Warning: this review contains spoilers.

X-Men: Days of Future Past serves as a sequel to both X-Men: Last Stand and X-Men: First Class. The events of Days of Future Past approximately follow thirteen years on from the events of X-Men: First Class and loosely follows the story of the X-Men comic-book story arc of the same name.

As soon as the film begins it is apparent that this will not be a light-hearted affair. We immediately learn that things have not gone so swimmingly since we last saw the X-Men and many mutants have been rounded up and executed by robotic beings known as Sentinels. A select few of Xavier’s students, including Kitty Pryde, Colossus and Iceman, have managed to avoid the Sentinel threat and are taking refuge in Moscow. Sooner rather than later, the Sentinels become aware of the mutants hiding place, and following some mutant genius from Kitty and, newcomer to the film series, Bishop, the team convene with Professor X, Storm, Wolverine and Magneto. The newly bolstered team decide it would be best for all mutants if Kitty sent Wolverine’s consciousness back into the body of himself in 1973, in the hope that he can intervene in the event that caused the Sentinel programme to occur.

It must be said that Peter Dinklage is a once in a lifetime talent. His masterful performances in the wildly popular ‘Game of Thrones’ have earned him a substantial following. He is once again in fine form in this film as the cunning Bolivar Trask the mastermind behind the Sentinels. Hugh Jackman, a mainstay of each X-men film, produces yet another solid portrayal as Wolverine. However, it is James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, who portray the young Xavier and Magneto respectively, who steal the show. The controlled rage of Magneto, a skill he mastered in First Class, is on show throughout whilst the anguished torment that Xavier is experiencing throughout these events is brought to life by McAvoy’s intensity.

It has been widely documented that the X-Men films are rife with continuity errors and this is once again the case with the latest film. Whether this is a problem for the average fan is unbeknownst to me, however, it does cause some worries. In First Class we were introduced to Azazel, a member of the Hellfire Club with the ability to teleport. If you can’t remember him he was red and had a tail which should refresh your memory. Azazel is actually the father of fan favourite X-Men member Nightcrawler, whom he fathered with Mystique, another mainstay of the X-Men films. In Days of Future Past we discover that Azazel has been killed in the years that divide First Class and Days of Future Past. Whether Nightcrawler was born in the interim period is not apparent as Mystique makes no mention of mothering a child. Unless we are given an X-Men Origins: Mystique film, in which it is explained, there is no reasonable explanation for Nightcrawler even being born, despite his appearance in X-2.

However, despite the niggling problems with continuity, this is an all-round enjoyable film, much like First Class was. Here’s hoping that there’s less continuity errors in the next film!