X-Men: Days of Future Past looks like a very difficult movie to get right. With a massive ensemble cast of both old and new mutants (with more than one version of some of them) and a plot based around time travel and divergent timelines, there are a lot of different ways in which this "inbetweequel" could have ended up simply collapsing under the weight of its own ambition.

As a result, the marketing for X-Men: Days of Future Past has been generating a fairly equal mix of excitement and trepidation. There have been concerns over certain character designs, and some fans are unhappy that Wolverine once again seems to be the main protagonist after getting two standalone movies to himself. The fact that the X-Men have been spending their weekends selling burgers for Carl's Jr. hasn't helped their image much, either.

The trailers for X-Men: Days of Future Past have been pretty promising, however, and based on the reactions to early screenings of the movie, it seems like director Bryan Singer may have successfully dodged the potential pitfalls and delivered a great X-Men movie. Here are just a few of the rave reviews circulating on Twitter.

Wow! DAYS OF FUTURE PAST is the greatest, most complete and staggeringly entertaining #xmen movie to date. Incredible. Movie of the summer!— Sean O'Connell (@Sean_OConnell) May 8, 2014

They should call X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST...DAYS OF FUTUTE HOTNESS! TAKE IT FROM YOUR BOY FANBOY NATION THE MOVIE IS ABSOLUTE FIYAH! BOOM!— Umberto Gonzalez (@elmayimbe) May 8, 2014

have to say...was fucking awesome seeing the old and new X-MEN cast in the same movie. Movie is 2hr 10min. Wish it was longer.— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) May 8, 2014

Saw X-Men: DOFP & it was really good! In opinion its the best X-Men movie so far but that's just me. It was like Avengers but with Mutants.— LatinoReview-Kel (@Latinoreview) May 8, 2014

Geeking out! Saw #XmenDaysOfFuturePast - Mind = officially blown! - Insane emotion/action! Every performance is awesome! Fav #XMen flick!!!— Kevin McCarthy (@KevinMcCarthyTV) May 8, 2014

Wow! #DaysofFuturePast was so good! Definitely the best X-Men movie so far. And that's all you need to know...go see it! #XMen @XMenMovies— Paul Salfen (@paulsalfen) May 8, 2014

One recurring sentiment that might allay the fears of X-Men fans is that Evan Peters' Quicksilver is a highlight of the movie, once you get past his dodgy disco hair and clothes. Sean O'Connell tweeted, "Do you know what character is legit great in #xmen? Quicksilver. I'm not joking. He REALLY works! Great scene." Eric Wakulski also called Quicksilver out as a "big highlight," and Steven Weintraub felt the same way, saying, "Quicksilver...wow. His main scene is highlight of the film."

X-Men: Days of Future Past has certainly been better received than X-Men: The Last Stand, in which one of the many missteps was the lame offscreen death of Scott Summers. Cyclops returned as a teenager (played by Tim Pocock) in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and by the end of the movie had encountered Professor Xavier for the first time.

Cyclops & Jean Grey to Return?

Since X-Men: Apocalypse, has been described as an "'80s period piece" and X-Men Origins: Wolverine was set in the mid-80s, it seems like Singer's next movie would be the perfect opportunity to show how Cyclops, Jean Grey and Storm first became part of the team. When asked by Sci-Fi Now if X-Men: Apocalypse would be in the right time zone to "revisit and recast" those three characters, Singer confirmed, "Yeah, exactly." Producer and screenwriter Simon Kinberg added, "In a way, it feels like from this point forward we can do whatever we want... but we'll be moving forward with some of the actors from the First Class/Days of Future Past cast."

At 40 years old, James Marsden is a little bit too mature to play a teenaged Scott Summers and the chances of Pocock reprising the role aren't too high either, given that he's so far only played a minor role in a Wolverine standalone movie. If young versions of Cyclops, Jean Grey and Storm do join the main team in X-Men: Apocalypse, then some new young actors will be required to play them.

I get the feeling that there are probably some X-Men fans out there who have ideas about who those actors should be, so share your suggestions with us in the comments.

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X-Men: Days of Future Past is out in theaters on May 23, 2014, and X-Men: Apocalypse is set for release on May 27, 2016.

Source: Sci-Fi Now, Twitter (via CBM)