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Films for Thoughts on Thursday: X-Men: Days of Future Past


This is a weekly meme that I am hosting here at Reviews from a Bookworm. I own over 500 books, I'mn a book blogger so it's kind of obvious that I love books. But the one thing I own more of than books is DVDs, I love movies, TV shows, musicals. So I think it's time to include a weekly movie review on the blog. To take part all you have to do is share a movie review once a week, link back to Reviews from a Bookworm and add your link to the linky tool.


This weeks movie review will be for:


X-Men: Days of Future Past



I absolutely loved X-Men: First Class, I thought it was a brilliant film and was a great start to a new X-Men series. I had really enjoyed the very first X-Men film in the last lot of film, had enjoyed it's sequel and then utterly wept at the disaster that was X-Men: The Last Stand. That movie was such a disappointment that I was glad the series was over as far as those cast and characters were concerned. First Class seemed like a way to start over and make me fall in love with X-Men again, and it worked. So, being completely honest, I was upset and dismayed to find that the sequel would join the two movies together. That it would be a cross over with both storylines. I was pretty certain that this was going to be just another disaster sequel that would leave me disappointed.

Thankfully, Days of Future Past ended up absolutely shocking me with just how superb it was. I can't really think of any aspect of it that I didn't like. The storyline was solid and I loved the past and present coming together. I also realised just how much I had missed the characters from the first set of films and just how much I had loved them. I had let my disappointment in The Last Stand cloud my opinion of the first two films and all the characters I'd come to love. So it was great to see them come together with all of the actors from First Stand to create my favourite X-Men movie of all time. They are going to have a hard time topping this movie, it was seriously amazing.

The film opens in a dystopian style future where Sentinels, giant robots, are programmed to hunt down all mutants. With the ability to adapt to any mutant power they face, the Sentinels are unstoppable and the mutant race is almost extinct. The sentinels can also identify any human that may produce mutant offspring. We see Wolverine, Storm, Xavier and Magneto all come together to find a group of mutants who have evaded the Sentinels because of Kitty Pryde(Ellen Page) who's mutant ability allows her to send someone's consciousness back in time and so they are able to warn the others that the sentinels are coming. Xavier needs to use her ability to send Wolverine all the way back to the 70's in order to stop the Sentinels ever becoming what they are.

This all hangs on the fact that Wolverine must bring Charles and Eric together at a time when they couldn't despise each other more. They need to stop Mystique as her actions will be what bring about the Sentinels and their ability to adapt to the mutants powers. Bolivar Trask, played by the talented Peter Dinklage, is the creator of the Sentinels and who sees mutants as a threat but also a way to bring the world together. He thinks that if humans have a common enemy then it will end the wars they fight against one another. When Mystique learns of what he is doing she assassinates him and that is what makes the government decide his Sentinel programme needed to be funded. Charles, Wolverine and Eric must make sure that it never happens, they must change the future.

OH MY GOD!!! asdfghjkl'asdfghjkl! Honestly, how are you supposed to sum up the fucking awesomeness that is this movie in words? HOW?!? I can't even begin to try and explain it, I can't! But, as I love you all, I will attempt it for all of you. Excuse me if I gush a bit and make no logical sense but this movie was the shit. I know I am swearing a lot, but I just can't repress the swears today when I am this in awe of movie awesomeness.

There I was, sitting in the cinema being all moody because they were bringing together the old characters with the new. I was bitter about how much I hated The Last Stand and certain that they were going to royally fuck up this sequel and ruin my love for the series all over again. And then, BAM, they go and blow my mind in the best way possible and make me fangirl like crazy. As soon as the movie started and Storm, Wolverine, Magneto and Xavier appeared I pretty much melted into a fangirl puddle on the cinema floor. Oh, how I'd missed those guys. The first scene actually shows all these new mutants we have never seen before fighting the Sentinels and losing. The special effects in this are beyond anything I have seen in a while, the mutant powers were so cool and I wanted them all myself. There is a ton of action just within the first five minutes and I was hooked from there till the end.

