6) John Ottman, the Musical Score and the Pacing
I think it’s safe to say without composer/editor John Ottman, these X-Men films just aren’t up to scratch. The first was good, yes, but there was definitely room for improvement. X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine … well, we’ve already mentioned their shortcomings enough as it is. But it truly is a testament to Ottman’s prowess as a composer and an editor that X-Men: Days of Future Past and X2 are head and shoulders above the rest.
How refreshing was it to hear his score over the titles? As the camera swirls through the stainless cerebro walls following a Patrick Stewart monologue, the music is heroic by its very nature – it almost felt as if we’d travelled back in time to 2003 and were watching X2 in the cinema for the first time again. The moment was one of pure nostalgia and set the tone for the rest of the film.
How so? Well, one of X2’s many positives was how well the story was balanced. Scenes begin as late as possible and finish as soon as they have to – this really is filmmaking 101 but something which is a lot harder to accomplish without the aid of a gifted editor. In John Ottman, X-Men: Days of Future Past has just this. His ability to cut a film and piece it back together is extremely commendable. You need look no further than Bryan Singer’s crime classic, The Usual Suspects, to see how Ottman’s good editing can keep the audience on the edge of their seat with vested interest.
X-Men: Days of Future Past follows suit, as it builds and builds with the perfect pace. Not too fast and not too slow – just right as Goldilocks would say. This, in turn, makes for spectacular viewing, and in terms of the score – fantastic listening.