Bryan Singer’s X-Men opened with a flashback to the Holocaust -- a period of human history in which members of our own species were persecuted and judged and killed for being different. Singer begins X-Men: Days of Future Past with a similarly grim evocation of death and imprisonment, this time set in the not too distant future. An army of mutant-hunting robots called Sentinels have nearly extinguished all mutants in the world, leaving a small faction of survivors scrambling for safety in the Himalayan mountains. Led by Professor Xavier and Magneto, the survivors propose a drastic new plan: send Wolverine’s consciousness back in time to 1973 to stop Mystique from assassinating Boliver Trask, the lead scientist of the Sentinel project whose death would subsequently catalyze anti-mutant violence, and hopefully erase the Sentinels from history.
Future Past is a massive film. And as he so deftly proved with the underappreciated X2, Singer is capable of balancing multiple characters and storylines without losing sight of the important aspects of storytelling. He is more interested in exploring the dramatic conflicts between characters than destroying entire city blocks -- a feat that is refreshingly welcome after the oppressive destruction porn of Man of Steel and Star Trek Into Darkness. Not many directors could so effortlessly tap into humanistic resonance as well as a (crucial) sense of humor. The result is an exhilarating, heartfelt and, dare I say it, fun movie -- none of the self-seriousness of Nolan’s Batman nor the fleeting whimsy of Webb’s Spider-Man.
Like the prior X-Men stories, the central conflict is the moral and political perspectives of Xavier -- the righteous belief that mutants should use their powers for the moral redemption of mankind -- and Magneto -- the militant insistence that mutants should use their gifts to exert evolutionary dominance. Xavier is dissected between two timelines: the sage, weary Xavier in the future has accepted the futility of warring over different beliefs; the lost, cynical Xavier of the past has grown disenfranchised with humanity. This dichotomy, along with Xavier’s quest to save Mystique from committing acts of vengeance that will only lead to more bloodshed, provides the emotional engine of the story. “Are we destined to destroy ourselves like so many species before us? Or can we evolve fast enough to change ourselves?” Professor X questions at the onset of the movie. Its implication is clear: Will humanity ever learn to evolve beyond violence?
Despite its flashy CGI violence, the heart of Future Past is deeply rooted in a cry for peace. The X-Men franchise has long expressed its solidarity with the socially oppressed. And it’s notable that Singer, who first brought X-Men and X2 to life, is openly gay. His perspective on humanity has surely allowed him to imbue his X-Men films with a greater sense of humanism, a deeper understanding of society’s instinctive and often flawed reactions to individuals different from themselves. His X-Men films are, first and foremost, predicated on the sincere belief that the altruism of a few can change the hearts of the many. It’s a genuine expression of belief in the human spirit, one that isn’t underwritten with sarcasm or irony but wholly built on hope.
And this hope for a brighter future quickly becomes the driving force behind the movie. At one point, Hank “Beast” McCoy wonders if time is immutable, if peoples’ actions are meant to occur in one manner or another. He theorizes that maybe all the conflict and heartache that mutants have suffered was simply meant to happen. A young Xavier, rediscovering his ability to sympathize with humanity, refuses to believe in the evils of the world. He must believe in humanity’s capacity to learn, to forgive, to grow.
It’s a belief that is shaky and daring and perhaps even a bit naive. But beyond its moral pontifications and colorful characters, Future Past excels as a meditation on the importance of the future. It conjures desires of what has yet to come; it enlivens the spirit with the belief that our best days are not behind us. The choices we make now will not only shape us, but will impact the world. And we have a responsibility to make that impact work for the better.
