X-Men: Days of Future Past appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.39:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a satisfying image.
From start to finish, sharpness looked good. Only the slightest hint of softness affected wide shots, and those examples occurred too infrequently to cause problems. Instead, the film looked concise and well-defined. No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects occurred, and edge enhancement was absent. I also failed to detect any source flaws.
In terms of colors, the movie featured a palette that favored yellow, teal and orange. None of these tones became overwhelming, so the elements don’t overwhelm like often becomes the case in modern movies. Across the board, the hues looked fine within their design parameters. Blacks were dark and deep, while shadows appeared clear and smooth. I thought the movie consistently looked positive.
As for the film’s DTS-HD MA 7.1 soundtrack, it offered a dynamic superhero experience. With a variety of action and ambient elements, the audio brought the events to life in fine fashion.
Battle sequences added the greatest punch, and the pieces used all the speakers to great advantage. Quieter scenes contributed good breadth and smoothness as well. All of this meant the audio filled out the spectrum in a nice manner.
Sound quality satisfied. Speech was natural and concise, without edginess or other issues. Music demonstrated good range and clarity as well. Effects worked the best of the bunch, as they were consistently dynamic and vivid. All in all, this was an active and engaging soundtrack.
This package includes both 2D and 3D versions of Days. The picture comments above reflected the 2D edition – what did the 3D presentation bring to the table?
In terms of picture quality, the 3D presentation didn’t equal the 2D rendition but it still looked good. As usual, brightness took a minor hit, and sharpness wasn’t quite as strong. Nonetheless, the 3D version offered appealing visuals.
As for the 3D imaging, it seemed positive. The movie opened and closed with big action sequences, and those used the capabilities best, especially in the way the 3D took advantage of the mutant powers. Other aspects of the film were less aggressive but they still added a nice sense of dimensionality. I thought the 3D added to the experience and made the flick more enjoyable.
Five Deleted Scenes run a total of five minutes, 36 seconds. We see “Farewell to Logan” (1:50), “Logan Attacks Hank” (0:59), “Nixon’s Tape Recorder” (0:29), “Sentinels Cancelled” (0:46) and “Logan Recovered (Alternate)” (1:32). None of these seem major, as they mostly offer minor tidbits. Some interesting material results, though, especially via a revelation about the future timeline’s Wolverine/Storm relationship.
We can watch the scenes with or without commentary from director Bryan Singer. He tells us basics about the clips and why he cut them in an efficient overview.
Note that Singer states we won’t find the deleted scenes in any other version of the film, and that holds true. The extended ”Rogue Cut” of Days includes none of these shots.
Kitchen Sequence lasts six minutes, 28 seconds and provides an odd behind the scenes look at that scene’s shoot. As he mentions in an intro, a vocal cord problem meant that Singer couldn’t speak in his normal voice – instead he had to use a falsetto. We watch the cast’s inability to stay focused in the face of Singer’s silly speech patterns.
After this we get a Gag Reel. It goes for five minutes, 40 seconds and presents the standard mix of goofs and giggles. Some of it entertains but it’s pretty average.
Some featurettes ensue. Double Take: Xavier and Magneto occupies 11 minutes, 51 seconds and offers info from Singer, screenwriter Simon Kinberg, producers Hutch Parker and Lauren Shuler Donner, and actors Ian McKellen, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, and Patrick Stewart. “Take” focuses on the dual generations of performers who play Magneto and Xavier and related challenges. This doesn’t become a meaty piece, but it offers some insights.
With the nine-minute, 47-second X-Men: Reunited, we hear from Singer, Donner, Stewart, McKellen, Parker, Kinberg, McAvoy, Fassbender, and actors Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Nicholas Hoult, Shawn Ashmore, Daniel Cudmore, Ellen Page and Jennifer Lawrence. “Reunited” covers the mix of old and new actors. It offers minor details but usually just talks about how great everyone was.
Classification: M goes for 11 minutes, 54 seconds and includes Singer, Donner, Parker, Kinberg, SPFX supervisor Cameron Waldbauer, visual effects supervisor Richard Stammers, additional visual effects supervisor Matt Sloan, sound designer Warren Hendriks, supervising sound editor John A. Larson, sound designer Chuck Michael, stunt coordinator Jeff Habberstad, and actors Booboo Stewart, Omar Sy, Adan Canto, Evan Peters, and Fan Bingbing. This one looks at new characters/cast, but it emphasizes areas like effects and audio more than the actors. That makes it a surprisingly informative piece.
Next comes Sentinels: For a Secure Future. It lasts nine minutes, 19 seconds and provides comments from Kinberg, Donner, Singer, Stammers, Waldbauer, Parker, Lawrence, Hendriks, production designer John Myhre, assistant supervising sound editor Skip Longfellow, foley artist Dan O’Connell, rerecording mixer DM Hemphill, and actor Peter Dinklage. As expected, this one looks at the design and creation of the movie’s robotic creatures. It becomes a reasonable examination. Like “Classification”, it adds a nice array of details.
We also get a Gallery. Subtitled “Trask Industries”, this breaks into three areas: “Mutant Experiments” (14 stills), “Blueprints” (11) and “Sentinel Construction” (8). We find a moderately interesting array of images.
The disc opens with an ad for Exodus: Gods and Kings. We also get three trailers for Days. The 3D disc also presents a 3D version of the Exodus promo.
Finally, a booklet presents some fan art. It offers a cool collection of movie-related images.
In relation to the rest of the series, X-Men: Days of Future Past offers a middle of the pack experience. It keeps us moderately involved but it never turns into anything especially exciting. The Blu-ray brings us solid picture and audio along with a decent set of supplements. Past offers a watchable but not great superhero tale.
To rate this film, visit the prior review of X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST