Why X-Men: Days of Future Past was almost perfect.

 

x-men-days-of-future-past-castSo the number one thing I talk about is story. That’s what I’m all about. When I go to see a movie now a day, I already expect the awesome graphics (that’s a given) we have developed that standard.  What I am looking for is a powerful story and developed characters that can draw some emotion out of me (this is where the movies fall short).  Every time my Hubs and I drive home we rewrite the parts of the movie that were “not as good”.  It gets pretty intense in that car. The X-Men: Days of Future Past was almost a perfect movie except the ending and I will tell you why. (Clearing throat) There was NO sacrifice.

In the end no one died in that movie!  It was supposed to be the greatest struggle and in the end they are all there smiling and perfect as if time had not passed at all.   In my opinion there is usually a consequence to action.  When the sentinels were being controlled by Magneto, not one person was killed or seriously maimed by their shooting frenzy.  He picked up a baseball stadium and the falling concrete pieces didn’t kill anyone.  It’s a perfect place were we can make huge things happen without consequences, besides changing the location of the stadium.

I really felt that someone “BIG” should have died.  The whole story leans on the fact of Mystique not killing the little professor.  But I think it should have been a lot deeper than that.  In my opinion again, I think that Magneto should have died. I think that Mystique should have turned on him with the gun and not missed the middle of his head.  My husbands voice is screaming out loud.  “But he is one of the biggest nemesis in the whole X-Men story!!!!” He continues, “There are decades of X-Men comics and in them he is part of the center universe (to say the least).  He is superman. Without him there is no X-Men.”

Yes, my friends I understand he has been a big, big part of the story and that’s what all the stories have essentially been about, the fight against two ideas of doing something, Magneto and Charles.  But that’s my point!!! Is there really only room for one dark soul, one big villain, with one agenda?  NO, because they showed a new one at the end of the credits.  Are you telling me that you cannot develop the story passed this point? We have to have Magneto or it all has to die? They basically did a Star Trek reboot! Now they can go back and display an entire new past because of the changes that occurred. We have all the characters back. (Jean)

But what did we sacrifice? NOTHING! Besides the white house has great seating.

But tell me this, how would Magneto’s death changed the story?  Charles X would have had a lot less opposition working with the normal people of America in creating a harmonious place for them all to live and then their perfect picture in the end would have been more believable.

So then Dustin, (Hubs) asked me to come up with a different way besides killing “M” and here is what I have to say.  Instead of Mystique choosing not to kill little P and stopping “M” from hurting everyone.  I think that Hank (Aka Beast) should have sacrificed himself to save the Pres. Mystique still had to choose not to kill little P, but then rushes “M” to stop him as he pulls the trigger to kill the Pres. and she manages to flip over him and take his helmet off.  Charles gets a hold of his mind but after the gun has been fired and so Beast jumps in front of the bullet and takes one for the team.  Sacrifice!!!!!  Hero’s death.  Monumental act.  Mutant dies protecting President of the United States (not just the mere decision to not kill).  The laws of action and consequence are appeased.

Now about the ending, I understand that Charles X reads Wolverine’s mind and now knew how to help change the future problems that existed in the old timeline to save people, (Jean).  But a whole new time line would have existed with new problems and not all of them could be dealt with perfectly.  The absence of Beast covers the consequences of that day back in the past, but too much perfection is not good.  Of course the last thing Wolverine remembers is dying so Charles would have to fill him in on what happened to our blue beautiful monster and how his sacrifice was exactly the fuel needed to sign a peace treaty between mutants and the human race and could be poetically named after Hank. They can stand/sit in front of the monument placed in his honor.  It would have tied into changing the past due to Wolverine going back (consequences and actions) and the conversation that Hank and Logan had right before the white house battle where Hank asks, “I probably shouldn’t be asking this sort of thing…but in the future, do I make it?” Logan says, “No…but we can change that, right?” How poetic could it be that he doesn’t make it because he chooses to help save them all by not making it.  Now they can go back and tell a whole new line of stories for future movies, with the untouchable Magneto. I just hope that they will keep in mind that continuity is a valuable tool for emotional experiences. I know that the old actors are ending their terms and they will have to reboot them as well and I don’t know how this story plays into that but I am excited to see where they can take it.  What do you think?