My review of X Men: Days of Future Past

So I am going to try something different here and maybe I have not done it before, at least not on this blog...


I just watched X Men: Days of Future Past and I have some serious doubts here.

(warning : may contain spoilers)

Firstly, let me start off to say that the character I liked the most was not Wolverine but Peter Maximoff aka Quicksilver. He was a delight and treat to watch. Boyish charms and as quick as mercury and innocently playful. I hope to see more of him and I really like the inclusion of Time in a Bottle for the scene where he rescues Magneto.

The first surprise was to see Professor Xavier alive. Yes, at the end of "The Wolverine (2013) " and right after the credits there is a scene that shows the older Magneto paying a visit to Wolverine while he is at the airport and then suddenly Professor Xavier appears on the wheelchair with the line  " A long time ago...you were not the only one with gifts" but that still did not explain how did he materialize (if that is the word I am allowed to use here) as we all know that The Phoenix aka Jean Grey had destroyed his body in
" X-Men: The Last Stand". So the question that was not answered was how did Professor Xavier
re-emerge.

The next surprise comes when towards the end of "The Wolverine (2013) " we see that Logan has the bone claws now as his admantium claws were cut off in the ensuing fight. Now in "X-Men: Days of Future Past" there is no explanation given how did he get his admantium claws back when he slices at Kitty Pride.

I was sorely disappointed to see Wolverine so tame and such an all out good guy. Professor Xavier mostly sat in the chair and did nothing quite dramatic. Both the Magneto's did have something to do but the younger Magneto had too many change of minds that happen abruptly like trying to kill Mystique then suddenly dropping a football stadium on the White house and just before that he and Charles kiss and make up and now he maims Charles again. The intentions do not make sense. Beast served as a distraction but could have been used more extensively.

I did find a couple of glaring holes too like if Mystique could access Trask's office then why did she have to kill him in DC. She could have killed him anywhere and anytime. A shapeshifter would not find it so difficult to kill either the President or Trask but they instead decided to stretch it. I found it really silly.

Wolverine thrown out of the fight completely and left to drown and if he drowned, how did he come back to life. He can regenerate but how does he produce oxygen under water or how did he hold his breath for that long till he was found again and brought back to the surface. That was not explained too.

The younger Charles had a very complex fight going on with his demons and doubts and that was very interesting to watch and Mystique was quite transparent but still appeared at times to suddenly change her mind mid way like the younger Magneto. Bishop was interesting and so was Blink. Warlord, Bobby Drake and the new 'fire guy' were there either for support or a display of power but could have been developed more.

Overall, there was too much shown and too many plots in between. I think Bryan Singer should really take pointers from Christopher Nolan when it comes to making sequels or reboots. Christopher Nolan made a very complex trilogy that could be easily understood and it was much loved and each character was given space and time. Here it seemed a little rushed, under cooked and being a huge fan of the comics and having read the entire X Men series with all their timelines, this movie did not live up to my expectation. I am disappointed but there were many good scenes but the story seemed too convoluted and had too many unanswered questions.

I mean, you have the courtesy to hint more than once who is the father of Quicksilver but you do not explain how Professor Xavier comes back to life and how does Wolverine get his claws back and how does Wolverine survive the drowning. You ignore your two most important characters and downplay them so badly to give Mystique (was it because of Jennifer Lawrence and her Oscar outing ?) and the younger Magneto complex shades, even the younger Charles had his plateful but what about the others? Was Storm only used to create bolts of lightning and smash the ships into one another. I mean, she could have been used a lot too. Bishop and Blink were paired nicely and I wish they show more of these too in the coming films.

I was really expecting more and a much better story at the very least. I would watch it again to just see if I missed something but I really don't want to watch this movie again.

I am sorry but I normally don't criticize but that's what I meant when I said I was going to do something that I had not done before.

If what you seek...

If what you seek is what stirred you deep within,
Then pride is not the tavern you should be in.

The screams and echoes of your soul
are not just unheard in this place of old.

And if what you pursue is noble to seek
Then my fair lady, you have to be meek.

For the way is hard
And I am The Pathfinder.
There are none that choose a difficult path
Except for the Mystic and or the one asunder.

So fret not about this passing world,
For there are things of old.
Who comes and who shall go
Is not what people like us must ever follow or show.

- Mark

And all that we leave behind... (Alternate ending)

The time is many years earlier...

A story of our forefathers and the spirits that dwelt then.

The world was changing. We had moved into the race to reach the stars. We settled for the moon.

