X-Men: Days of Future Past: Presently The Best Comic Adaptation You Will Have Seen

"X-Men: Days of Future Past" doesn't totally adhere to Chris Claremont's famed story, but it's inspired by it and doesn't do it a disservice. What it does do is it almost erases the stains of "X-Men 3" and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," further invigorates the X-Men movie franchise and lays a solid groundwork for a wider X-Men cinematic universe.

"X-Men: Days of Future Past" is pure fun even while providing glimpses of horrible fates that await the few remaining mutants in the distant future if one thing doesn't get prevented from happening one day in 1973. Inexplicably, director Bryan Singer and his colleagues masterfully weave a complex storyline spanning nearly 50 years, past and future selves of the likes of Charles Xavier, Magneto, Wolverine and Mystique, among others.

Time-travel is, well, a time-worn plot device used in movies for heroic and villainous means. Instead of traversing some kind of wormhole through space and time, current/future Kitty Pryde transfers current/future Wolverine's consciousness to his early 70s self. Once 1973 Wolverine awakens, it's action-filled, brief and hilarious all at once. It almost looks inspired by any number of time-loop-associated flashbacks in "Lost."

The overarching goal for the future remaining X-Men is simple enough an idea: Stop Raven/Mystique from killing - no, not Senator Kelly - but Bolivar Trask, the scientist/industrialist. His death in one timeline convinces the government to expand his Sentinel program to hunt down all mutants, even humans who merely carry a mutant gene but have yet to realize their powers.

The mission is difficult in the early 70s: Wolverine tries to suppress his angry nature or risk his mind being pulled apart in the transference of consciousness that Kitty Pryde holds together in a dark, danger-filled future just barely. Then he must try to convince 1973 Charles Xavier to "fight the future." Problem is, Charles is emotionally broken from Raven's departure, Eric Lehnsherr going down a dark path, and the depletion of his academy by the Vietnam draft. He's using a specialized drug (back then, who wasn't?) to enable him to walk. Otherwise he remains paralyzed. And he's not yet the Charles Xavier we know, mentally superstong. He's connected to all other mutants but it's at times he cannot bare...back then.

When Xavier, who's cared for by a young Hank McCoy/Beast, is finally convinced (and even then he feels some doubt), they must break Magneto out of prison, which happens to be several stories beneath in the Pentagon. He's there because he directed the magic bullet that killed JFK. Or so goes the official government line. Enter Pietro (OK, Peter) Maximoff/Quicksilver, arguably the most fun sequence in the movie. The rest of the flick is not necessarily sheer spectacle, tiresome and wearing out its welcome like with "Man of Steel."

Instead, emotions play a big part in the climax of 1973. But oh my, the "final" battles between the remaining future X-Men and the evolved Sentinels -- the robots that have fully adapted to every mutant power, turning those powers onto the mutants themselves -- is a joy to watch. See Iceman/Bobby Drake creating and surfing upon one of his famed ice bridges. Colossus in his steel rage. Blink creating dimension-warping portals. It's pure comic book teamwork for the remaining X-Men as they try to stave off disaster.

The acting is, well, what you can expect from a comic book ensemble. There's actually not much screen time for Patrick Stewart or Ian McKellen in such a busy flick, but at this point in the X-Men cinematic universe, there doesn't need to be. Hugh Jackman has fun again as Wolverine, and James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender fully make young Xavier and Lehnsherr their own. Jennifer Lawrence? I am in love with her, which would probably make Emma Stone jealous. At one moment, her Raven/Mystique is laser focused on doing what it takes to reach and kill Trask. At another moment, she's conflicted.

Halle Berry RECEIVES a big check for her "portrayal" as Storm. Does she EARN it? Nah. Again, it's not necessary at this point. But oof, Evan Peters as Quicksilver. He's a revelation. He wrapped up all his characters from "American Horror Story," mashed them up with a liberal dose of cockiness (why shouldn't he be?) and I want him to be Quicksilver in the expanded X-Men cinematic universe. And yes, there's a post-end credits scene and it sets up nicely for what lies ahead.

So many X-Men characters from the previous films, all in one masterstroke of a new movie, even in a cameo...makes me feel giddy. Excited again for X-Men movies. It's busy but feels effortless. It nearly corrects all that went wrong in X3 and Origins:Wolverine and shows there's much more greatness that's coming up in X-Men on the big screen. See? Bryan Singer has some decent stuff as director leftover after "Superman Returns" and "Jack the Giant Slayer."