With X-Men: Days of Future Past, Brian Singer had a lot to prove. Coming on the heels of First Class, and juggling quite a large ensemble cast of both the original and new X-men actors, this could have easily descended into a tangled mess the likes of X-Men: The Last Stand. And the less said about that movie the better.

So, did Singer manage to pull it off? Yes indeedy. While there are moments of clunky expository dialogue that hammer the audience over the head with major plot points, overall the story manages to make all the elements work, creating an enjoyable flick that pays homage to all the movies before it while at the same time weaving an arc of its own.

One of the biggest surprises for me was how much I enjoyed the portrayal of Quicksilver. The character was universally derided when the publicity shots were released, but I guarantee that once you see the character in action you will instantly be rooting for him. In fact, he has one of the best scenes in the movie.

It’s amazing that the main cast of characters are given an equal opportunity to shine, but even more impressive is how much you grow to care for the X-Men characters in the future timeline. Hopefully we will see more of these characters in future X-Men movies.

Is the movie perfect? No, but it’s fun to watch and the Easter eggs hidden throughout the film add a little bonus to comic nerds.

I give Days of Future Past 8 out of 10.