Dir: Gavin Hood, 2009, USA, 107 mins approx.
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Dominic Monaghan, Ryan Reynolds
Reviewed by Martyn Bamber
Nearly ten years ago, the original X-Men movie arrived in cinemas like a breath of fresh air. There had been films based on comic books before, of course, but aside from Superman and Batman, there weren't many notable examples. Flash forward to 2009 and comic book films have become commonplace, with a number of artistically and financially successful films, such as Spider-Man and Batman Begins. However, many other comic book stories on film are predictable or throw away potentially interesting ideas. X-Men Origins: Wolverine has got a terrific bunch of characters and a potentially compelling story, but it is more conventional than groundbreaking; meeting genre expectations rather than exceeding them.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine tells the story of how Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) came to be the man we know from the X-Men film series, taking him from traumatised child to conflicted adult. The film uncovers a lot of the character's mystery and some answers a number of questions, from the crucial (how did Wolverine lose his memory?) to the more trivial (how did he get his iconic jacket?), while characters and events from previous films (or should that be future stories?) crop up throughout. We discover how Wolverine and William Stryker (Danny Huston) are connected and what the Weapon X programme is all about, and we see the tragic events that will shape the rest of Wolverine's life, principally involving Stryker, Wolverine's girlfriend Kayla (Lynn Collins) and Wolverine's half brother Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber).
While some of this back-story is undoubtedly interesting, many of these questions are answered in a rather banal way (and one plot resolution at the end is contrived and unconvincing). Hugh Jackman's signature role always had a Clint Eastwood-esque “Man with No Name” element to it, not just because Jackman has a cigar and squint that's reminiscent of Sergio Leone-era Eastwood, but also because Wolverine is a mysterious loner and anti-hero. Revealing key aspects of Wolverine's past fills in the blanks for the audience, but it also robs the character of much of the mystery he had in the other films. The other X-Men film dropped tantalising hints about Wolverine's origins, and while revealing more about Wolverine may satisfy our curiosity, ironically it also eliminates the appealing ambiguity about the character.
To be fair though, it's made clear early in the film that Wolverine is not the uncontrollable violent man that Victor is, and the story is at pains to show Wolverine struggling to restrain his animalistic, warrior impulses and settle down with Kayla as a more peaceful, sensitive man. The ongoing conflict with Victor and the developing relationship with Kayla explore these elements of Wolverine's character, but they're also evident in other scenes, such as the moment when Wolverine takes brief refuge with an elderly couple. These moments show that Wolverine is a decent man and that he will instinctively fight for good people (which perhaps explain why such a gruff individualist ultimately hooks up with the X-Men later on) and not just lash out uncontrollably.
However, for much of the time, the film feels as if it's playing it safe with the Wolverine character and the material around him, even adding references to the other X-Men films that feel unwarranted (they seem like more of a nod and wink to fans than an essential component of this story). The special effects work is also variable, with some sections working well (the opening credit montage showing Wolverine and his brother fighting in various wars, from the civil war to Vietnam, is a compelling mix of storytelling and spectacle), and some cartoonish and unconvincing (some shots of Wolverine's claws make them look flat and cartoonish).
The story tends to grind its gears, with some developments feeling contrived rather than naturally occurring. Films like this don't have to be based in the real world or have realistic characters, but they have to be convincing, and sometimes the storytelling here just isn't. For instance, the film seems to come unstuck once it gets to 'the island', where there's lots of exposition to plough through that seems rushed and uncertain. This includes a rather unconvincing moment when Wolverine, confronted by a shocking revelation from Stryker, just walks off, with Stryker simply letting him leave. Still, the film recovers after this narrative bump and picks up during the final confrontation between Wolverine and a new mutant enemy who has a few tricks up his sleeve.
Jackman continues to be charismatic in the lead role, successfully combining aggression and sensitivity, and frequently showing how Wolverine is pulled from one extreme to the other. The supporting cast are also strong, particularly Ryan Reynolds' Wade Wilson/Deadpool and Remy LeBeau/Gambit, played by Taylor Kitsch. Schreiber is also very effective as Creed, reflecting a darker and more violent side of Wolverine, but ironically coming across as more calm, controlled and quietly intimidating. The action scenes are also efficiently staged and frequently exciting- the aforementioned opening credit sequence is probably the best and most original- and Hood largely maintains a good balance between the spectacle and the story elements, never letting one outweigh another.
The early scenes with the mutant mercenaries are also intriguing, as they show a more ambiguous group of mutants that are very different from the familiar and relatively straightforward good/bad mutant characters in the other films, represented by Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) respectively. The mercenaries, led by the duplicitous Stryker, are a much more shadowy bunch of characters, and they are just as interesting as Wolverine. In fact, some of these mercenaries threaten to take the focus away from Wolverine, just because they're so fresh and compelling.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine lays the groundwork for a future instalment, but if there is to be sequel to this film (and a post credits sequence, which differs depending on what version you see, hints that there will be), it could take the character and the audience to places that are more surprising. We know where Wolverine will end up, but it's the journey and not the destination that's of interest here. With ambitious comic based epics like The Dark Knight and Watchmen raising the bar creatively and bringing in huge audiences, there's no need to play it safe. With the conventional origin story out of the way, a sequel to this film should take the character of Wolverine (and the audience) in a bold new direction.
© Martyn Bamber, October 2009
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