X-Men Origins: Wolverine
After months of reports of behind-the-scenes issues between studio and filmmakers, and after a highly-publicized leak of a work print online, “Wolverine”- the first in an apparent line of spin-offs with Marvel’s Mutant characters- is finally arriving. The result is an exciting action-adventure film that doesn’t quite capture the emotional resonance in Bryan Singer’s first two “X-Men” films, but does focus in better than Brett Ratner’s rushed- and far too broad- “X-Men: Last Stand” a few years back. That doesn’t mean there are things that director Gavin Hood (“Tsotsi,” “Rendition”) and his screenwriters couldn’t have done to make the film truly epic.
Of all of the superhero origins in either the D.C. or Marvel universe, those of Wolverine- a.k.a. Jim Logan in another life- have been the most compelling to comic readers since the character was introduced. About ten years ago, Marvel introduced readers to a possible scenario with their “Origins” line- suffice it to say, it sold like mad in comic book stores nationwide. Singer hinted at the events that made Logan, a mutant with regenerative powers, and bone-like claws coming out of his hands, in his first two “X-Men” movies. In a way, the fact that the stories don’t necessarily line up when you consider Hood’s film is fitting- it keeps in the tradition of comics, where characters can have several different versions of their origins emerge over the years. In the opening credits alone, we see Logan and his half-brother Victor (a.k.a. Sabretooth, played viciously by Liev Scheiber) fight as weapons in the military in every major war Americans had been involved with up to Vietnam, and going all the way back to the Civil War, around which Logan watches the man he thinks is his father get killed by a man claiming to be his father.
Things don’t get any less convoluted from there. In Vietnam, Victor and Logan are recruited for a special mutant task force headed by William Stryker (Danny Huston, adding another compelling villain to his recent string of them) which includes Wade (a.k.a. Deadpool, played with comic stealth by Ryan Reynolds), “Agent Zero” (Daniel Henney), Bradley (Dominic Monaghan), and others. When Stryker goes off mission for a more personal ambition, Logan leaves, much to the chagrin of Stryker and Victor. Six years later, Logan is working contently as a lumberjack in the Canadian Rockies, with a lovely girlfriend at his side (Kayla Silverfox, Lynn Collins), when his past catches up with him, and the events that’ll shape his life before he teams up with Professor Xavier and the X-Men kick into motion.
As Wolverine, Hugh Jackman still rocks the role that made him a star, with his gritty wit and rough and buff physique that makes the smallish actor (he’s considerably shorter than the comic’s Wolverine) completely believable as the most bad-ass superhero this side of Hulk. David Benioff and Skip Woods’ script plays to what made Jackman so great in the role in Singer’s and Ratner’s films, while also filling in much of the detail merely hinted at in those previous films as to how Logan became the character he is today, although the opening credits montage with Logan and Victor hints at a larger story that could have been told. But it’s hard to hold it against Hood and co.- the moment when Logan is recruited by Stryker is the pivotal one in his life, and it opens up a rabbit hole of intrigue and social significance that fits in with Hood’s previous work, as well as plays up part of what makes comics so compelling as a window looking at our own world.
I suppose I could continue on about the action sequences (they’re pretty impressive), the technical qualities (Donald M. McAlpine was an inspired choice to shoot the film considering his success in such action thrillers like “Predator,” “Patriot Games,” and “Clear and Present Danger”), and the music (Harry Gregson-Williams’ score lacks the punch of John Ottman’s for “X-2” and feeling of Michael Kamen’s for “X-Men,” but it’s far more compelling than John Powell’s forgettable work on “Last Stand”), but that’s not what’s gonna bring people into theatres (and in a way, it’s not gonna be what people appreciate most about the film- there are times when the visual effects are less-than-convincing). They’re gonna come for the “rogue’s gallery” of mutants on display (including fan-favorite Gambit, played with sinister urges by Taylor Kitsch) Logan meets along the way, and the opportunity to see one of comic’s most iconic characters in the act of defining himself. Jackman plays the character like a labor of love, which is probably why- inaccuracies to the source material aside- audiences love the character he’s created onscreen.
