Bryan Singer directs Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart and Jennifer Lawrence in this time travelling mission to stop a mutant holocaust that has our heroes down to their final stand.

The original cast of the franchise and the period reboot new class cross paths to winning effect in this action packed, emotionally engaging big screen rager. Smartly plotted, confidentally told and assuredly performed by all onscreen this is a great night at the movies and a series high. Everyone gets a worthy bit of business (except Halle Berry’s Storm but why change the habit of the lifetime?) and “everyone” is one hell of a movie star roll call. Newcomers Peter Dinklage (well written villian), Fan Bingbing (terrifically realised and utilised as portal creating Blink -more please) and especially Evan Peters (superspeedy and adorable as Quicksilver) fit in to their slots with ease and underline just how cleverly assembled the chess like action  sequences have been formulated. And shockingly for a summer juggernaut many of those early set pice take place in small, enclosed locations (safe, hotel room, kitchen, conference room) so only once all hell breaks out in the double era-spanning, gigantic send off does the scale move noticeably up. Until then the mutant powers combined and the conflicting character motivations unleashed are enough to make the fights and fantasy grip. The Rogue Cut has some great extra scenes; Old Magneto rescues series starter Anna Paquin’s Rogue while Lawrence and Hoult’s brilliant Beast have a fireside pause for romance / politics. This is the definitive version of a new summer classic.

10