Rated PG-13 (Intense Sequences of Action
and Violence, and Some Partial Nudity)
Running Time: 1 Hour & 48 Minutes
Cast:
Hugh Jackman-James Howlett/Logan/Wolverine
Liev Schreiber-Victor Creed/Sabretooth
Danny Huston-Colonel William Stryker
Lynn Collins-Kayla Silverfox
William Adams-John Wraith
Ryan Reynolds-Wade Wilson/Deadpool
Kevin Durand-Frederick J. Dukes/The Blob
Dominic Monaghan-Christopher Bradley/Bolt
Daniel Henney-David North/Agent Zero
Taylor Kitsch-Remy LeBeau/Gambit
Scott Adkins-Weapon XI
Tim Pocock-Scott Summers/Cyclops
Tahyna Tozzi-Emma Frost
Directed by Gavin Hood
 |
| Hugh Jackman, you're awesome. This film, not so much. |
SNIKT!!! Summer officially begins with the
release of the much-anticipated Marvel Comics film, “X-Men Origins Wolverine.”
Most of you have probably already seen it due to leaked workprint that has been
floating around on the Internet for the past month but I’ll discuss that later.
I’ve read a lot of the negative buzz surrounding the film, especially the
changes with fan-favorite Deadpool but personally, it wasn’t the disaster most
people made it out to be. Sure, it’s definitely no “Dark Knight” or “Watchmen”
but “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is still an action-packed, enjoyable film that’s
bogged down by a somewhat weak story, clunky dialogue and an overall generic
feel.
SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW! In Canada, 1845,
young James Howlett lies bedridden due to an unknown condition but is suddenly
awoken by the sound of a shotgun. To his shock, he discovers his father shot by
the groundskeeper, Thomas Logan. Enraged, his hands sprout razor-sharp bone
claws and James kills Logan in an act of vengeance, who, with his dying breath,
reveals that he is his true father. James runs away with his brother, Victor Creed,
and throughout their adult years, participate in many historical wars such as
the American Civil War, World War I and II, and eventually the Vietnam War.
Victor (Liev Schreiber) revels in his animalistic and savage nature, and he
attempts to rape a young Vietnamese girl until stopped by his superior officer,
whom he kills. James, now called Logan (Hugh Jackman) comes to his defense and
the two are sentenced to death by firing squad, though their unique
regenerative abilities keep them alive. Colonel William Stryker (Danny Huston)
visits the two in prison and makes them an offer to join a special black ops
team called ‘Team X,’ which also includes Fred J. Dukes/The Blob (Kevin
Durand), John Wraith (William Adams), Christopher Bradley/Bolt (Dominic
Monaghan), David North/Agent Zero (Daniel Henney) and Wade Wilson/Deadpool
(Ryan Reynolds). During a mission in Africa, Logan becomes disgusted at the
group’s willingness to kill innocents and leaves Team X. Six year's later,
Logan works as a logger in his native Canada and lives his girlfriend,
schoolteacher Kayla Silverfox (Lynn Collins). Meanwhile, someone has been
murdering former members of Team X and Stryker asks for Logan’s help but is
refused. The killer turns out to be none other than Victor, who murders
Silverfox in cold blood. Swearing vengeance, Logan agrees to Stryker’s offer,
who laces his skeleton with an indestructible metal called Adamantium, and
becomes…WOLVERINE.
Adapting a comic book character whose
history spans over 35 years was no easy task, and writers David Benioff and
Skip Woods succeed for the most part, merging elements of the mini-series
‘Wolverine: Origin’ with the Weapon X storyline from ‘Marvel Comics Presents’
#72 to 84. The problem is that it feels very generic and rushed, sacrificing
character development in favor of focusing on loud action sequences. We never
really care about Wolverine’s anguish because not enough time is spent on them.