The astronauts were prepping to launch. Their shuttle took off. They crossed the atmosphere. And they were hurtling towards the moon. And yet, it seemed so far away.
Their country had spent enormous amounts of money to get this shuttle to reach the moon. Sending chimps, dogs and birds just wasn't enough. Man had to get there first before his neighbor reached. He had to be the first. He had to leave his home and family behind and risk it all. These were the chosen ones. This was their mission. This was their goal. This was their life. They had trained for a long time to get here. Now, they had to just reach there and prove to the world that we were a super power. We were the best. We were the first. We had all the power. And we wanted all the glory. We were a developed country. We had all the tech. We had all the resources.

Somewhere deep in space, things were quiet as the two astronauts were waiting with bated breath. And out of nowhere, the darkness enveloped them. Things just went silent. And dark. Very dark. It took them some seconds to realize they had lost all power and they were now drifting. Life support wouldn't be able to take care of them for so long. They tried their best. There was no communication going in and nothing went out. Just space and them floating in it.
On the ground, they realized, something was wrong and they had lost all feeds. There was no word. No signal. The astronauts had vanished.
Inside, they realized, it was a matter of time, they would be gasping for breath. It was getting hot and stuffy. They needed to conserve their oxygen. And they were feeling drowsy and so sleepy. Sleep was beckoning. They couldn't give in. They had to stay awake.

He finds himself in a cold dark room now. No one is there. And it doesn't even seem he is on the shuttle. He gets up. Walks out. He can't recognize the hospital. He can't recognize anyone. And everyone passes by as if he was a stranger. He waits patiently at the nurses station but it seems so crowded. Then he chances upon the date. It is 30 years in the future. Is this an idea of some one at the base playing a joke on him. Well, he had to get home to his lovely wife. He didn't care what the writing on the wall said.
He steps out. The cars look different. The people are dressed differently. He can't recognize any of the shops and the street names appear so different. The roads are so crowded. People talk to themselves in devices that they hold near their ears. It is all so confusing. His head is beginning to hurt. He needs to lie down. It is too much to take in. He has to get home.

He manages to climb on a bus and he gets down at his porch. The house is still there. It looks old. But there seems to be life. The light is on in the window. He moves to the door and opens it. The neighbors look so old. He wonders about his beautiful, young wife he had left behind. She must be looking like an old crow now. He shudders. He shouldn't have such dreadful thoughts. He looks so young. He hasn't aged a day. He appears just as he was when he left. Yet time seems to have moved on.

He enters in and lo, behold is his wife. She appears so young. Just the way he had left her. She welcomes him. They hug each other. They weep. He can't explain how is she still the same. It seems like a dream. But her touch seems so real. They sit for supper. They have a family meal.
He has to sleep now. He feels so weary. So tired. He crashes on his bed. His wife lays next to him.

In the middle of the night he hears sounds of sobbing. Sounds of weeping. Sounds of a woman crying. His wife is nowhere to be seen. He goes down. He finds her closing the door. She is moving away from the house and she has tears in her eyes. He follows her. They walk for some time.
And she stops, bends downs and weeps again. She is sitting on a rock.

He moves ahead to see why. Something isn't right. Something doesn't make sense. It can't be. It appears all wrong. He has to move away. A voice behind him whispers. It is his friend. He is beckoning him. He moves towards his voice.
There are two tombstones. One for both of them. His name is on it. The date is 30 years back. His wife has the same date on her stone too. Does it mean. He is dead. Then what about his wife. Is she dead too. What was this. Who was this woman then ? His eyes open in shock and disbelief. It was his daughter. He reaches out to her. She is crying. He wants to console her. A void pulls him back. And hears a voice... It is his fellow astronaut...and now his voice seems clear...

"We are all living in a ghost story"


And we await and pray for all...

...and all that we leave behind...

The Shadow Of The Bat Falls On Harley Quinn

Harley is sitting in a bath tub with toasters, radios and hair dryers dangling above her, all connected to a live point buzzing with electricity. She has to just release the cord that holds them all together and they are going to splash right into the tub that she is in.

The lights flicker....

And we hear her say aloud, "Mistah J is not going to come any-ways, might as well do it!"

3...2...

We now rewind to two days back...

What could have possibly gone so wrong that our favourite Psychotic Sweet Heart is in such a suicidal state...

It all starts...

At Gotham...
The City terrorized by the Clown Prince...
And Ruled by his Squeeze...Wait a Sec ! Woah ! "Who are you calling a Squeeze" shouts back Harley Quinn former psychiatrist to Arkham Asylum and presently fleeing with The Joker....

Suddenly, they are surrounded on all sides by Gotham Police and SWAT and she looks at the harsh light staring down at her from Gotham PD's helicopters and Mr J vanishes.
Stranded, stuck and on the hunt...where does our beloved Harley go...|

She wanders the streets for days...looks out for abandoned tenements... and needs a place to crash...she remembers there is a terror far worse than her Mistah J...lest the terror of the night finds her first...she shivers...what has a girl got to do to stay warm and alive in Gotham.

