is A Good Thing. It’s also a good sign to see Sir Ian and Sir Pat getting their teeth into it but Older Logan’s grey streaks are just egregious lazy storytelling. I hope that’s the only thing to complain about. One thing I won’t be complaining about is Iceman with a beard (and I’m not talking about Kitty…).

Michael Flett – Oh, yes, John Murphy’s Adagio in D Minor from the soundtrack of Sunshine, since used in the trailers for The Adjustment Bureau, X Men Origins: Wolverine, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Star Trek Into Darkness

But it’s a great piece of music, and it really helps this trailer sell the fact that we are in for something momentous, something much more serious than what is normally associated with comic book movies.

The trailer is also focusing on the characters rather than explosions – possibly because six months ahead of release the effects work isn’t completed – but I’m happier with it like this.

Between Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and some guy called Hugh Jackman, not to mention Peter Dinklage joining the cast, it has the potential to be the best film in the franchise, even better than First Class. I hope the script allows them to be as good as they are all capable of rather than selling them short. I just wish it was Matthew Vaughan directing it again, as I have more faith in him than Bryan Singer, who I’m not a huge fan of.

I found his two previous X-Men films sloppy and disjointed, the first one in particular, with some hideously clunking dialogue saved only by the excellent casting, other than Halle Berry being useless. And not being a comic person, I have no idea who the new costumed folk are, but they seem to come from the “look at me, look at me” school of cosplay rather than the “let’s blend in and be subtle.” I really don’t get comics, do I?

It’s interesting that they’re selling it as being from “The director of The Usual Suspects and X-Men,” not Superman Returns (of which I am one of the few who actually liked it, again possibly because I’m not interested in comics so I enjoyed it for what it was, whereas those faithful to the legend called “Foul!”) and Jack the Giant Slayer (possibly because audiences and critics thought it was rubbish).

Wouldn’t Valkyrie have been a better calling card? At least it was within the last decade. It smacks of “He’s not had a hit in a while but he used to be good…”

That we are once again looking to incarcerate dangerous mutants is not lost in me, with the irony being that Dinklage’s Bolivar Trask, as a sufferer of achondroplasia, is likely a mutant himself, the difference being his mutation does not convey superpowers, and he is only a danger other mutants. Resentment issues, much?

Adam Dworak – While I could start off by pointing out that I’m not a comic guy and I don’t do superheroes, this is just fantastic.

I’m glad to see the return of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen as Professor X and Magneto. Their ying/yang relationship was the most important element carrying the story of the X-Men forward, the only problem being how they are going to convincingly explain the resurrection of Charles Xavier.

I love that the trailer left me with more questions than answers, what is pretty unusual these days, where trailers always reveal far too much.

Another thing I love about it is the lack of explosions and all that big action Hollywood loves so much.  I’m sure we will have it in this movie but maybe focus will be moved from action to character development because the X-Men were always about human nature and character.

For me it is “must see” movie!

X-Men: Days of Future Past is scheduled for release on May 23rd 2014

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