Darkmatters Review: The Purge Anarchy

The Purge: Anarchy (15)

Dir. James DeMonaco

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

"Traffic is building rapidly downtown…we advise you to get off the streets as quickly as possible. It'll soon be a war out there."

Imagine 2023 - crime is almost non-existent, homelessness and unemployment are below 5% and people value their very lives… This is the near future of The Purge: Anarchy, where thanks to an annual 12 hour period of sanctioned lawlessness – the poor are preyed upon, the defenceless are wiped out and the psychotic get to unleash and sate their bloodlust.

"your purge mates..."

The barbaric Purge initiative was introduced by the ruling party called ‘The New Founding Fathers’ – and despite the sheer utterly immorality of authorising mass murder, it seems to be getting results. But there are some who are planning to fight back and before the end of the night things may well be rather different.

This follows up last year’s The Purge taking the story to the streets rather than staying in the confines of a household – and the payoff is a wilder, nastier kinetic night of madness. We get to experience the macabre events through the eyes of a small bunch of people who find themselves on the streets and vulnerable due to various reasons.

"not a nice night for a walk"

Eva (Carmen Ejogo) is a poor waitress, trying to look after her sick father Rico (John Beasley) and teenage daughter Cali (Zoe Soul). Meanwhile Shane (Zach Gilford) and Liz (Kiele Sanchez) are an average couple on the verge of breaking up when their car breaks down leaving them stranded miles from their home, being tracked by a masked group of weapon toting thugs.
Finally meet Leo (Frank Grillo), he’s a man driven to violence who is packing a small arsenal and who seems to be on a mission of his own.

When this random group cross paths, all their lives will change as the Purge night is one that few trapped outside survive. Step forward for murder, mayhem and tension on a whole new scale. Oh and throw in the fact that the government may actually have their own kill teams on the streets targeting poor districts and you get a Hunger Games element to the mix.

"somebody call Mad Max?"

Writer / Director James DeMonaco certainly builds on the mythos he created with the original film and expands the twisted concept in all directions. Taking the carnage outside gives the heightened sense of ‘what would you do?’ especially as not everyone will potentially get to meet a tooled up hero such as Leo (who pretty much steals the whole movie with his Mad Max-esq lead role).

There are likely to be more Purges to come…

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö

(4 - Recommended for sickos!)

Awesomeness öööö – exciting and tense moments aplenty

Laughs öö – dark humour present but not much

Horror ööö – nasty in places

Babes öö – limited

Spiritual Enlightenment öö - inner bloodlust (nature or nuture?)

Recommended Hashtags: #AnAmericanTradition

"The NFFA are watching"

Darkmatters Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (12a)

Dir. Matt Reeves

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Read the newspaper version of this review over at: The Hemel Gazette

“Apes, together, strong!”

Sci-Fi classics really aren’t what they used to be… Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the latest to get the Hollywood re-envisioning as a follow up to the excellent 'Rise of the Planet of Apes.'

Director Matt ‘Let Me In’ Reeves brings his AAA game to this sequel, which sees the story pick up ten years after lab boosted intelligent simians slipped the shackles of their human oppressors and escaped in the woodlands near San Francisco.

"we come in peace..."

Whilst the super-monkeys led by Caesar (Andy Serkis) were building an impressive treetop homestead, we humans have been having a bad time of it… Simian flu has wiped out many of us and those who survived have turned to a lawless ramble fighting over dwindling resources. So 'Dawn' takes us into an ape-pocalyptic future where the balance of power has shifted – and details what happens when the human remnant of San Francisco accidentally run into monkey territory – cue a knife edge potential for all out ape / human war…

The first thing that hits you when watching ‘Dawn’ is that the CGI effects have moved on to a whole new level. These monkeys are absolutely works of art – the real craftsmanship on display that uses painstaking motion-capture is something you really have to see on the biggest screen you can find. And I’m not a fan of 3D movies generally, but this one works a treat, giving impressive depth to the visuals and never trying the ‘oh watch out it’s coming out the screen’ cheap shots.

"last chance to be pals"

‘Dawn’ pulls you in to the horribly escalating conflict, then delivers a full on visceral showdown – where the victor is uncertain and the battle footage deeply unsettling. There is a beating heart of emotion that makes you really relate to characters on both sides of the conflict. I’d never have thought I’d be moved watching two apes interact…

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a master-class on how to recreate a film series, improving on every single element of the source material. We can finally put the memory of Tim Burton’s messy attempt away and revel in what is a new simian master race of sci-fi entertainment.

