X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE

The rabid Wolverine is back in his fourth film installment, but where as the first three was a team effort WOLVERINE is all about the man with the claws. The film opens in 1845 in the North-Western Territory of British North America. A young James Howlett (future Wolverine/ Logan) witnesses the slaying of his father John Howlett by his friend Thomas Logan (Victor Creed's father). This traumatic event is the catalyst for James' latent mutant power to rise to the surface and so does his claws of bone. In a fit of rage young James plunges his claws into Logan. But with his dying breath Thomas Logan reveals to James that he is his biological father. The young Victor Creed helps his half-brother James to escape the clutches of an angry village mob and the two brothers pledge to look after one another.  Preceding the scenes in 1845 the two brothers now adults, are shown battling in a montage of historical wars. During the Vietnam War they are recruited by William Stryker into Team X, a motley crew of mutant mercenaries. The mayhem the team is forced to commit takes a toll on Logan's conscience and so he quits and disappears. This is the end of Act 1 and the actual beginning of the plot.

Released in the U.S. on May 1^st 2009, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE stars Hugh Jackman (Wolverine/ Logan), Liev Schreiber (Sabretooth/ Victor Creed) and Danny Huston (William Stryker). The supporting cast includes Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool/ Wade Wilson), Taylor Kitsch (Gambit/ Remy LeBeau) and Lynn Collins (Kayla Silverfox). The screenplay is co-written by David Benioff and Skip Woods and the movie is directed by Gavin Hood.

The entire first act feels like a documentary, similar to something you would see on the Biography Channel. By centering on the history of the Wolverine character a number of questions are answered. Such as his approximate age, the beginnings of Logan's and Creed's relationship and the discovery of the metal called adamantium. Only after the history lesson does the actual plot begin. Now going by his biological father's last name, Logan lives a quiet and quaint life with his girlfriend Kayla up in the Canadian Rockies. But the murder of Kayla ignites the inner rage in Logan and brings his sibling rivalries to a boil. This is ultimately a revenge flick and there's nothing wrong with that. The plot is unpretentious and the narrative is straight forward. Wolverine is portrayed as a complex character with his share of inner demons and dreams for the future. Sufficient subplots such as treachery, revelation and payback keep the story moving forward without any areas of lag.

The dialogue is succinct and to-the-point. At times overuse of clichéd one-liners seem to dumb down the movie. But it is worth mentioning that the character of Wolverine is not a prolific orator, he's more of a "Dirty Harry meets John McClane" and you can't expect him to be verbally eloquent just because he's in a more serious film.

The cinematography is near flawless because of the subdued colour palette used in the film. This creates a unique visual atmosphere, and this is maintained throughout the entire film. The loud multi-colours used in many comic book movies are replaced by more earthy tones. The use of extensive locations from Canada to Nigeria and Las Vegas to New Orleans adds to the style of realism. The cutting-edge special effects are top notch and the actions scenes do not disappoint. The one-on-one fight scenes are brutal and the three lengthy action sequences are riveting.

WOLVERINE is a well cast film. Liev Schreiber is surprisingly sinister as Victor Creed/ Sabretooth. Danny Huston is perfect as the ambitious and ruthless William Stryker. Lynn Collins' performance is natural and exudes sexual chemistry with her leading man and Hugh Jackman takes this version of Wolverine to another level. Sadly the supporting cast is forgettable, especially Will I. Am's one-dimensional portrayal of John Wraith. The Black-Eyed Pea certainly needs to stick to his day job.

WOLVERINE is definitely not a faultless film. Many comic book fans will whine about the screen writers not being faithful to the source material. Stuck-up Armchair Film Critics with their turtle-neck t-shirts and cups of cappuccinos might say that the film is unmemorable, lacked quality dialogue and there are no lessons to be learnt. To all I say "This is WOLVERINE not FORREST GUMP." Wolverine has been voted the No. 1 comic hero of all time so audiences will continue flocking into theatres to watch the sequels.

This is the first big budget film directed by Gavin Hood who previously directed character driven dramas such as TSOTSI and RENDITION. You would think that Hood was the ideal choice as director to help explore a character more elaborately but he fails in his attempt. WOLVERINE suffers from the same dilemma as SPIDERMAN 3 and X-MEN 3; too many characters, so little time. Why is the kid Cyclops even in this movie? The film's biggest mistake is that it's merely a shallow back story. The story could have been better if more in-depth concentration was placed on the psychological elements of human nature versus animal nature. The "feral or primitive side" could have been to Wolverine what "fear" is to Batman and what "rage" is to The Hulk. This would have enriched the character incredibly. Alas X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE is a well made action film, all the loose ends in the subplots are tied up and the ending is spectacular. But if THE DARK KNIGHT is the new benchmark for the superhero genre, then WOLVERINE needs a century worth of evolution.

Rating: 3/5

S. V. Fernando