If you’re a fanboy or geek like all of us at Biff Bam Pop, you know we’ve got a lot to look forward to when it comes to blockbuster movies in 2004, everything from a Godzilla to a sequel to the Amazing Spider-Man. For me, the one film that has my interest and excitement peaked the most is the one which heralds the return of Bryan Singer to the X-Men directors chair.
Since it was announced, I’ve been eagerly anticipating X-Men: Days of Future Past. In its original comic book incarnation, the story, written by X-Men auteur Chris Claremont, found a time traveling Kitty Pryde sent from the future to work with the present day X-Men to prevent an assassination which would lead to the decimation of the mutant population. It’s a classic, one that if you haven’t read, you definitely should pick up.
Bringing Days Of Future Past is a no-brainer; if not an exact adaptation, at least utilizing pieces of the storyline would make for an outstanding blockbuster. Initially, it was thought that First Class director Matthew Vaughn would be in the chair for this sequel to the later film. That would have been good news, as First Class was certainly the best X-film since X2. However, with Vaughn stepping into the Executive Producer role, snd Bryan Singer replacing him, and the subsequent news that he would be combining casts from the first X-Men trilogy and the First Class film, Days of Future Past has the potential to be the biggest in franchise history.
The truth is, Bryan Singer is an A-list director that needs a hit. It appears I’m the only one who really loved Superman Returns, while Jack The Giant Slayer really didn’t catch on with audiences in a big way. Perhaps that’s why Singer has been tweeting up a storm since returning to direct the X-Men, everything from casting to behind the scenes pics. Both X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine did severe critical damage to the franchise, so much so that in North America, The Wolverine underperformed, even though most agreed that it’s one of the most accomplished in the entire series (The Wolverine did gross enough overseas to make it the second most succesful X-film of all time, mind you).
All that being said, it at least looks as though X-Men: Days of Future Past has the makings of a super-strong, exciting entry into the X-Men movie world. The pics are cool and the trailer certainly makes the film appear big. We’ll find out if it will deliver when X-Men: Days of Future Past hits theaters May 23rd.