The acting, special effects and storytelling result in an astonishing cinematic achievement.

"horses on the apes side..."

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö1/2 

(4.5 - Superior monkey business all round!)

Awesomeness öööö – some many jaw-dropping moments

Laughs ööö – funny where you want it

Horror ööö – gritty conflict

Babes öö – hairy girlfriend anyone?

Spiritual Enlightenment öö - apes longing for souls?

Recommended Hashtags: #LastChanceForPeace

"Keri Russell - a survivor"

Darkmatters Review: BoyHood

BoyHood (15)

Dir. Richard Linklater

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Read the Newspaper version of this review at the: Hemel Gazette

“What’s the point of it all?”

Boyhood is something unique. A film that takes the everyday experiences of growing up and tracks one young man over 12 years, shooting scenes from each of his years from age 6 to 18. It’s an incredible feat of cinematography that will resonate with every parent on the planet and invoke memories of their childhood for every male.

Director Richard ‘Before Midnight’ Linklater uses four core actors led by the titular ‘boy’ Mason (Ellar ‘Fast Food Nation’ Coltrane), Mason’s Mom (Patricia ‘True Romance’ Arquette), Mason’s estranged Dad (Ethan ‘The Purge’ Hawke) and Mason’s sister Samantha (Lorelei ‘actual daughter of the director’ Linklater).

"we've all done it"

It’s a long film at almost three hours, but instead of dulling your senses like the overblown Transformers: Age of Extinction, BoyHood feels like an inside peek into a life worth investing some time in to see how it turns out.

Covering some harsh realities of life for many – including an abusive stepdad, a father who simply isn’t able to commit to his family, another stepdad that never quite bonds with Mason – be prepared for a heartrending experience. The way each of the father figures in Mason’s young life lets him down in one way or another is painful to watch – and leaves you intensely rooting for the young man.

Charting Mason’s school life is caught in super condensed snapshots – dealing with the widely experienced clichés of homework, crushes on female classmates, run-ins with bullies etc but somehow they don’t feel overly contrived.

"happy moments"

As the teenage years kick in we get ringside seats as Mason experiments with drugs, struggles with peer pressure and dabbles in first love as well as finding a passion for photography. There are often hints of danger and threat as Mason’s young naivety makes parents watching cringe, but the plot never gets too dark to bear.

There are some interesting interactions with religious step-grandparents (who buy Mason a shotgun and a bible for his 15th birthday) although this feels a bit tacked on.

Arquette and Hawke are consistently excellent and Coltrane gives a memorable lead performance.

Distilled adolescence in the form of a road trips and family dinners, birthdays and graduations and all the moments in between become transcendent - there is just so much to BoyHood – laughs, pain, romance and grief which you’ll get to empathize with and probably leave reminiscing over.

"kids eh?"

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö 

(5 - superb cinematic, heartfelt, lifetime impact which will stay with you)

Awesomeness ööö – the climactic fight is a winner

Laughs ööö – some great fun in places

Horror öö – tense but never too grim

Babes öö – girlfriends!?

Spiritual Enlightenment ööö - be a good parent!!

Recommended Hashtags: #AboutABoy

Darkmatters Review Transformers: Age Of Extinction

Transformers: Age Of Extinction (12a)

Dir. Michael Bay

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“There are innumerable mysteries to the universe. But who we are, is not one of them. That answer lies inside us. I am Optimus Prime…”

Age of Extinction is an adventure sixty-five million years in the making – and one that feels almost that long to watch… I’m sure that the shady aliens referred to only as the "Creators" had little idea just what they were unleashing when the used special ‘Seeds’ to alter Earth with their transformable metal.
Years after the epic Battle of Chicago (detailed in Transformers: Dark of the Moon) which saw the heroic Autobots led by Optimus Prme (voiced by Peter Cullen) fighting to save us from the evil Decepticons.

"bring the Dinobots..."

Now the transformers of all shapes and sizes are all in hiding – being hunted by the government due to having been deemed a threat to the planet. One day plucky inventor Cade Yeager (Mark ‘2 Guns’ Wahlberg) obtains an old truck to strip it for parts but it’s not just any old truck… It’s actually Optimus Prime!?

