“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is a super-action extravaganza enhanced by dynamic performances fro Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber as sibling rivals. As origin stories go, however, it’s better than “Elektra” and “Ghost Rider,” but not as good as “Iron Man.” A short prologue reveals that, in the 1860s, a young boy named Logan discovers that he and his brother Victor have mutant genes that give them unusual powers. Then an effective montage takes us through the years as Logan, Wolverine (Jackman) and Victor, Sabertooth (Schreiber) fight in various wars, from the Civil War through Vietnam and beyond. Subsequently we learn that their mutant powers have been discovered by the slimy Col. William Stryker (Danny Huston), who recruits them for a top-secret team dedicated, allegedly, to protecting America’s best interests around the world. Logan grows tired of the abuses he sees under Stryker’s command and leaves. He lives a simple life in Canada as a lumberjack and finds Kayla (Lynn Collins), his true love. Victor tracks him down and kills Kayla in the process. Bent on revenge, Logan accepts an offer from Stryker to participate in an experiment that will make him virtually indestructible. He becomes Weapon X when a substance called adamantium is fused to his skeleton. He sets out to kill Victor but discovers a trail of betrayals instead.
“X-Man Origins: Wolverine” is more about the ‘hows’ rather than the ‘whys.’ We find out how Logan turned into Wolverine but we don’t know why he and Victor have become such bitter rivals. Nor do we learn why he and Kayla fell in love. Obviously, going into more depth in the story would detract from the Wolverine vs. Sabertooth conflict, but “Wolverine” would have benefitted from delving into the personal side of the mutants a little more than it does. The action sequences are terrific, especially the effects-enhanced three-way mutant fight atop a nuclear reactor and Jackman and Schreiber are superb. There are moments of humor and cameos from some of the other famous X-Men. So all in all, there’s enough here to make “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” worth seeing. 4/2/09
1 comment:
"Wolverine" is a comic-book thriller of extreme proportions. It has everything from Military Government conspiracies to mad scientists to indestructible mutants and even a short-lived love story. It has an obvious ending leading to the next episode and could go on for decades. For sure it will coax several more of these thrillers to the screen. I give it a 3 bagger (popcorn) out of a possible 5.
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