I adore Jennifer Lawrence (who doesn't), so was pleased with how much of the movie focuses on Mystique. I like the fact that the movie gives her the chance to change her future, to be the good guy. I really loved that this movie shows you a whole different side to her. We get to see her internal struggle with finding out who she is and who she wants to be. It's nice to see all the reasons she becomes the character she is in the later films. Lawrence is a superb actress so she conveys all of her emotions so well that I was tearing up with her at a few points. I so wanted them to be able to save Mystique, to be able to help her change her future and find hope.

If you want to know what the best part of the movie is then I can sum it up in one word: QUICKSILVER! How is the new Avengers movie going to top this? Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a little screwed because Evan Peters steals the show in this film and I don't know how he can even compete with that performance. My boyfriend and I were both utterly devastated that we didn't get to see more of Quicksilver, he really should have been a main character in this. His super speed made for some hilarious moments, especially one where he saves everyone from getting shot by going at super speed, listening to music, laughing to himself and making the police injure themselves. His character offered the greatest comic relief, the most hilarious moments and the introduction of a character that I instantly fell in love with. Please give me more Quicksilver. I don't know how they will begin to compete in Avengers, but I don't see them being able to pull off the character as well as Evans did. He played it perfectly, definitely the best part of the movie for me.

I might have a small crush on James McAvoy, and by small I mean huge, so I love seeing him play Charles Xavier. His character is really struggling in this movie, he is medicating himself with Beast's serum in order to get back the use of his legs. It leaves him unable to use his powers but he no longer cares. He feels alone and like he has lost everything that ever mattered to him. So many of the people he once cared about are dead and he has become understandably depressed. McAvoy is a talented actor and he plays it perfectly. You feel his struggle as much as Mystique's.

My second most favourite part of the film was how it was basically used as an apology for the giant fuck up that was The Last Stand. That is essentially what this film feels like, a way to undo all the mistakes that they made in that movie and reward fans for it. I loved this film, I loved all the themes it explored, the characters it introduced and how it made up for The Last Stand. I couldn't fault the beginning, the middle or the end. I was proved so wrong and am so thankful that I was. I could not recommend this movie more, if you are and X-Men fan then you are not going to be disappointed. I can't wait to see what the future holds, more Quicksilver hopefully.

10/10 Butterflies

This impressed me even more than Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which is tough to do. It has an amazing cast and perfectly combines the old X-Men world with the new one. I loved the time travel aspect and how much potential it gave this movie. Quicksilver is one of the best characters I have seen in a long time, he definitely steals the show and I hope he gets a bigger part in the next film. This definitely makes up for the disaster that was The Last Stand, it's like an apology to the fans and I accept it happily. This was everything I had wanted and then a million times more awesome than that. How they will top this with the next film, I honestly don't know but I will have my fingers crossed! 



Next Week:


Bad Neighbours
The one where there's more cringing moments then funny ones!





I have been meaning to take part in both of the following memes for a while now, so its nice to finally be able to get to them. I will be taking part in Reading is Fun Again's Thoughtful Thursday and Okay, Let's Read's  Thursday Thoughts, picking between them or doing both topics each week.




Book Editions

Have you ever bought multiple editions of the same book? What inspires you to do that: e.g. new cover, author revisions, language.

I am so guilty of this and it's not even funny. Sometimes it's the horror of ordering online and getting a book arrive and finding it's US paperback size (GINORMOUS!) and not matching my others. Then I'll have to buy one that matches the others but usually end up keeping the old one anyway. I own hardbacks and paperbacks for a lot of books. I've bought multiple copies of my favourite series so I can keep them in pristine condition and not ruin them from all the rereads I do. I have bought new editions when I fall in love with the new cover or especially love the movie tie in version - The Fault In Our Stars and The Spectacular Now made me do this. I also bought a new copy of Noughts and Crosses because the author added in another short story to the end of it. 


Monthly TBR Lists

Do you make a small TBR list every month? If so, how strict are you in following your TBR list? If not, why not/have you tried it before? Do you think making TBR list hurts or helps your reading habits?