"classic look for Bumblebee"

Cade repairs the boss Autobot but unwittingly ends up becoming a target for a shady government kill team backed up by a terminator like Transformer bounty hunter called Lockdown (voiced by Mark ‘Black Sails’ Ryan). The few remaining Autobots, namely: Bumblebee, Hound, Drift, and Crosshairs band together to try and thwart Lockdown and fight the renewed threat of man-made transformers led by Galvatron – who is harbours the personality of Megatron.

"robotic knight"

The plot always takes a back seat to the action in Transformers films but Age of Extinction is the weakest and most laborious yet. Alas the action is pretty lackluster too for the most part, only really redeemed (for transformer fans at least) by the climax that sees Dinobots thrown into the chaotic mix. It’s hard not to be impressed by the sight of Optimus riding in to battle on the back of metallic fire breathing dragon – gigantic sword in hand.

Director Bay though seems to have lost some of the love he has previously shown for his spectacular robotic heroes. Sure they still look superb and the occasionally even draw gasps as the special effects kick in with things we’ve never seen on screen before.

"Nicola Peltz - all American girl"

The Transformers franchise shows no sign of slowing down – and Age of Extinction delivers some heavy metal action thrills but let’s hope that part 5 amends for this overblown familiarity on screen here.

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööö 

(3 - This is not war, it's extinction)

Awesomeness öööö – the climactic fight is a winner

Laughs öö – mildly amusing in parts

Horror ö – not grim really

Babes öööö– Nicola Peltz sizzles as Tessa Yeage

Spiritual Enlightenment öö - some metal guys are still on our side

Recommended Hashtags: #NotExtinctButAlmost

"Michael Bay - continues to empower women in this film"

Darkmatters Review: Chef

Chef (15)

Dir. Jon Favreau

Cast: Jon Favreau, Emjay Anthony, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Sofía Vergara, Robert Downey Jr., Oliver Platt, Dustin Hoffman

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Read the Newspaper version of this review over at: The Gazette

"I get to touch people's lives with what I do and I love it and I want to share this with you."

On the menu today…

Starter:

Decent anticipation for a new, lower budget and more personal movie from the hotshot director Jon ‘Iron Man’ Favreau. Tasty trailer that whets appetite but looks like it might be a little over-sentimental. The thought of seeing jaw-dropping food prepared in high definition on the big screen is enough to make anyone hungry.

"inter generational cooking!"

Main Course:

Chef sees acclaimed chef Carl Casper (Jon ‘Swingers’ Favreau) unfulfilled cooking for meanie restaurant boss Riva (Dustin Hoffman). He’s also struggling to be any sort of father to his young son Percy (Emjay Anthony) after being divorced by his gorgeous now ex-wife, Inez (Sofía ‘Machete Kills’ Vergara). Speaking of gorgeous there is also Scarlett Johansson on hand as a foxy wine waitress.

- When Casper falls fouls of top food critic, Ramsey Michel (Oliver ‘Fargo TV Series’ Platt) his meltdown shouting match goes viral on social media – and wrecks his job prospects.

- Fate sees the Chef flown off to Miami with his wife and son – and handed the chance to rebuild his cooking career by Inez’s other ex-husband (Robert ‘The Avengers’ Downey Jr.) in the shape of a run down food truck.

- Casper’s new mobile food service – making superb Cuban sandwiches and yucca fries – aided by his former soux-chef (John Leguizamo) and his son is an instant hit.

"kitchen fun"

Dessert:

It’s great fun watching Casper get his life back on track – the themes of being inspired by what you love doing and the importance of the father / son bonding shine through in heartfelt style. Favreau eats up the screen and seems to be really enjoying being both behind and in front of the camera.

- The script might be a little heavy on swearing but is genuinely funny and the cinematography encompasses some of the tastiest looking food ever to grace the screen.
- There are additional messages of reconciliation and redemption might be more than some hardhearted types can take but I was moved, inspired and motivated to be a better father to my boys as a direct result of seeing this.

- Overall Chef is a excellent, feel good comedy that works on many levels, just be sure not to go on an empty stomach as you could well be drooling long before the credits roll.

"Johansson eats seductively"

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö1/2 

(4.5 - superb food n fatherhood viewing treat )

Awesomeness öööö – gourmet relationship lessons

Laughs öööö – very funny in places

Horror ö – nothing but some swearing to disturb too much

Babes öööö – Johansson and Vergara are hot

Spiritual Enlightenment ööö - father's love is strong

Recommended Hashtags: #TastyChef

"Sofía Vergara - all smiles"

Darkmatters Review: 3 Days To Kill

3 Days To Kill (12a)

Dir. McG

Cast: Kevin Costner, Amber Heard, Hailee Steinfeld, Connie Nielsen, Richard Sammel,

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Read the Newspaper version of this review at: The Advertiser & Review

"My job is to hunt terrorists. 

