X-Men: Days of Future Past - Discussion Thread - SPOILERS

[Locutus of Bored]

I have a possible solution to the X-Men Origins: Wolverine timeline conundrum.

Maybe Sabertooth killing his superior officer, Wolverine and Sabertooth getting shot by firing squad, coming back to life, getting recruited into Team X, and Wolverine leaving Team X all takes place within the first 6 months or so of 1973, and so for the remainder of the year Wolverine is living on his own in the U.S. when his future self arrives to change history in Days of Future Past. Then "6 years later" it is 1979 and the main events of Origins or some variant thereof occurs in both timelines.

However if we want to synchronize the movies with real-life, then that's going to be difficult since the Paris Peace Accords were signed on the 27th of January 1973 while the Three Mile Island accident occurred on the 28th of March 1979. However, I don't recall seeing any newspapers in the movies with exact dates.

The US was still prepared to use military force in Vietnam (though primarily bombing campaigns) after the Paris Peace Accords if the NVA launched a major offensive into South Vietnam. It wasn't until the Case-Church Amendment later that year in mid-August 1973 that any such action was strictly prohibited due to the unpopularity of continued involvement. And there were still many US military personnel left in South Vietnam until 1975, right up to the fall of Saigon, so there's nothing saying Team-X couldn't have been running around doing off-the-books black ops assassination missions and acting as "advisers" to the ARVN during that time.

Also, judging by the changes made to the backstory of the Cuban Missile Crisis (acting like us having nuclear missiles in Turkey was a new thing inspired by Shaw and weren't already there earlier, for instance) and Three Mile Island, the series has never had any trouble altering historical events to suit its storytelling needs, so there's no reason why we can't fudge the details a bit here too while remaining true to the overall point.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Not to mention the Banshee sporting a Partridge Family mop over a year before the Beatles came to America....

 

[Guy Gardener]

But was he American?

The Irish had a head start on Beatlemania because they were closer to the source.

 

[Trekker4747]

I thought it was odd they said the concrete prison Magneto was in under the Pentagon was said to not have any metal in it. Don't concrete structures NEED metal in them for reinforcement and something for the concrete to bind too?

I know there's a *lot* we have to accept and wave away with this franchise -like plastic guns without any metal whatsoever in them, electronic devices (like the Sentinels operating without any metal in them (for conductivity in the circuitry and computing) including bullets) but it's still a question.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

I thought it was odd they said the concrete prison Magneto was in under the Pentagon was said to not have any metal in it. Don't concrete structures NEED metal in them for reinforcement and something for the concrete to bind too?

Steel rebar is ideal, but not necessary. MRI labs require a non-metallic building structure around the machine's magnets, and toll booths require a radio interference-free path to read RFID tags, so they usually use fiberglass reinforced concrete.

Magneto's prison wouldn't have to withstand too much stress, it would just be like building a pool essentially, and without the added stress of water pushing against it. You could also use wood to reinforce it, and if the surrounding rock was solid like granite or something rather than sand, it would provide reinforcement too.

For one built during WWII, they would most likely use asbestos fibers as a reinforcing agent, so sucks to be you, Magneto.

I know there's a *lot* we have to accept and wave away with this franchise -like plastic guns without any metal whatsoever in them, electronic devices (like the Sentinels operating without any metal in them (for conductivity in the circuitry and computing) including bullets) but it's still a question.

My biggest issue with the Sentinels is that apparently whomever designed them thinks that the nozzle of the Harrier is the entire engine, because it took up the entire torso of the Sentinels and left no room for an actual engine or fuel (plus where did they keep all the ammo for those 2,000 RPM miniguns?).

The Harrier engine is as big as the Sentinels themselves. The nozzle is just how the exhaust is vectored.

We could just say it was magical Iron-Man type technology, but they specifically said it was based on the Harrier engine. Not that it's a big deal or affects the story, it's just an observation.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

I wonder who they'll cast for Apocalypse. They should just cast Arnold Vosloo! And who the 4 Horseman will be comprised of. And also if they'll bring Mr. Sinister into the mix. In the comics, which roster of Horseman were the most powerful?

 

[Mr. Adventure]

That was way better than I expected. Maybe that's because I went in with low expectations but I enjoyed that a lot. I watched First Class the other night and was rather meh as I was the first time.

