So far, Bryan Singer’s done a pretty good job of keeping fans actively engaged during the production of “X-Men: Days Of Future Past,” and it’s impressive to see how much mileage you can get out of smartly timed Twitter photos of even the most innocuous things.
At Comic-Con this summer, the reaction to seeing everyone from pretty much all of the “X-Men” movies so far onstage together at once was amazing, and while I can be very cynical about the way studios stage the various events at those events, the interplay between that huge ensemble was very special. I think the series has some serious issues and they’ve hit some big speed bumps along the way, but I also think that Singer deserves credit for being one of the guys who helped define how modern superhero movies could work at a time when there was no proof they would at all, and him returning to the series is genuinely exciting.
It’s also a real kick to see them take on one of the storylines that not only defined the X-Men comics, but that has become a major template for ongoing series in general. I am worn out from watching how often comic series hit the reset button on things by using time travel, but “Days Of Future Past” got there before them. Even more importantly, they’ve made enough movies in the series now that they can do this storyline without it seeming like they’re having to lay down all the backstory at the same time that they’re bending and breaking the continuity of the series.
Up till now, we’ve had brief looks at things online, but aside from the amazing early reel they showed at Comic-Con in San Diego, there’s been no real look at the movie in motion. I really dug the quick scene at the end of “The Wolverine,” but a real trailer? Bring it on.
Well, whattaya know? That basically is the Comic-Con footage, just polished up a bit. That’s almost exactly what we saw, and it’s powerful, a heck of a promise for the filmmakers to make. If the movie is that trailer in terms of emotion and character, we are in for one hell of a film.
“X-Men: Days Of Future Past” will be in theaters May 25, 2014.