Time Travelling X-Men

Time travel is such a tricky plot device. While offering much potential, it also presents many risks. Firstly, the philosophical problems surrounding time travel are enormous. Speculation abounds as to the future effects of changing the past. Perhaps one small change of the past irrevocably and completely changes the future. Like a pebble thrown into an ocean: At first there are mere ripples, but gradually these ripples become waves until a tsunami of change crashes into the future. Perhaps the future is a fate that cannot be changed. Fate, as it were, 'auto-corrects' any changes of the past so as to keep the future on its pre-determined course. Perhaps time travel is somehow incorporated into both past and future. A person's time travel must have already occurred and that person's choice to time travel again is simply part of an endless loop of time. Finally, perhaps the only way to change the future is by changing a historically significant person or event (e.g., killing Hitler or stopping the September 11th attacks).

One can only speculate about time travel, most likely because it is a philosophical impossibility. But this does not prevent script writers from reverting to time travel as the catchall plot device that can accomplish the impossible. And unfortunately, it is a plot device that often fails. X-Men: Days of Future Past ("DOFP") is a prime example of this failure. Now don't get me wrong, DOFP is an enjoyable movie. DOFP features a stunning cast and many excellent set pieces. Watching lightning-fast Quicksilver break into the Pentagon and free Magneto was particularly exhilarating. Seeing shape-shifting Mystique* 'become' other characters, such as the villainous dwarf Bolivar Task, is always entertaining. I was also impressed that the movie managed to weave together a wide array of characters and an extremely complex plot into a single cohesive show. Nevertheless, the perils of a time-travel plot took the emotional punch out of the movie.

The movie begins with giant robots called Sentinels attacking a mutant outpost. These man-made Sentinels have perfected the art of killing not only mutants, but also any human who has the potential of becoming a mutant. Unfortunately, this means that the human (and mutant) race is on the verge of extinction and that the world has become a desolate wasteland. Professor X decides that the only way to save the future is by returning to the past and stamping out the Sentinels before they are created. Of course, Wolverine is chosen for this mission.

Skipping ahead somewhat, the movie ends with the Sentinels on the verge of killing Professor X and his remaining cohort of mutants. And right before the Sentinels accomplish their mission, the past is successfully changed and the future becomes a peaceful present. No loss, no tragedy. Rather, all is made right in the world by the power of time travel. Nifty, eh? Or simply anticlimactic? I believe the latter. In fiction, time travel should not be a plot device for relieving history of its tragedy or characters of their past mistakes. Tragedy and sin are essential components of literature (and life). Without them, fiction becomes but fluff. The philosophical problems of time travel abound. However, its literary problems are perhaps more perilous for for modern cinema and television. While not ruining DOFP, these problems certainly prevent it from becoming great.

*As an aside, I can't decide if Jennifer Lawrence is appropriate as Mystique. Mystique's appearance is amphibious. Her blue skin reminds me of the scales of a fish and her yellow eyes are like those of a reptile. The human actor playing Mystique should also be somewhat reptilian and amphibious; beautiful but not quite human. Unfortunately, Jennifer Lawrence is adorably human. She has a rounded appearance and an expression that modulates between a steady seriousness and a stifled sadness. And yet, her acting skills seem to make up for her physical mismatch with the character. All the same, I think Rebecca Romjin was a better pick for the part.