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These are remarkable times for Marvel comic fans as film effects have enabled story and imagination to produce a visually stunning, realistic experience. With X Men: Days of Future Past, a strong team of writers and director Bryan Singer have created a highly entertaining quasi-sequel/prequel which reinvents the X Men world from all the previous versions. A logistical challenge from the get go, this film has accomplished the near impossible and approaches the excellence of The Avengers.

In a bleak vision of the future, mutants are being hunted down along with any human sympathizers by enhanced, robotic Sentinel hunters. With the last vestiges of hope at a remote location, Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Erik Lehnsherr AKA Magneto (Ian McKellen) join forces in a last ditch effort to alter the timeline using Kitty Pryde's (Ellen Page) transferring powers to send Logan AKA Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back to his body in the 1970s. His desperate mission is to convince the younger Charles (James McAvoy) and Erik (Michael Fassbender) to stop Raven AKA Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), from carrying out a vendetta against humans including a scientist named Dr. Trask (Peter Dinklage), who holds the key to the Sentinel army. However, tracking Raven is problematic while the younger Charles has lost his purpose having withdrawn into seclusion, and a young, embittered Erik is locked away for a significant crime. How Wolverine can 'put the band back together' is just the beginning of a convoluted storyline that not only involves time travel but exposing old, emotional wounds and the fleeting hope of salvation from a doomed future.

From the opening 20th Century Fox fanfare with its highlighted 'X', you know Singer has got his mojo back (after the misfire of Superman Returns). Having started the current Marvel era of filmmaking with X Men (2000), he knows these characters better than anyone, and the screenplay has a strong narrative with some genuinely funny lines. Like X Men: First Class, this film crisscrosses the globe from Vietnam to Paris to Washington D.C., and much of the early period parallels actual historic events and figures as in Watchmen.

Fate and destiny: can history be altered and can people change? The film has such a complex plot you wonder if it will shortchange the emotional content. It doesn't. In fact, you could almost have made this a two part film and expanded the possibilities. By trying to link the old with the new into one cohesive plot was challenge enough, but by sprinkling in bits of references to the Marvel canon and providing a great ending, comic fans should be giddy and thrilled. You don't have to have seen every X Men film, but it helps to enrich the experience for fans of Marvel lore by connecting a lot of dots.

Once again, the interplay between the younger Charles and Erik forms the core of a paradoxical love/hate relationship. First, Charles must find his way back from his self-imposed exile amid personal loss, and then it becomes a fascinating triangle of wills; Raven may be the target, but Erik and Charles struggle for her soul. Stewart lends authority (as the older Charles) as he narrates in grim tones the opening sequence which has parallels (as in the first X Men) to the Holocaust and human intolerance.

The large cast shines especially McAvoy and Lawrence, who gets to speak in Vietnamese much as Fassbender espoused German in First Class. You wish there were more of Stewart and McKellen, who are so good together, and despite relegating some cast members (including Halle Berry as Storm) to brief cameos or short scenes, plenty of familiar faces reappear from previous films to lend an air of continuity, and you feel the casts of both past and present are adequately represented.

New characters are introduced with cool powers particularly Evan Peters as Quicksilver, whose rapid speed proves instrumental in the film's standout sequence that ranks up there with X 2's opening White House assault by Nightcrawler. The special effects are that good. Just watching the final showdown where the mutants utilize all their unique powers to do battle with the Sentinels is a treat. Mystique's special morphing powers are on full display along with her acrobatic fighting style, and Magneto's powers are dead on as he literally raises RFK Stadium when the action shifts to DC and The White House.

Ambitious and well executed, X Men: Days of Future Past reaches the heights of X 2 and successfully merges two different universes both past and present, resets the timelines and events in a massive reboot, and results in a cohesive, entertaining story with an expanded, marquee cast. By applying equal parts reverence and boldness with the X Men mythology, Singer and company have accomplished a nearly impossible juggling act. With visionary directors like Joss Whedon (whose The Avengers is the gold standard) and Singer, the Marvel brand is likely to be an exemplary force of film entertainment for many years to come.

(Yes, stay until the end of the credits for a brief, elaborate setup for the next film!)

Directed with the sure hands of brothers Anthony and Joe Russo (TV's Community) from an excellent screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is easily the best of the stand alone Marvel films and a thrilling action film full of big surprises and twists with far reaching consequences. A superior sequel like X Men 2 and The Dark Knight, it raises the stakes of good story telling and intricate plotting of comic book adaptations in the guise of a political thriller.

Steve Rogers AKA Captain America (Chris Evans) continues his adjustment to 21st century life after his thaw from the deep freeze (in Captain America: The First Avenger) and befriends a fellow veteran, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie). On a typical mission for S.H.I.E.L.D., Cap and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) lead a team of agents to rescue a pirated ship which turns up an interesting bit of information. Meanwhile, as S.H.I.E.L.D. readies the major launch of a defense system in Washington, D.C., there are growing concerns expressed by boss Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to his superior, Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford). As suspicions multiply, all hell breaks loose when there is an assassination attempt on one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s own. The conspiracy leads Captain America to a confrontation with a mysterious, formidable figure, The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), whose strength and skills are extraordinary. With only a small circle of comrades, everything Cap has come to value comes crashing down. Loyalties are tested and just who will survive a major shift in the world order is just the beginning of an insidious plot.

