20th Century Fox
Perhaps hoping to compete with the steller Captain America: the Winter Soldier trailer this week, Sony’s X-Men: Days of Future Past just released its first teaser… on Instagram Video. Yep, it’s seven action-packed seconds from director Bryan Singer, back for DOFP from the original two movies. It might not look like much, but take a second glance and you’ll realize there’s a lot of information condensed into this quick video.
Now, let’s deconstrct it shot-by-shot. It won’t take long, (there’s only fifteen shots) and you’ll be surprised how much you learn.
1. Closeup on a blue/green eye: Starting with an easy one. Looks like someone’s going to get one hell of a nightmarish vision from Cerebro.
2. A motorcade drives by a crowd waving yellow/red flags reminiscent of China/Russia: The comic version of Days of Future Past takes place in 1980. (The future aspect takes place in 2013.) In that past, some sort of schism must take place to derail the timeline and activate the hatred of mutants that puts the characters in danger. Perhaps Singer is going with an alternate Ccold War wherein another powerful Communist nation emerges. It could even be America, taken over by extreme anti-Fascists like Magneto.
3. Wolverine gets blue light shot into his temples: While in the comics, the catalyst of the time travel is Kitty Pryde’s power, and Ellen Page is in this film, some of the clues revealed online suggest that Wolverine will be traveling with her, going to the past to warn the younger X-Men of the cataclysmic future. Here we see, it could be a painful process if even the invulnerable Logan is affected.
4. Hatch opening in the Oval Office: Again, we see the emblem of this new nation everywhere, as a pair of neatly dressed guards open up a secret passage or compartment. There is some sort of government or authority our characters will be either facing or working with.
5. Silly jumpsuits: It’s understandable why the primary colored costumes from the comics aren’t used, but somehow the all-black bodysuits look even worse this time around. Another thing to notice is that Professor X and Magneto are together and don’t seem to be fighting. The anti-mutant crusade (or… something) is serious enough for these two to work together.
6. Storm storming: Storm’s stormy powers were never used for much more than set dressing in the other films, so here’s the chance for that to either change, or, most likely, stay exactly the same.
7. Young Magneto takes the wide armed stance that usually means he’s calling forth his powers. The building behind him could maybe be the White House from earlier? Or a part of the mutant academy? Either way, Magneto is in full righetous evil mode. Check out that Fassbender focus.
8. Mystique crying: So they got Jennifer Lawrence to come back after she won her Oscar and put her in hours upon hours of sequin application. This is doing little to make up for the corniness of the other costumes and makeup so far.
9. Young Professor X using Cerebro: There’s a groovy, goofy long hair thing happening that you’d think a powerful telepath would realize makes him look ridiculous.
10. Ice Man icing: Great, Singer gets to write more Ice Man/Rogue/Shadowcat fanfiction.
11. Wolverine punching with no shirt on at some guys with guns/’70s outfits: Okay, so no wonky ages for Wolverine. We’re getting the same old Hugh Jackman, with the muscles and the shirtlessness and the jeans and the unrealistic leaping.
12. Beast screaming: showing off the combination of practical effects and CGI that made him look absolutely nothing like actor Nicolas Hoult. And another strike for the cartoony facial hair and clothes. Where does one find a XXXXXL leather blazer?
13. Someone drowning. This shot implies that someone drowns, or comes close to drowning.
14. Mystique being pulled towards Magneto: Presumably this is some use of his power, but the real story is that Mystique and Magneto are on the outs in this past, maybe still recovering from Magneto accidentally (and outside of comic canon) paralyzing Professor X.
15. Professor X ducks away from a bright light: Seriously, I never knew how bad Xavier’s fashion sense was. What is up with those buckles on the front of his suit? Calling it up front: this movie’s wardrobe department gets an F.
Imagine how much we’ll learn when they release a full trailer.