Yes...she knows what she had to do to stay alive in Gotham....and her poor babies...who will feed them...she can't go back to them...she has to find a place to hide...from the terror that is hunting her...and its not Gotham PD...they whisper in secret....that there is a Dark Monstrous being that prowls around the rooftops perched like a Gargoyle...hunting criminals...he is solely responsible for the incarceration of every known criminal in Gotham including her beloved Mistah J whom she just freed for the nth time impersonating as a psychiatrist...using her old credentials to bypass Arkham Asylum's security....

And that dog just abandoned her to a fate much worse than that of death...

The Dark Knight is nearby...she knows it...
every footstep...every rustle of the leaf makes her heart want to explode...

Above a familiar figure watches over and swoops down to ensare his prey...

The Shadow Of The Bat Falls On Harley Quinn

Short poems

This post will contain my little poems that I come up with and I'll keep updating it periodically...


You say you want our love to last through the night.
And every time we fight.
All I ever wanted was you.
And Your kisses are so few.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Like two lovers lying in sheets on this bed
I can't get you out of my head.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am just a family boy.
I need a hero to save us now.
I got to make a stand
I am just a man.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hold me cold.

Let me die out.

Deep in your heart.

Let our love bury us deep within.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The best kisses come after bitter tears.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Sometimes the heavens part to make way

As the night turns into day

While the writer writes a song to slay

A girl smiles away.

________________________________________________________________________________

And all that we leave behind...

The time is many years earlier...

A story of our forefathers and the spirits that dwelt then.

The world was changing. We had moved into the race to reach the stars. We settled for the moon.

The astronauts were prepping to launch. Their shuttle took off. They crossed the atmosphere. And they were hurtling towards the moon. And yet, it seemed so far away.
Their country had spent enormous amounts of money to get this shuttle to reach the moon. Sending chimps, dogs and birds just wasn't enough. Man had to get there first before his neighbor reached. He had to be the first. He had to leave his home and family behind and risk it all. These were the chosen ones. This was their mission. This was their goal. This was their life. They had trained for a long time to get here. Now, they had to just reach there and prove to the world that we were a super power. We were the best. We were the first. We had all the power. And we wanted all the glory. We were a developed country. We had all the tech. We had all the resources.

Somewhere deep in space, things were quiet as the two astronauts were waiting with bated breath. And out of nowhere, the darkness enveloped them. Things just went silent. And dark. Very dark. It took them some seconds to realize they had lost all power and they were now drifting. Life support wouldn't be able to take care of them for so long. They tried their best. There was no communication going in and nothing went out. Just space and them floating in it.
On the ground, they realized, something was wrong and they had lost all feeds. There was no word. No signal. The astronauts had vanished.
Inside, they realized, it was a matter of time, they would be gasping for breath. It was getting hot and stuffy. They needed to conserve their oxygen. And they were feeling drowsy and so sleepy. Sleep was beckoning. They couldn't give in. They had to stay awake.

He finds himself in a cold dark room now. No one is there. And it doesn't even seem he is on the shuttle. He gets up. Walks out. He can't recognize the hospital. He can't recognize anyone. And everyone passes by as if he was a stranger. He waits patiently at the nurses station but it seems so crowded. Then he chances upon the date. It is 30 years in the future. Is this an idea of some one at the base playing a joke on him. Well, he had to get home to his lovely wife. He didn't care what the writing on the wall said.
He steps out. The cars look different. The people are dressed differently. He can't recognize any of the shops and the street names appear so different. The roads are so crowded. People talk to themselves in devices that they hold near their ears. It is all so confusing. His head is beginning to hurt. He needs to lie down. It is too much to take in. He has to get home.

He manages to climb on a bus and he gets down at his porch. The house is still there. It looks old. But there seems to be life. The light is on in the window. He moves to the door and opens it. The neighbors look so old. He wonders about his beautiful, young wife he had left behind. She must be looking like an old crow now. He shudders. He shouldn't have such dreadful thoughts. He looks so young. He hasn't aged a day. He appears just as he was when he left. Yet time seems to have moved on.

He enters in and lo, behold is his wife. She appears so young. Just the way he had left her. She welcomes him. They hug each other. They weep. He can't explain how is she still the same. It seems like a dream. But her touch seems so real. She tells him that he has a beautiful daughter. They sit for supper. They have a family meal.
He has to sleep now. He feels so weary. So tired. He crashes on his bed. His wife lays next to him.