For fans of Cap, these are grand times as the filmmakers have chosen a major story arc (The Winter Soldier) from his comic annals and incorporated Silver Age characters, e.g. The Falcon (Mackie) and Batroc. Recently, super hero films have chosen to bend the rules and take chances with tradition. This film goes much further than any previous Marvel adaptation. It features a good mystery, topical subject matter on individual privacy, and significant plot twists so much so that it is essential for the viewer to watch them unfold without any spoilers. The smart script contains witty lines amid a pervasive feeling of mistrust and paranoia. When Cap responds to Fury's state of the art weaponry to combat threats and says, "This isn't freedom. This is fear," it sums up the theme of the story. Think of this as homage to 1970s conspiracy classics like Three Days of the Condor, The Parallax View, and Marathon Man. The film also employs moments that references Mission Impossible, The X Files, RoboCop, and 24.

Acting is uniformly strong as some old, familiar faces return, and a few new ones get introduced. By now Evans has become the embodiment of the iconic hero, retaining his sense of justice, duty, and morals, virtues which are downright refreshing in a post 9/11 world. Rogers is a Rip Van Winkle out of his time and still learning to assimilate the world changes and cultural references with amusing results. Evans' chemistry with Johansson is believable yet ironic since their two characters have vastly different backgrounds. In a costarring role, Johansson's Black Widow is resourceful, smart, and deadly as a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative whose history is only beginning to be scratched. Perhaps Black Widow should have her own film! Jackson's Fury has an expanded role and reveals more facets of his mysterious background. Robert Redford (All the President's Men) has a significant, atypical role as a high level official, and he is outstanding. His presence alone adds legitimacy and authority to the film. Mackie (The Hurt Locker) is an ideal buddy in arms to Evans. Emily VanCamp makes a good first impression as a young agent, and Cobie Smulders (returning as Agent Maria Hill) provides solid backup.

The many impressive action sequences are noteworthy for their ferocity and meticulous detail, but the standouts are a mad, opening car chase through the streets of D.C., and a remarkable fight in a glass elevator that surpasses the gem in Die Hard: With a Vengeance. There are moments of intense hand to hand combat that recall the best moments of the Bourne films on steroids. You've also got to love that shield; the film wisely displays all the creative ways Cap's shield is employed in combat. The violence here is realistically depicted and not cartoonish which pushes its PG-13 rating. Extensive use of hand-held cameras and more live action special effects than CGI lend a stronger sense of realism. D.C. locations make a splendid backdrop for much of the film.

Taking super hero filmmaking to new heights, Captain America: The Winter Soldier successfully interconnects what we know from previous films and effectively challenges you to reevaluate everything in the Marvel Universe. It certainly helps to have seen the previous films, but there is sufficient background and context that a casual outsider would still enjoy it. (Fans of TV's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will have a field day as the events tie directly with the show.) Though the film ends with open ended story threads that beg for another sequel, consider this as The Empire Strikes Back of Captain America. That's not such a bad place to be.

(As usual, don't forget two post credit scenes which are significant.)

A bittersweet tale of a mother's search for a loved one from her past forms the core of Philomena, a real life semibiography of atonement and forgiveness amid ignorance and the passage of time. As directed by Stephen Frears (The Queen, My Beautiful Laundrette) from a screenplay by Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope from Martin Sixsmith's book, "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee", it features impressive acting and an affecting story.

Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) is an unemployed news writer in Britain who is searching for direction in his life. At the same time, an elderly woman, Philomena Lee (Judi Dench), prays in church and commemorates an anniversary of the pain and loss of her illegitimate son. She recalls the distant memories of working at an abbey in Ireland and being forced to give her young boy for adoption. Her plight makes its way to Sixsmith who at first is not interested in human interest stories, but Philomena's anguish kindles a curiosity within Sixsmith and eventually grows into a crusade that has the support of a publisher. Stymied by false leads and lost records, Philomena's desperate search for her adult son leads to a revelation and the truth despite the dogmatic doctrines of a holy institution.

Simultaneously a love story of a mother for her child and an investigative mystery, this is essentially a two person play, in which Philomena and Martin are contrasts in personality and background-she has a naïvety about her while he is a born cynic. That she must experience a full spectrum of emotions during her journey from shame to anticipation to despondency contrasts with Martin's determination, anger, and frustration.

As expected, Dench (Skyfall, Notes on a Scandal) excels in the sensitive role of an older woman anxious to reconnect with her son. She even gets the nuances and behavior of a woman who has had a sheltered, broken life and lacks the sophistication and social graces of normalcy. This detail is nice texture to her character. Like the sole photograph she has of her son, she clings to memories and hopes of redemption. Coogan is quite convincing as the determined reporter, quite a contrast to his comedic roots in British television and film.

There is liberal use of flashbacks to show Philomena's life as a teenage girl. Sometimes dredging old memories can cause great pain not only for Philomena, but for other people who hold clues to her son's whereabouts. What become of him? What kind of relationships and profession did he have in life? And perhaps, most importantly, did he ever wonder about his birth mother? The film shows how life can be a series of events punctuated by remarkable links and coincidences particularly in one revelatory moment that serves as a remarkable thread that binds the principals together. Some antiquated themes recall the stigma of being an unmarried mother and the practice of adopting illegitimate children through the church. In some ways this film is the flip side to The Cider House Rules.

It calls into question how much an institution like the Catholic Church may or may not have been complicit in the knowledge or whereabouts of her son. It seems too obvious to place responsibility and condemn the Catholic Church, the very foundation of faith, and its nuns as villains. In fact you wish you could learn much more about the motives and thinking of the older nuns and countless other nameless victims that passed through the abbey; Philomena is but one story. What about Philomena's life beyond the abbey? We see that she also has a grown daughter, and yet we don't have those details.

After all that has transpired, the detective work, and globetrotting from Europe to the United States, there is only the love between a mother and her son. In the end, a mother's hope and a reporter's quest become a heartfelt search for the truth, a truth born of love that transcends time.