The X-Men franchise is a long-running Marvel franchise that follows the adventures of mutants who carry the mutant X-gene, which gifts each individual with their own unique abilities. The franchise has granted us live-action visuals of classic comic book characters like Storm, Rogue, Wolverine, Magneto, and Mystique. The list of characters in the X-Men franchise is a long one, which is part of what makes the franchise so popular, as everyone is bound to find one character they can root for. Thanks to Stan Lee, the X-Men franchise has flourished into something beautiful for everyone to enjoy.
With a total of 13 films in the franchise, there is a bit of debate over which film is the best. While it's hard to argue against the original X-Men trilogy that started it all, one major contender against it is X-Men: Days of Future Past, a film that follows Wolverine who must go back in time and find a way to save the future of mutants from Sentinels with the help of the X-Men. Since its release, many have considered Days of Future Past to be the best X-Men film in the franchise, and here are a few reasons why.
Perfect Combination of Action, Drama, and Comedy
In a franchise that often finds itself reaching for the extremes of things, Days of Future Past is one superhero film that managed to find the perfect balance between action, drama, and comedy. Able to have that sharp wit that makes comedy films so popular while also having a rather serious focus, considering the plot revolves around saving mutants from extinction altogether. While this may seem to be a rather easy task, a number of the X-Men films have tried to achieve this with little success. For example, X-Men Origins: Wolverine attempted to have a balance of action and comedy; unfortunately, the plot was absurd for most and more laughable to the audience than anything else. Days of Future Past, on the other hand, under original X-Men director Bryan Singer's eye, was able to achieve a balance of tone, emotion, and stakes.
Brought the Franchise's Different Casts Together
One obvious reason that Days of Future Past is considered the best installation in the franchise is the cast. Thanks to the magic of time travel, not only do we get to see the original Professor X, portrayed by Patrick Stewart, but we also get to see the young Professor X, played by James McAvoy. This doubles the phenomenal acting performance and allows for audiences to simultaneously experience different forms of the same character. On top of this, we see the beloved ensemble cast from the original trilogy, including Anna Paquin, Halle Berry, and, of course, Hugh Jackman. The cast is the backbone of this film and without them, Days of Future Past would not have seen as much success as it has.
Origins of Classic Characters Revealed
Much like X-Men: First Class, we get a good look at the origins of some of the most beloved members of the X-Men like Magneto, Mystique, and Professor X, something we’ve never seen in past films. While the film does not focus exclusively on each and every character’s individual origins, Days of Future Past does provide us with more information on how the characters came together. On top of this, the film gives us a good look at the dynamics between characters, specifically the complicated relationship between Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr. We also get to see a side-by-side comparison of how each individual has grown and changed over the years, both physically and emotionally.
Unique Twist on Time Travel
Time travel is a tricky topic to cover in cinema and, if properly executed, can lead to a great deal of success, like Outlander and the Back to the Future franchise. Thankfully, Bryan Singer really knew what he was doing when he directed Days of Future Past. The timelines manage to remain clear as Wolverine heads to the past with the clear purpose of saving every mutant in the world from extinction. There is a clear purpose and plot that never gets lost in the messiness of time travel. Thanks to the clever writing of Simon Kinberg, every aspect of the plot remains solid throughout the entirety of the film while also developing characters without focusing too much on the concept of time travel itself.