Why So Blu?

X-Men: Days of Future Past – The Rogue Cut (Blu-ray Review)

Last year saw the release of X-Men: Days of Future Past. It was met with wide praise and box office success. With that in mind, there has been promise from Bryan Singer to release a different cut of the film that re-inserts a key sequence involving Anna Paquin’s Rogue back into the film. That cut is now here, on this new Blu-ray, which is a huge double-drip, but one well worth it for fans that want everything. Read on to learn more about this packed Blu-ray, featuring both cuts of the film and more.

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Film:

Honestly, after seeing The Rogue Cut, my opinion of the film has not changed. You can read my previous review of the film, as it does a fine job of explaining what my overall thoughts are and why. That said, there are some notable qualities of this new cut.

Singer has stated that this cut does not simply feature some new scenes involving Rogue, but some various changes to the film as a whole as well. Watching the film, there are some clear differences that fans will surely notice. Some dialogue setups and deliveries are different; some of the shots have an alternate look to them. Even some of the visual effects are cleaned up or altered in subtle ways.

Aside from the Rogue portion, there are two entirely new scenes. One involves Beast and Wolverine discussing the future and what their actions may lead to. The other is a little ridiculous, but involves and encounter between Beast and Mystique and it makes little sense, given how the film is supposed to be playing out.

The Rogue scene is interesting enough, but there is a clear reason why the original cut of the film is the way it is. The missing scene is seamlessly integrated back into the film and even allows some portions of the climax to make a bit more sense, but it is still ultimately unnecessary. It feels more like a distraction to what has already been going on, which is something Singer is smart enough to have known to begin with.

Fans do enjoy getting what they want though and while Paquin’s Rogue has never been as interesting as she was in the first X-Men film, they can now see her in action a little bit more than just a two second cameo, as was the case with the theatrical cut. As a whole, the film plays out the same way, with some elements that make a longer film feel a bit tighter in some instances. Really though, this is something of the ultimate cut and fans can take from that what they will.

Video: 

Encoding: AVC MPEG-4

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Clarity/Detail: Anyone who owns the previous release gets to see an identical transfer here. That said, this is a gorgeous Blu-ray that does the job as far as presenting all the details to be found in a film that features some stark contrasts, depending on the time period. This may be the most visual effects-heavy X-Men feature yet and those elements all come through incredibly well.

Depth: While this Blu-ray does not feature the 3D cut of the film, you can still get a kick out of the way we watch the depth of field be played with by means of the slow motion sequences and the use of portals, based on one mutant’s abilities.

Black Levels: Black levels are strong here. They are as deep as they need to be, which is especially effective in the future-based scenes.

Color Reproduction: The color pallet alternates between blues and grays to something a lot more lively, given the 70s setting that is featured in much of the film. It all pops though, which is great.

Flesh Tones: Character details come through cleanly and with lots of great clarity as we watch these various characters up close.

Noise/Artifacts: Nothing to speak of.

 

Audio: 

Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, English Descriptive Audio 5.1 (Theatrical Cut Only), Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

Dynamics: This is a perfect audio track. The way we see action, mutant powers, and all sorts of other elements is perfectly handled when it comes to hearing how it all sounds. A great deal of work must have gone into the sound design and it is perfectly reflected here.

Low Frequency Extension: The LFE Channel gets an amazing workout, given how extensive the action sequences and soundtrack is, when it comes to delivering oomph for the viewer.

Surround Sound Presentation: The balance here is fantastic. You get a great understanding of the sense of place for everything, thanks to work to incorporate all the channels. It is a busy film, but all of the different elements come together incredibly well.

Dialogue Reproduction: You can here every human and mutant loud and clear.

 

Extras: 

While this Blu-ray lacks all of the extras seen on the previous release, it provides more than enough new material for fans, including both cuts of the film.

Features Include:

• Disc 1:
  • Audio Commentary by Director Bryan Singer and Composer/Film Editor John Ottman (Rogue Cut) – This is the track to listen to, as it is fun and detailed as far as understanding all that went into the making of this film.
  • Audio commentary by Bryan Singer and Writer Simon Kinberg (Theatrical Cut) – Given Ottman’s long friendship with Singer, it makes sense that this commentary is a little drier. That said, having the writer on for a commentary does bring about some interesting details.
  • Second Screen App
• Disc 2:
  • Mutant vs. Machine (HD, 52:41) – A 9-part making-of that allows a lot of insight into the making of the film.
  • X-Men: Unguarded (HD, 30:11) – A fun conversation involving the cast and crew.
  • Gallery: Storyboards, Costumes & Concept Art (HD)
  • Fantastic Four Sneak Peak (HD, 1:49)
  • Digital HD Copy of the Film

Summary: 

I still may not be as enamored with Days of Future past as many others were, but no doubt if you were a fan that this is the Blu-ray to own. It has everything you would want and remains a great video/audio presentation of such an epic X-Men film. Don’t be afraid to double-dip, as this is one upgrade truly worth it.

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