Throw me in as another who thought Quicksilver stole the show in his limited appearance, and the audience seemed to really appreciate him. Though Blink was way cooler than I remembered here from Exiles. I didn't really remember Warpath so I thought of him throughout as Nightwolf from Mortal Kombat (minus the cool green bow).

I think the Fassbender costume was the best Magneto look of all the movies.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Of course, Magneto carrying the Golden Gate Bridge to Alcatrax was ALSO ridiculously unnecessary as well so least he was being true to form

 

[Ethros]

Just to say as I don't think anyone's mentioned it, is Beast's appearance in X2 now "fixed"? As a lot of people wondered why he was Beasty in FC, human in X2, and Beasty again in X3.
As from DOFP we see he can control his blue fur look and "hulk out" if he needs to. Yeah he didn't look like Kelsey Grammer, but whatever.

They killed Cyclops in the first 20 minutes for no reason, so that Hugh Jackman could kiss the girl on a movie poster without being a douchebag cheater.

They killed him off because Marsden had left to do Superman Returns and because his character was near-irrelevant the whole series.

Yeah, and as Simon Kinberg said in the interview I posted earlier (here it is again)
They only had him for two days. What else could they do, have him just ride off on his bike at the start and that's it? And then when Jean comes back and is going mental as Dark Phoenix no one thinks to call Scott back? I suppose they really didn't have much of a choice.

 

[Skywalker]

I loved this movie so much. Thought it was utterly fantastic from start to finish. I was fairly optimistic going in because of Bryan Singer's return and because the X-movies had been trending upward recently (I enjoyed both First Class and The Wolverine) after the disasters that were The Last Stand and Origins: Wolverine and I'm happy to say that I was not disappointed. James McAvoy was amazing as the young, broken Xavier. First Class might have been Magneto's movie, but I think DoFP was undoubtedly Xavier's (along with Mystique), and McAvoy did not disappoint. The rest of the cast was good, too. I was a little worried that this would turn into yet another "Wolverine and everyone else" movie like the first three, so I was pleasantly surprised when that turned out not to be the case.

It's clear that this was basically a chance to fix some of the problems that had plagued the franchise since The Last Stand debuted in 2006, and I think it mostly succeeded in that case. I'm curious to know which events, if any, from the previous films (not including First Class) still happened. I imagine at least the first movie still must have happened, since somehow Logan had to have found his way to the Xavier Institute. But did Jean Grey still die and become the Phoenix? Did a terminally ill Ichiro Yashida still summon Logan to Japan so that he could use Logan's healing factor to cure his illness?

I'm inclined to say that, yes, generally the events from at least Singer's first two films and The Wolverine happened, with perhaps some differences. (Like Logan's dreams about Jean in The Wolverine, which couldn't have happened in a timeline where he didn't kill her.) The only movie in the series that seems to have been completely erased is Origins, since in that film Logan/James Howlett was in Vietnam with Victor Creed in 1973, not in New York City, and worked for Stryker (who was noticeably older in Origins than in DoFP) as part of Team X, then disappeared for six years until being tracked down in 1979. To be honest, I think Origins is probably the worst movie in the series, so it being removed from continuity isn't a huge loss, if you ask me.

Anyway, I can't wait for Apocalypse. This is the first time I've been genuinely excited for the next X-Men movie since the lead-up to The Last Stand.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Ethros, the drug Hank spent the whole movie sticking into himself and Xavier actually worked for a bit, unlike the beta test in First Class that Beasted him up.

By Last Stand he was either more secure with his "true" appearance, or he built up an immunity or both, but considering everyone kept telling Mystique to love her innerself, and she kept telling Hank to love his inner self, it seems like step one to their inner selves loving each other.

 

[Pauln6]

I really enjoyed the movie. Blink and Quicksiver were great fun and the other characters all got to shine.

The only major things that irked me were Banshee's alleged death off-screen and the fact that Singer's finales always seem to be lacking... something albeit it didn't really dampen my enjoyment too much. Jean's hair gets a weirder shade of red with each successive appearance. They really need to find the dye they used in the first movie again.

Unlike Angel from First Class, Banshee is a big part of the classic Uncanny X-men mythology and his powers are different at least (plus we've already seen Siryn). Obviously, we can't be 100% sure that he's dead but it did seem to be a waste. I'd have been happier if he'd lost his powers following the Pentagon heist similar to the comics.