It’s marginally better than “X-Men: The Last Stand” but that’s not saying much,
since the film falls into the same trap of trying to shoehorn every character
from the comics. This is frustrating because while you’re happy that your
favorite character is in the film, the result is unsatisfying because it just
boils down to a glorified cameo. Prime examples would be Remy LeBeau/Gambit
(Taylor Kitsch) and Deadpool. Gambit literally is on-screen for 15 minutes and
we never really learn his motivations because one minute he’s fighting
Wolverine and becomes his sidekick the next. Perhaps what will make comic book
fans reach for their pitchforks is the complete bastardization of Deadpool. We
see him as a member of Team X and his depiction is largely fine there thanks to
Reynold’s portrayal of the ‘Merc with a Mouth.’ Unfortunately, he just
disappears until the end, where he comes back as Weapon XI with an appearance
that bears no resemblance to his comic book counterpart and wielding an
amalgamation of other mutant’s powers. Sad, because director Gavin Hood really
had the potential to do the character justice but I guess the rumored studio
interference from 20th Century Fox and the reported reshoots did more damage
than I had originally foreseen. Also problematic is the way Logan loses his
memory due to 'Adamantium bullets,' which just seems crude and not well
thought-out.
“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is really Hugh
Jackman’s show and it is his performance that saves the film from complete
mediocrity. After playing the character that made him a household name nine
years ago, I don’t expect anything less but like I mentioned before, not enough
time is spent on analyzing the personal tragedies he suffers in favor of
slicing and dicing helicopters. Hood won an Oscar for his 2005 foreign language
film, “Tsotsi” and it makes one wonder how different "Wolverine"
would've turn out if he had focused his effort into making a more dramatic
film, rather than fulfilling the demands of studio. After Jackman, Liev
Schreiber shines the most as Victor Creed/Sabretooth, who displays the right
amount of menace that looks like he could explode into a berserk rage at any
second. His tumultuous relationship with his brother is the centerpiece of the
film and is an example of the good that comes from a storyline if given the
proper time to develop. The only other actor with the most screen-time is Danny
Huston as Colonel William Stryker. He is essentially channeling Brian Cox’s
performance from “X2: X-Men United” and it works for the most part but he lacks
the charisma of Cox. The rest of the supporting cast play bit parts that don’t
really serve the story and could’ve been replaced by any other X-Men character
without making a difference. The relationship between Wolverine and Silverfox
doesn’t resonate partly because Lynn Collins is not on-screen much, thus
robbing much of the film’s emotional impact. Reynolds is hilarious as Deadpool
and after he kills an entire group of gunmen with twin katanas he yells, ‘Ok!
People are dead!’ This just makes it more disappointing due to his limited
screen-time and if the rumors about the reshoots were to expand his role, then
originally he must’ve only had a fleeting cameo.
The action scenes are generally exciting
but occasionally bogged down by bad visual effects, a prime example being the
plane sequence during the beginning of the film. Wolverine and Sabretooth
engage in a few titanic claw fights; other memorable action scenes include
Agent Zero dishing out punishment with his pistols and Deadpool swinging his
katanas so fast to deflect bullets. However, the violence is just too toned
down for such a vicious character and it is surprising to see that the game
adaptation revels in blood and gore with Wolverine frequently disemboweling
enemies. In the film, there's nary a drop of blood! Comic book fans will notice
some smart nods to the previous X-Men films, including a cameo by Scott
Summers/Cyclops (Tim Pocock) and Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart),
though his digital de-aging didn’t really look that great and had the
appearance of a wax figure.
“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” was released to
largely negative reviews from professional critics, with a 37% on Rotten
Tomatoes, which is incredibly low for such a high-budget summer release. While
Jackman was singled out for his performance, critics said that not even he can
‘overcome a cliché-ridden script and familiar narrative.’ It could’ve been
worse considering that there are certainly some god-awful comic book films such
as “Elektra” and “Ghost Rider.” It will no doubt be #1 at the box office this
weekend but most certainly be demolished by “Star Trek” next week, which has
been receiving positive buzz all across the board. General audiences that
aren’t too familiar with the comics will probably enjoy it as evidenced by the
whooping and applause when I saw the film. Now, as for the people that watched
the workprint, I urge you to experience it in the movie theater because what
you saw was an unfinished film, akin to playing a beta of a video game. “X-Men
Origins: Wolverine” is certainly worth the price of admission largely thanks to
Hugh Jackman’s performance and some awesome action set-pieces but it’s bogged
down by a run-of-the-mill story that doesn’t push the limits of what comic book
movies can do such as “The Dark Knight.” At the end of the day, it feels like
every other loud summer blockbuster, which is a shame considering how Marvel
started off last summer with a bang thanks to "Iron Man." Make sure
to stay during the credits for a special epilogue, which is different depending
on what movie theater you’re in.
Final Rating: 3 out of 5
"I'm the best there is at what I do,
and what I do best isn't very nice."
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