X-Men Origins: Wolverine

X-Men.  You know them.  I know them.  We all know them.  But do we know them?  That seems to be the point of the individual characters’ movies, beginning here with the saga of Wolverine, from childhood  to adulthood, to a kind of maturation which shows his strengths, his flaws, his background and history, his desires.  As with many of the recent big screen comics, this one is an exciting thrill-ride.  But with a purpose: to tell Wolverine’s story.

It’s directed by Gavin Hood, who hadn’t done any superhero or comics movies prior to the making of this film, and I think it helps.  He doesn’t try to force it to be a comic; instead, he lets the story unfold on the screen as a film, not a book.  Like any book-turned-movie or book-turned-play or vice versa, there are elements which are sacrificed on either end so that it will work better in the medium in which it is being created.  Comic book films, like the first Hulk movie, can sometimes err on the side of colorful kitsch, with a lot of display and comic book airs.  Thankfully, many of them do not do that.  Wolverine is one of the latter.

Let’s be straight with one another: the cast is pretty impressive: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds, Dominic Monaghan, Danny Huston.  Jackman and Schreiber have great chemistry, playing off one another, even in the midst of fighting (perhaps especially when fighting), and allowing the give-and-take of actor-to-actor to happen mostly naturally.  So, the acting: pretty good all around.  The plot: mostly good with a few very kitschy moments, and a deus-ex-machina here and there that seemed to me evidence of a lack of foresight on behalf of the writers.  Maybe it happens that way in the comics: I don’t know.  But suffice it to say that the writing was up and down.  Exciting, kitschy, and on the whole very watchable.  It isn’t a great script, but it is a lot of fun.

If you were a fan of the original X-Men movies, then you’ll probably love this one.  If you didn’t like them, then maybe this isn’t for you.  I, for one, am excited to watch the whole Marvel world unfold, kitsch or no kitsch.  If you think I used kitsch more than I should have, you’re probably right.  If you think you won’t like this movie because it’s kitschy in parts, I think you’re definitely wrong.  Go on.  You know you want to know what happens in the Marvel Universe.  I know I do.

Rating: 2/4 Stars