The time has arrived. "X-men Days of Future Past" will officially hit theaters at midnight on Thursday, welcoming fans back into Marvel's wonderfully convoluted world of mutant superheroes and villains.

It's been a roller coaster ride for the film series adaptation of the popular comic book series. The franchise set the stage for modern day superhero movies with Bryan Singer's first "X-men" film in 2000. Its sequel, "X2," was an even greater hit and is often hailed as one of the best superhero ensemble films of all time.

Then Singer left the series and things went a little downhill. Brett Ratner's follow-up, "X-men: The Last Stand," received lukewarm approval at best. Franchise star Wolverine then went off to star in his own spinoff, which was universally panned by critics.

It wasn't until 2011's "X-men: First Class" that the series found it's footing again. The movie introduced audiences to an earlier generation of X-men, led by a young Professor X and Magneto. Fans loved it, and the series looked to be headed in a new and positive direction.

Then it was announced that Bryan Singer would be returning to helm the next film in the series, an adaptation of the popular though complicated 80's storyline, "Days of Future Past." The movie would see the return of the original trilogy's cast as they ventured into the past to prevent a dark and grim future from occurring.

Fans were skeptical. Not only was the thought of combining the plotlines of the earlier movies with "First Class" enough to make one apprehensive, but the film looked packed with too many characters to be pulled off effectively.

Well, the reviews of Days of Future Past have hit the web... and it looks like Singer may have pulled off another success. Consensus is this movie is the best we've seen from the X-men in a long time, maybe even ever.

"'X-Men: Days of Future Past' combines the best elements of the series to produce a satisfyingly fast-paced outing that ranks among the franchise's finest installments," wrote movie review aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes, where the movie currently has a 94 percent approval rating.

"In a genre in which cities are flattened and worlds destroyed with offhanded frequency, 'Days of Future Past' - despite, yes, flattening our world - walks a rare line between casual and urgent," wrote Christopher Borelli of Chicago Tribune.

"Singer's return in the pretzel-logic pop fantasia 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' is so triumphant because of how effortless he makes connecting the dots seem. It's an epic that couldn't be more Byzantine on paper but scans with ease on screen," said Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly.

"X-men Days of Future Past" will be released on May 23. Going to see it Thursday night? Let us know in the comment section below.