I don't negotiate. 

Within three days, I will find you. 

You can start counting."


Meet Ethan Renner (Kevin ‘Man of Steel’ Costner), a grizzled, aging CIA hit man who is one of the best out there. The black ops and ‘wet work’ for his country has however taken its toll on his family life though – his estranged wife Christine (Connie Gladiator’ Nielsen) has virtually given up on him and his teenage daughter Zooey (Hailee ‘Enders Game’ Steinfeld) can no longer bring herself to call him ‘dad’.

What’s a man to do? Well, when diagnosed with terminal brain cancer Renner decides to put the killing behind him and try to make up with his family. Alas ultra vixen CIA operative Vivi Delay (Amber ‘All The Boys Love Mandy Lane’ Heard), has other ideas and tempts him to take a final assignment – to kill an arms dealing scumbag known as ‘The Wolf’ in exchange for an experimental drug that might just extend his life…

That’s all you need to know about the plot – as even before the opening credits, 3 Days To Kill has delivered a superb gun fight, some nasty kills and a botched ‘happy birthday’ phone call. And the action doesn’t really let up thanks to this coming from the team behind Taken and being written by Luc ‘Leon: The Professional’ Besson.

"Amber Heard - not a nun"

Director Mc ‘Terminator Salvation’ G isn’t known for being a classy director but he surprises here – this is his first non Hollywood flick – and manages to blend the disparate elements of family drama and brutal torture and killing effectively. The glue that holds the car chasing, beating and shooting together with the adjusting to help a teen daughter with her social life is a sharp vein of dark humour.

Costner is good value in the lead (the dangerous father figure suits him even more than it did Neeson in Taken). The bad guys include a rent-a-psycho albino (Tómas Lemarquis) and of course The Wolf (Richard ‘Casino Royale’ Samuel) – along with many disposable henchmen which it is fun watching Costner stylishly dispatch.

"say goodbye"

Then of course there is Amber Heard who sizzles every time she’s on screen and Steinfeld who gives good teenage angst.

"Mother / daughter time"

3 Days To Kill delivers a fun, action packed cinematic thrill ride – perfect Friday night material.

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö 

(4 - not to be 'TAKEN' for granted!?)

Awesomeness öööö – tasty action set pieces a go go

Laughs ööö – lots of mirth (not all if it works)

Horror öö – little bit grim for a 12a

Babes ööööö – AMBER HEARD!

Spiritual Enlightenment ö - dubious morals

Recommended Hashtags: #3DayToThrill

"Miss Heard does brunette too"

Darkmatters Review: Devil's Knot

Devil’s Knot (15)

Dir. Atom Egoyan

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“This crime is unthinkable. What if they did it?"
"What if they didn't?"

Sometimes true events can be every bit as disturbing and harrowing as the most vile fictional creations. Devil’s Knot takes us back to the afternoon of May 5, 1993, when three eight-year-old boys (Stevie Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore) went missing from the area around their homes in West Memphis, Arkansas. Despite a frantic search, no trace of them was found until the next day when the beaten and bound bodies of the three were found in a nearby wooded riverside known as ‘Devil’s Den’.

The shockwaves quickly spread through the deeply religious community and small police department were convinced from the start that the murders were the work of a satanic cult - due to the violent and apparent sexual natures of the crime.

"nice local lads..."

Local teenagers Damien Echols (chillingly played by James Hamrick), Jason Baldwin (Seth Meriwether), and Jessie Misskelley Jr. (Kristopher Higgins) were arrested – mostly due to the fact that they looked ‘different’ being into heavy metal and wearing black. Misskelley, initially confessed after hours of police interrogation but then retracted and contradicted his account.

Director Atom ‘Chloe’ Egoyan delivers a searing and highly unsettling fictional take on the murder trial of the teenagers who became known as the ‘West Memphis Three.’ The plot is incredible and highly damning of the investigating officers, judicial system and pretty much everyone connected to the case – my eldest son who I saw this with was shocked both by the crime and then by the utter miscarriage of justice that followed.

"Firth on the case"

Do not go to see Devil’s Knot looking for entertainment – even though it boasts Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon in lead roles. This is a dark but reverent re-tread of the events which really do not need to be elaborated upon as they shock when just presented (there have been several well received documentaries about this case under the title: Paradise Lost 1-3).

