Director: Gavin Hood
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber & Danny Huston
A disappointing solo-debut for the popular X-Men character that, whilst possessing some entertaining moments, relies on too many clichés and not enough focus on character.
In 2000, the X-Men graced the big screen with their first movie with enough success that a superior, and even more successful, sequel followed in 2003 with a third film in 2006. Like the comic books, the X-Men movie franchise has proved to be popular and also like the comic books, Wolverine quickly became the fan-favorite character in that franchise. After some production hiccups along the way, Wolverine now gets his own film, one that goes into his past and explaining his origins for film fans. The result has some very promising moments but, unfortunately, rarely makes enough use of them instead focusing more on blander, more clichéd material.
Starting with a very enjoyable, very impressive prologue and opening credits sequence beginning in 1845 and chronicling the adolescence of Logan, AKA Wolverine (Jackson) and his life through to the American Civil War, WWI, WWII and Vietnam alongside his brother Victor (Schreiber) to the 1970s, Wolverine starts off strong. It is an effective opening montage that manages to convey the differences between Logan and his brother, demonstrate the nature of their mutations whilst also being visually impressive. However, once the main story begins, Wolverine rarely shows as much depth from then on. An entertaining sequence where Logan and Victor are recruited into a team of super-powered mercenaries introduces some interesting characters like Ryan Reynolds wise-cracking Wade Wilson but ultimately results in actions that drive Logan to quit the team. Six years later, Logan is pulled out of retirement when it seems his brother is hunting down his former teammates and takes away the quiet life Logan has built for himself. Allowing his former boss Stryker (Huston) to give him the power to take down his brother in the form of an unbreakable skeleton, the film then becomes a series of fights scenes as Logan fights Victor, former teammates and Stryker too, who wishes to turn Logan into a weapon.
With the plot focusing more on action, character seems to suffer because of it. A love interest for Logan is introduced and removed far too briefly and an elderly couple, who help Logan, barely have time to register before the plot moves on. Even the motivations and characterizations of Logan and Victor, the central conflict and relationship within the film, are barely explored beyond saying that one embraces their animal side and the other resists. The action sequences on Wolverine too, except for the Logan vs helicopter sequence already revealed in trailers promoting the film, are not especially impressive lacking that intense, brutal feeling that made the Wolverine character’s fight sequences in the X-Men films so entertaining. There is also some obvious wire work and occasionally weak CGI (whenever a character is thrown, or when Logan first admires his Adamantium coated claws in a bathroom mirror) that stand out.
Regarding performances, Hugh Jackman is just fine, reprising the Logan/Wolverine role again. He remains watchable and suitably angry as the role requires yet the script this time around doesn’t give Jackman many moments to demonstrate humor. Schreiber is suitably intense and feral as Victor and Huston suitably slimy and calculating as Stryker though neither get much opportunity to give their characters much depth therefore playing just to the type the script requires. Ryan Reynolds makes the most of a brief appearance that entertains more than any other performance in the film whilst rapper Will.i.am and actors Daniel Henney and Taylor Kitsch put in fairly bland, unmemorable performances as the mutants Wraith, Agent Zero and Gambit respectively. Lynn Collins, as Logan’s love interest Kayla, also struggles to make a lasting impression in a role that is underdeveloped.
Overall, Wolverine is disappointing. Wolverine has a very strong beginning, an enjoyable cameo from Ryan Reynolds, an enjoyable performance from Jackman and a few entertaining scenes and action sequences, most in the first half of the film. However, with too many underwritten characters, a plot that falls into too many clichés and focusing more on action than on character and some poor effects, Wolverine ends up being less than satisfying and doesn’t reach the potential the character, or Hugh Jackman, possess.
Rating: 2/5
