This was a good, entertaining superhero film, but there was nothing that made it stand head and shoulders above other films in the genre.
In my prediction before seeing the film, I said that its combination of multiple casts and time periods could either make it seem pretentious or elevate it above other superhero films, depending on how well it was pulled off. It ended up doing neither. The characters from the future send Wolverine's (Hugh Jackman) consciousness back into his younger body in an attempt to avert their dark future. The film is primarily set in the "past" time period, with most of future scenes feeling largely irrelevant once they've served their purpose of setting up the story. By the very end, they are actually completely irrelevant, as the characters are trying to maintain Wolverine's connection to the past even once he has done everything important he's going to do in that time period.
Like many films that deal with time travel and have thought out the intricacies of the concept, this was a fun film. It never got much past that, though. The characters and their interactions were believable enough, but they rarely did anything particularly unexpected, and their motivations were often skin deep. It seems to have been left up to the actors to take the competent if thin writing and use their skill to imbue their characters with emotional heft. Some fared better than others. I don't expect great character work in a superhero film, and my criticisms are more aimed at some excessive praise I've seen the film get than at any true deficiency in the film itself. The action scenes are well done. The final sequence drags a little bit, but not too badly. It is much more to the point than the protracted finale of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", but not quite as well contained as the end of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2". I can forgive this, since it's understandable they would have a few more characters they'd have to follow, given the plurality implicit in the title.
Overall, this is a typical summer blockbuster. I recommend it if you want a fun time at the movies. It's better than a lot of superhero films, but it's also not a must see.
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