Devil’s Knot will leave you reeling, if you’re a fan of true crime films or TV shows this should be one to check out. Egoyan does well to not pander to those looking for a gory voyeuristic kick. The police dept’s prejudice and blinkered approach to seeing the ‘satanic’ youths pay for their unspeakable crimes – whilst potentially allowing the actual murder(s) to roam free is hard to take.

"family time"

Certainly not for everyone, but Devil’s Knot is worth investigating – it is deeply thought provoking stuff!

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööö1/2 

(3.5 - strange and disturbing and true!!)

Awesomeness ööö – shock and awe at the police procedure

Laughs ö – not fun at all

Horror ööö – grim actual events are hard to forget

Babes öö – Witherspoon is a yummy mummy

Spiritual Enlightenment ö - soul torment in so many ways

Recommended Hashtags: #DevilsKnotJust

"nice to see Reese in a more serious role"

Darkmatters Review: Grace of Monaco

Grace of Monaco (PG)

Dir. Olivier Dahan

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

Read the Newspaper version of this review: The Gazette

“When I married Prince Rainier, I married the man and not what he represented or what he was. I fell in love with him without giving a thought to anything else.”

One has to wonder quite what Director Olivier ‘La Vie En Rose’ Dahan was aiming for with Grace of Monaco… What he’s made is a flashy, shallow, royal-em-up that oozes melodrama but lacks any sort of empathy – mostly because every character feels like they are being played by cardboard cut out puppets.

The plot follows Grace Kelly (Nicole Kidman) as she tries to get to grips with moving from being a Hollywood megastar to becoming the Princess of Monaco. It seems that marrying into Royalty isn’t necessarily a fairytale come true as her Prince ‘Charming’ Rainer (Tim Roth) turns out to be an over critical, bossy nightmare to live with. And to make matters worse – Charles de Gaulle (André Penvern) is determined to crush Monaco’s tax-haven status and forcibly restore it to being part of France…

"Looking good isn't enough..."

Turns out that Grace might just be the only hope of the small nation state’s survival but with foes on every side including some within her own Court, she is going to have to pull of the ‘greatest role of her life’ in order to save the day. Alas this fictionalized account – although based on true events – completely fumbles the political intrigue, instead turning the whole plot into a glitzy dumbed down bore-athon.

Kidman is at least mildly worth watching, she exudes a brittle beauty that radiates from the screen but nobody else seems to want to be in the film, Tim Roth is especially poor as Rainier who is often inadvertently funny. But there seems to have been a bad outbreak of ‘over-acting-fever’ which strikes down all the supporting cast at various points including Roger Ashton-Griffiths who brings a highly unconvincing Alfred Hitchcock to the screen.

"Check out my buns!"

Only Father Francis Tucker (Frank Langella) comes away with any real credit, his priest who helps ‘Gracie’ learn to be the Princess she must be if Monaco is to have an independent future.

Grace of Monaco isn’t a film that you’ll enjoy if you’re looking for a decent biopic, an intelligent political thriller or a deep insight into Grace Kelly’s struggles. If however you can let the overall poor production values wash over you and just appreciate the lavish costumes – book your tickets today…

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ö1/2 

(1.5 - nice frocks, shame about the film)

Awesomeness ö – limited to none

Laughs öö – unintentionally funny in places

Horror öö – the over-acting is scary

Babes ööö – Nicole is still yummy

Spiritual Enlightenment ö - you need a priest to succeed?

Recommended Hashtags: #PoorGracie

"Princess stunner"

Darkmatters Review: Edge of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow (12a)

Dir. Doug Liman

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

"Come find me when you wake up!"

Prepare for a dazzling adrenalin overload of an alien invasion movie. Based on the Japanese novel "All You Need Is Kill" by Hiroshi Sakurazaka, Edge of Tomorrow is this year’s hot sci-fi ticket.

Featuring hotshot but cowardly military PR specialist Major Bill Cage (Tom Cruise delivering over and above the call of duty) – a spin doctor who can certainly ‘sell’ the war but who really isn’t keen in actually getting thrown into the action.

"this is war!!"

But that’s exactly what happens when he tries to weasel his way out of covering the fighting live from the front line. Rather than getting to record the events, Cage is shipped off with a bunch of cannon fodder losers called J-Squad to actually take part in a massive counter strike against the aliens who have taken over mainland Europe.

