May 25, 2014 -- Time traveling plots are tricky because of the possibility of paradoxes, the creation of alternate realities and time lines, not to mention bad, confusing movie plots. The time travel in this film works well enough because it is mental time travel by one person, not physical time travel.

Mutants in the future are being hunted to extinction, along with a large portion of the rest of mankind because of a mistaken strategy for dealing with the “mutant problem.” A large number of powerful robots have been built to seek out and destroy mutants. The trouble is, the war between humans and mutants is destroying civilization itself. Not only that but the robots, following their programming to the letter, are taking the idea of genetic purity to extremes. They kill normal humans who happen to carry recessive mutant genes. This is the ultimate “purification” of the human race.

As in the first film, the comparison between those trying to eliminate all mutant genes, and Nazi Germany's attempt to create genetic purity by killing those considered less than perfect (such as Gypsies, Jews and those with physical or mental birth defects) is obvious. This message goes an additional step. It argues that if you insist on a program of total genetic purity and build robots to enforce it, the system can run amok, destroying everything, including those who created the robots in the first place.

The last few mutants in existence, including Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) who was killed in the third X-Men movie, make one last attempt to survive. Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page) a mutant who is able to time-travel, sends the mind of Logan (Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman) back in time to his own body in the past to try to prevent the whole mutant war from happening in the first place. Wolverine is sent back in time because of his regenerative powers he is the only one who can survive the trip. So, since professor X died long before this time, how did he get undead, you ask? It's complicated. Such is the nature of time travel and alternate time lines. Just be glad he's back.

Wolverine, who has time traveled back to 1973, must locate Charles Xavier (James McAvoy plays professor X in the past) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender in the past, Ian McKellen in the future) and persuade them to help him change history to prevent the disaster to come. This involves preventing an assassination carried out by the mutant Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence). None of these characters get along with each other. Wolverine, being a loner with a short temper, is an ill-suited negotiator to get them to cooperate, so he basically has to get out of character to do the job. This is a problem with the plot, and not the only one.

In the film's climax, there is another problem with the plot, and that is Magneto is in position to stop the coming war between mutants and humans with a very obvious tactic, but totally blows it. It appears he really wants this war, no matter what the cost. So basically, he's crazy. The movie gets around this plot problem clumsily and unconvincingly. There is a scene at the very end of the credits that gives us a preview of the next film, introducing an ancient mutant thousands of years ago, named En Sabah Nur. The next film will be X-Men: Apocalypse (2016).

On the whole, this film is well-acted and there is plenty of action. The plot could have been better, but most of the plot problems are not large ones. The special effects are very good, and the film looks good in 3D. The film's credits indicate at least some 3D was added in post-production. Other written reports indicate the film was supposed to have been shot in 3D. I've seen good and bad 3D created by both methods. Whatever 3D conversion method was used in this film, it worked. This film rates a B.

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