X-Men: Days of Future Past

 *****

UK Release Date: May 22nd 2014

The X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants.

Director: Bryan Singer (X-Men, X-Men 2)

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Halle Berry, Nicholas Hoult

X-Men: Days of Future Past is the best to come out of the X-Men franchise yet. Bryan Singer has made a welcome return and in doing so has created a masterpiece that holds mutants old and new.

This time the enemy is far bigger than both humans and mutants realise. The year is 2023 and robots known as the Sentinels have ravished the world of all (or most) mutant life. The humans that are helping mutants have also suffered. The world is an apocalyptic wasteland, a massive, foreboding spectacle.

Thus far only a handful of mutants have survived. Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) sets the tone with his mighty voiceover, talking about hope, glory and despair. With him is Magneto (Ian McKellen) and it's taken years of turmoil for them to realise that they need to work together in order to stop this ominous threat.

They must send Wolverine's (Hugh Jackman) consciousness back to 1973, where the First Class team is at its most fragile, reunite them (somehow) and stop them from heading down a gloomy future. Stopping Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) kill Sentinal creator Prof. Trask (Peter Dinklage) is vital.

The original X-Men cast take the backseat (Stewart, McKellen and Berry) and the First Class mutants are at the front. Even though Wolverine was the one sent back, he's in no way the centre of attention like previous X-Men outings. All of the FC team get their fair share of screen time.

Relish in the fact that this film manages to render X-Men: The Last Stand pointless. There are plenty of surprises to come, with an end credit scene worth watching for the major comic fans. Some mutants have little screen time (Shawn Ashmore's Iceman and newcomer Bishop to name a few) that I'd like to have see more of but too many characters can spoil the party. New additions have a chance to shine, but it's Lawrence, McAvoy and Fassbender that keep this party going.

Stay in this until the end, the story is intricate and well thought out, similar to the new Star Trek's alternate reality. DOFP is amazing. Let's hope Singer's around to stay.