Let's start by saying that I'm a fan of the X-men movie franchise. I remember being blown away by the first movie 17 long years ago. After almost 20 years, the whole movie world came to an end. There will be no more X-men, and no more Wolverine, who has become the most infamous person in the entire mutant cinematic universe.
After a long time, the main filmmakers took the trouble to make a movie completely different from all the previous ones. It's no longer mainly about the sci-fi elements, but it's a private drama about the main character gradually dying and coming to an end.
After a long life, in the year 2029, there are only a few mutants on Earth, and we're interested in the story of two of the more infamous ones. Wolverine, who's been around for a good number of decades. The constant presence of death has made him a mental wreck. The second of the famous mutants is Professor X, who has also come close to death. His old age has made him even more of a wreck than one might expect. His mutation has become dangerous, deadly to those around him.
These two natural last mutants will experience their final journey to Eden. They will be joined by a little girl, possibly Wolverine's daughter, whose abilities are not naturally created, but a genetic experiment sought by the government and other evil people. This trio will live out their story to redeem their sins and their old age.
Hugh Jackman knows his character, and after seven episodes he knows what to expect from his mutant. He knows what he's been through, and he can play his aging hero, who is old enough to die, as perfectly as anyone could.
Patrick Stewart, on the other hand, is one of those classic English actors who can play his Professor X even better than you'd expect. The whole film stands on these two actors. They are well supported by the young actress Dafne Keen, for whom this is her film debut. She has taken heartfelt advice from two experienced actors and plays her little mutant girl comparably, if not better, to actors who already have dozens of successful films under their belts.
Anyone expecting veteran director James Mangold's second sci-fi film to be the same as when Wolverine first appeared in Japan is in for a disappointment. This time he had a proper discussion with the cast about what the film should be about, wrote a short story and, in company with two other writers, constructed a story that could be considered for movie of the year. That they actually succeeded was not expected, but it really did become the second-best film after the first one in 2000.
It was all helped slightly by the locations, tricks and masks, of course, but the music is also a big part of the film, and Marco Beltrami's score cheated. He may have experience with Hellboy and I Robot, but I think this is the best soundtrack he's composed. It fits the tone of the film exactly, and the songs by Johnny Cash in particular are what also keep the whole film above the level of Hollywood productions.
I may have a soft spot for X-Men movies, but this latest film is exactly the right thing to cap off the entire 17-year history. It's a film that's completely different from the previous films and would certainly stand on its own, even if it was just about two aging humans contemplating the meaning of living and dying.
Original release of this article March 2, 2017 – Kritiky.cz