I don't have a TBR list that I stick to each month. I have so many books that I want to read that I know I wouldn't be able to stick to it. I do try to read all the eARCs I have for that month though if I can. I usually get distracted, run out of time or have a lot of other books I want to read though. I think a TBR list that I'd have to stick to would be quite limiting and I think it would hurt my reading habits. I like to be able to read what I want when I want. 


How about you guys, are you guilty of buying multiple editions of the same book? Are you a TBR list fan or are you more a go with the flow kind of reader? 



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37 comments:

  1. Love your movie review, you've convinced me to see it! And I can't wait to hear what you think of Bad Neighbours!

    Mands @ The Bookish Manicurist

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    1. Bad Neighbours was a much harder review to write, if I'm honest.

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  2. I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to see your review. I am a huge X-Men fan and so wanted this to be every bit as good as the first but was secretly expecting it not to be. But, yay! I really want to see this one now. :)

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    1. I hope you love it as much as I did, was really expecting to be disappointed but I was really happy with it! :)

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  3. I'm so glad your expectations for the movie were blown out of the water. I totally loved this movie too, but I went into it knowing I'd love it. Quicksilver was AMAZING, the scene you mention was probably my favourite one. I can't wait for the next movie :)

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    1. I KNOW!!!! I wish he had stayed for longer but I guess his scenes just cost far too much to make because of all the special effects and filming techniques they have to us :(

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  4. I'M SO GLAD YOU GAVE XMEN 10 BUTTERFLIES. THIS MAKES ME SO RIDICULOUSLY HAPPY. Although, I confess, I did skim parts, because I don't want to know TOO much before I read it. But, eheeeh, Mystic. And James McAvoy...AHEM I MEAN: PROFESSOR X. Although I love the joke that goes around saying McAvoy lost his legs in Xmen so he got goat legs and became a faun in Narnia. x) Okay, it's lame, but I like lame jokes. x)

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    1. I appreciate and laugh at the lame jokes ;) And that is totally what happened... right? :) I just ended up really loving it, I might have had some small issues with it, maybe, but I fangirled so hard at all it's awesomeness that I completely forgot about the bad parts.

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  5. I have to admit, I skimmed this review a little because I haven't seen the film yet and I'M SO EXCITED TO. I don't want to get spoiled on all the awesome!!!!

    The fact that you gave it ten out of ten is making me grin like a little kid though!

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    1. I HOPE YOU LOVE IT! I don't want to give people ridiculously high expectations but I absolutely loved it :) :) :)

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  6. Ooosh, what a fangirling review, so good to see you so happy in your slump hunny! :) Right, to the questions: I never buy numerous editions of a book, hey, I get annoyed that covers don't match, but one edition is enough for me. I think it's mental when people buy the same book in numerous formats, but if there's extra content, I can see why people would do it. To be honest, most of the time, extra content is in the paperbacks, hence I wait for them. I would like to say I'm a list person, and deep down, I think am, but sometimes, like the last week or two, I went by feel, now I have a list for June - August of books to read and then I can freestyle inbetween, so that's good too :)

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    1. I know, this movie was AMAZING! So I was happy to be able to fangirl over it :)

      I am terrible when it comes to buying more than one edition sometimes. I try to control myself but I have very limited will power! Me and lists just DON'T get along! :)

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  7. Awesome! :D I wanted more Quicksilver as well.

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  8. Love love love this review! I have to watch this one!

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  9. I liked X-men but not as much as I thought I would.
    Loved Quicksilver and Blink though :)

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  10. I haven't seen the movie yet however, the Mr. told me all about it's awesomeness. The X-Men movies are the only Marvel movies (aside from the first Iron Man movie) that I ever fully enjoyed. Granted the Last Stand was a bit f-ed up. I liked that they are fixing their mistakes and may bring back the old characters. I can't wait to see the movie.

