X-Men: Days of Future Past

A superhero film challenges redemptive violence



In general, there is no film genre today that is more likely to assure box office success (usually blockbuster status) than superhero films. I believe there are many reasons why today’s filmgoers enjoy escaping into a world where evil villains (often super-villains) are defeated by superheroes (however flawed) who do not need to do things “by the book” (i.e., wait on the slow-moving wheels of a bureaucratic and sometimes corrupt justice system). This is not the place to review those reasons.



Imagine my surprise, then, when I watch a popular superhero film that seems to challenge the myth of redemptive violence at every turn. Such is the case with X-Men: Days of Future Past.