In the middle of the night he hears sounds of sobbing. Sounds of weeping. Sounds of a woman crying. His wife is nowhere to be seen. He goes down. He finds his daughter closing the door. She is moving away from the house and she has tears in her eyes. He follows her. They walk for some time.
And she stops, bends downs and weeps again. She is sitting on a rock.

He moves ahead to see why. Something isn't right. Something doesn't make sense. It can't be. It appears all wrong. He has to move away. A voice behind him whispers. It is his wife. She is beckoning him. He moves towards her.
There are two tombstones. One for both of them. His name is on it. The date is 30 years back. His wife has the same date on her stone too. Does it mean. He is dead. Then what about his wife. Is she dead too. What was this. And his daughter. He reaches out to her. She is crying. He wants to console her. A void pulls him back. And hears a voice... It is his fellow astronaut...and now his voice seems clear...

"We are all living in a ghost story"


And we await and pray for all...

...and all that we leave behind...

Coincidence

I was supposed to travel to Mangalore. I took a train and got down at the train station and was wondering what to do next. I needed to take a bus to my destination. I didn't know the regional language. English didn't work much and I didn't know the route. I managed to ask directions and they didn't understand me as much as I didn't understand them.

I got a bus that appeared to be going in that direction. Got a seat near the driver. It was a parallel seat with place for 6 or more people. A kind lady offered me the seat next to her. There were 5 people sitting and it could accommodate me in.

I looked around and I was like a foreigner in my own native. The women and the men were staring at this guy who is sitting so lost here in the front. I tried telling the conductor the destination I needed to go and I shot 3 different names hoping that at least one would get me where I wanted to go. That seemed to confuse him more and it seemed that I was booking tickets for three different people going to three different destinations. I decided to settle with the name that appeared more familiar with him and I thought I would see what to do from there. The ticket clicked. I sat quietly for the remainder of the bus. Looked at Google Maps and got a fair idea I was moving in the right direction but I didn't know the exact stop to get down. And the bus stops are too far as this was an express bus that stopped at limited stops. So, if i did get down at the wrong stop, it would mean a very long walk in a direction that i wasn't quite sure and it could really get me lost. On top of it, the bus conductors have the habit of shouting out the destination and the major stops. So I used to jump up every time thinking my destination has come. But in fact, it was where the bus was supposed to go and the stop was supposedly to be 30 kms away.

Sat for another half an hour and decided to do what I do best. Observe. Talking with the conductor didn't seem to make much headway as I didn't speak Kannada and he didn't understand Konkanni too well. The bus that I was travelling had two entrances. People kept pouring in from both ends and shouting out the place they wanted to go to. It was extremely confusing at first. A parallel seat facing the driver that seated 6 or more people. And then the normal seating arrangement of the first three rows reserved for ladies behind the driver. There was a massive engine with some parcels and boxes.

Normally, drivers accept the parcels to be delivered to a particular stop. The parcels are nicely wrapped in tape with the address sitting clearly on the top. And now there was just one box left on the engine. It was shapeless but I could read it.
My eyes gleamed suddenly as I realized the last part of the address was the exact stop where I had to get down. I read the top part. It was a printed slip. The first part of the address was to some shop. The building name below it seemed familiar. My eyes jumped out, it was the exact same building I was to go. What a stroke of luck. The conductor after some time picked up the parcel and I felt he was actually picking my hand to guide me the way.
He saw me eyeing the parcel and wondered what was going on in my head. He readied to give the parcel. The bus slowed. I shot out like a cat from the bag. I got down and right in front of me was the building I had to go to. Coincidence. Maybe.

My family was waiting for me. It was a reunion of sorts. I had not seen any of these uncles and aunts, their children ever. It was the first time that I would be meeting this set of relatives. And it was a joyous reunion of sorts. Later my mum tells me that it was a coincidence some relatives turned up as my mum herself was able to invite a limited set of relatives as she didn't know the exact address of all of them and neither did she have all of their contact numbers. The one's who came along were told by word of mouth by other relatives. And they had happened to be all together at the church after mass and the word spread and they all came home. They had been waiting for me and they hadn't even started when I reached.
I didn't know the language. I didn't know the area. I didn't know the way. I must have had an angel guiding me. And if it wasn't for a plain old parcel with the exact same address of my destination maybe I would reached someplace else and be absolutely lost. This incident happened around eight years back roughly and I had my Nokia N 73 ME which wasn't even a smart phone like the one's we have these days. The distance traveled by me in that bus alone was more than 30 kms.
It turned out to be a tiring journey but a joyous reunion which was more unexpected as I didn't know that we had invited so many relatives and their families. It lasted an entire week. And maybe, that is for some other day. I hope to write more and write soon.

Coincidence....
Or was it more...

Catch the ghost story that comes up next in an unrelated event to me...