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    1. Yes, they definitely make up for The Last Stand - something that I had thought was impossible. So happy this one wasn't a disappointment. :)

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  11. Ok, so I'm going to be super honest - I couldn't read your whole review of the movie because I'm DYING to see it and don't want to read too much about it, so I read your intro and scrolled to the butterflies... 10 butterflies?! I'm even more excited to see this!! I ADORE X-Men. As for editions, I haven't done this, yet. I fully intend to get my hands on the special edition Harry Potter set that came out where the spines all make up Hogwarts. I think it's the American special edition because it seems hard to get your hands on in the UK, and as per usual with HP it don't come cheap. But I really want them all in paperback and a new matching set to save all of my Bloomsbury originals. I can imagine though that now I'm back in full-on Book Geek mode that I'd buy different editions of books if I spot a cover I really like, or if there's a really good cover change (I'm soo glad I got the new version of Shatter Me and not the old one!). I have some books like 12 Years A Slave and The Great Gatsby that I bought pretty cheap but the covers are horrible - the classics could really do with vamping their covers up! So if I came across a really nice one I'd probably snap it up. Overall though I spend enough on books as it is without buying multiple editions!! I don't have a TBR monthly either, I've a massive physical TBR and an even bigger Goodreads TBR pile so I dip in when I feel like it. If I'm recommended something loads, or there's a new release, things shift around. I never would have considered myself a mood reader but since starting blogging I'm finding that I definitely am, and I tend to like shaking it up - I'll go from thriller, to issues, to romance to dystopian. Reading too much of one genre in a row doesn't work for me, unless I'm binge-reading a series. I should just copy and paste this ridiculously long comment and use it as a post.... Sorry!! R x

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    1. Haha, long comments are always good!

      I really hope you end up loving this one as much as I did, such a brilliant film in my opinion.

      I definitely want to get some of the newer HP editions, I am struggling to pick between a few different ones atm. I am awaiting the new Bloomsbury ones that come out later this year. I am definitely a mood reader too, I really do change my mind a lot about what I want to read.

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  12. I can not wait to see this film, like seriously. I absolutely adore the X-Men films and the thought of having all the old and new actors together just feels me with so many feels. Even more so now I know it was good.

    Evan Peters <3. Nothing more to say on that subject, he is just.. well he's amazing and I'm glad he was a favourite for the film. So glad that it was good and you enjoyed it.

    Great film review :)

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    1. I know, I totally fangirled as soon as the old actors came on! So happy this one didn't disappoint or I would have been absolutely devastated.

      Evan Peters is amazing! He was definitely my favourite part of the entire movie :)

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    2. hahah glad to see I'm not the only one who would. Love me some Wolverine <3

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  13. I saw X-Men today, it was so totally awesome. Each one just blows me away more than the previous one.

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    1. I hope they just keep getting better and better! No more The Last Stands, haha.

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  14. I loved the new X-Men movie. I'm actually going to see it again on Monday. :)

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  15. I loved the movie too, I thought it was so well done! I love change the future type movies, though, so combine that with the X-Men characters and there was no way I wasn't going to love it.

    Multiple editions: I buy most of my books on Kindle and if I really love them, I'll buy them in hardback. And I have bought a couple of books from Australia (I'm in the US) just so I could read them early and then I'll buy the US hardback version when it finally comes out. A bit wasteful, I guess, but oh well!

    And I don't plan my reading at all, I just read what I'm in the mood to read (although I will read an ARC when I'm not necessarily in the mood if it's close to its release date or it has already been released). ~Pam

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    1. Haha, I know! I wasn't sure if it would work but it did and I was so happy with it.

      Wasteful but I can't seem to stop myself at all, haha.

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  16. Wait, hold up! Are you a Tyler Oakley fan? I love his youtube videos. He is so good and very funny. :) Love him!

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    1. I am horribly addicted to YouTubers atm! Can't stop watching them all.

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  17. I LOVED this movie too! I have liked X-Men since I was younger. Anyway, the cast did such an amazing job. Every single one of them blew me away. I was worried when watching the trailer that I would get confused because of the time travel, but instead of being confused I freaking loved it! Did I mention that this is a great movie yet? lol I laughed so hard at Quicksilver, what a sweet ability. I'm really glad I got to see this in the theater. Love your Charles Xavier gif.

    Okay done fangirling. Now if only the movie came out on DVD right this minute.

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    1. I want this on DVD now! I just really want to be able to watch it all over again. Quicksilver is such a fantastic character, worried about seeing what they do with it in Avenger's 2 now.

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