I was really hoping that they feature Archangel in any Apocalypse story since that is by far the character's most iconic storyline but if the next movie is going to be set in the eighties, he'll be too young.

Overall, I'm now more than happy to list X1-3, the Wolverine, and Days of Future Past as my official Xmen continuity. Looking forward to the next one!

 

[Turtletrekker]

The only movie in the series that seems to have been completely erased is Origins....

If Stryker has been taken out of the picture in 1973, then that eliminates the central antagonist of X2 as well.

 

[DarthTom]

Really liked this film. Probably one of the best of the X-Men films IMO. Without going back 19 pages there were several homages to Trek. The most obvious one with Kirk talking about time travel in one of the TOS episodes. Anyone remember which one?

Second one less obvious - the opening sequence where they do the slow pull back from Patrick Stewart's eye was a direct pull from First Contact and its opening sequence.

Any other Trek Easter eggs did anyone catch?

 

[Locutus of Bored]

The most obvious one with Kirk talking about time travel in one of the TOS episodes. Anyone remember which one?

The Naked Time.

 

[VORTEX8472]

I was thoroughly entertained by this X-Men outing, was satisfied as a long-time fan they generally respected every characters' qualities and paid great homage to the original cast of X-Men (2000). Total Trekkie moment to see Kirk on TV, while watching another iconic Trek Capt in the film... This was an example of a respectful semi-reboot of a beloved franchise; wish JJ-Trek had paid a little more respect to the Prime-Universe and by extension thanked die-hard fans.

Singer and screenplay scribe Kinberg did a excellent job juggling the multitude of characters, both young and old, while giving the film a tangible common thread and storyline. Btw what a powerhouse of acting talent, I especially enjoyed McAvoy, Fassbender, Lawrence, Dinklage and of course Stewart, McKellen, & Jackman.

Great summer movie action with a lot of heart and soul to give it a very human and emotional anchor. A+

***** Absolutely LOVED the Quicksilver scenes, he completely stole the show, he was naive and very nonchalant about his gifts and that gave him a freshness that was a little lacking with all the established and beloved X-Men gang.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I was thoroughly entertained by this X-Men outing, was satisfied as a long-time fan they generally respected every characters' qualities and paid great homage to the original cast of X-Men (2000). Total Trekkie moment to see Kirk on TV, while watching another iconic Trek Capt in the film... This was an example of a respectful semi-reboot of a beloved franchise; wish JJ-Trek had paid a little more respect to the Prime-Universe and by extension thanked die-hard fans.

I'm not really a fan of JJ Trek but to be fair the X-movies took a lot of liberties in adapting the comics.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

So, a couple things did bug me about this film, though I did like it. I originally thought Magneto's plan for the sentinels was to have them shoot up everyone on the White House lawn, kill Nixon, etc. and make the public thing sentinels were a greater menace than mutants and thus kill the program. Instead, he hovers overhead with an entire fucking baseball stadium while controlling the giant robots, so everyone knows exactly who is doing this, and will only be more against mutants in the future. Good job breaking it, antihero. Would've been a great plan if he'd just done it my way--no mutants to pin the blame on, just the story of technology run amok, something most people can get behind on a gut level. New tech is scary!

Trask trying to sell his tech to the Commies was indeed a bizarre turn. I got the impression he was a reasonably patriotic guy, but maybe he's just a total opportunist instead. Still, he should've known better than to think he could sell American-developed technology to the Commies at the height of the Cold War. At the Paris conference, no less! Sheesh.

 

[VORTEX8472]

I was thoroughly entertained by this X-Men outing, was satisfied as a long-time fan they generally respected every characters' qualities and paid great homage to the original cast of X-Men (2000). Total Trekkie moment to see Kirk on TV, while watching another iconic Trek Capt in the film... This was an example of a respectful semi-reboot of a beloved franchise; wish JJ-Trek had paid a little more respect to the Prime-Universe and by extension thanked die-hard fans.

I'm not really a fan of JJ Trek but to be fair the X-movies took a lot of liberties in adapting the comics.

True, however if I'm not mistaken all 30+ yr old comics have gone through several reboots, so I personally accept any variation in comic-based films as the writers delving into their rich and varied histories for more original plots, essentially piecing together elements from years of comic story arcs and hopefully doing justice to the source characters themselves.

 

[Obiwanshinobi]

Imagine what Viet Cong Sentinels would be like.