It’s no spoiler to tell you that Cage gets himself killed within minutes of hitting the ground in a massive Saving Private Ryan-esq beach landing but for some reason he finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop-forcing him to live out the same brutal 24hrs of combat over and over.

"battle angel"

This is where it gets really interesting… What if you could fight a battle again...and again – each time learning better how to engage your ferocious adversaries, building your fighting skills and helping those around you possibly stand a chance?

Legendary Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Emily ‘Looper’ Blunt) who is known as ‘The Full Metal Bitch’ takes Cage under her exoskeleton-ed wings to try and find a way to take the fight to the aliens, and through repeated training and battle encounters get closer to defeating the enemy.

Edge of Tomorrow is a superb high concept sci-fi thrill ride that delivers mass alien vs mech infantry carnage with stunning special effects. Once you get your head around the genius Aliens and Starship Troopers meets Groundhog Day plot – all you need to do is sit back and let the heavy duty action mixed with dark humour light up your cinematic pleasure receptors.

"reliving the carnage..."

There is much to enjoy from the supporting cast too who include Bill ‘Aliens’ Paxton as Farrell - a hard as nails Staff Sergeant and Brendan ‘In Bruges’ Gleeson as British General Brigham who is directing the war effort from London.

What are you waiting for?

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

ööööö 

(5 - Live. Die. Repeat (watch) the sci-fi film of the year…)

Awesomeness ööööö – jaw dropping battle scenes

Laughs öööö – very funny

Horror öö – not too nasty

Babes ööö – Blunt is a kick ass hottie

Spiritual Enlightenment ööö - fight for the future

Recommended Hashtags: #LIVEDIEREPEATWATCH

"bad ass"

Darkmatters Review: X-Men Days of Future Past

X-Men: Days of Future Past (12a)

Dir. Bryan Singer

Reviewed by Matt Adcock

“There is a new enemy out there: mutants. You need a new weapon for this war…”

Ever had that wish that you could go back in time and correct something that sparked the situation you find yourself in? That’s exactly what Charles Xavier / Professor X (Patrick Stewart) plans when he finds his beloved X-Men heroes being hunted down and exterminated en mass by Sentinels – machines designed to find and adapt to any mutant powered threat and kill it…

Only Logan / Wolverine (Hugh Jackman who still looks super buff) has the regenerative powers to survive being bounced through time to his younger self and so he’s given the task of preventing the Sentinel Programme ever getting going in order to stop the future mutant cull. It’s a delicious plot device because it cleverly allows us to have both sets of X-Men in the same film – those from the original trilogy and the ‘60s set prequel ‘First Class’ from 2011.

Days of Future Past plays delivers on all fronts – effectively being a sequel not only to ‘First Class’ but also the less loved ‘Last Stand’ from 2006. Thanks to the winning team of original X-Men Director Bryan ‘Superman Returns’ Singer and writers Jane ‘Kick Ass’ Goldman and Matthew ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’ Vaughn this is the most super mutant fun to hit the screen in years!

"Kitty and Bishop - in action"

So gear up for some breath-taking action scenes – my pick of bunch being an audacious jail break aided by the very cool Quicksilver (Evan Peters) which will have super-fans grinning. But there is also a decent amount of brain power being thrown at this tale which works hard to tie up lose ends from across the X-Men franchise and set up the next in the series (be sure to stay until after the credits for a freaky sneak peek).

Can Wolverine find and unite the young Xavier (James McAvoy) with Magneto (Michael Fassbender) – whilst trying to stop Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique from assassinating dangerous scientist Bolivar Trask (a superb ‘70s tach sporting Peter ‘Game of Thrones’ Dinklage)?

"gonna need more than that to stop a Sentinel"

The against the clock plot builds up a great deal of tension – both in the past as the mission hits all kinds of snags such as prototype Sentinels and Magneto’s evil streak, and in the ‘future’ as the team beaming Wolverine back face being wiped out before he can complete the history revision.

The X-Men are back and demand to be seen!!

"Mmmm shiny prototype Sentinels"

Out of a potential 5 you have to go with a Darkmatters:

öööö1/2 

(4.5 - X-Men unite in fine style!)

Awesomeness öööö – plenty of excellent X-Action

Laughs öö – occasional funny

Horror öö – fairly tamed nothing too grim

Babes öööö – Lawrence looks good blue!

Spiritual Enlightenment öö - Can history be altered?

Recommended Hashtags: #FantasticFuturePast

"the future is blue..."

"Miss Lawrence!"