X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Two-Disc
Edition + Digital Copy) [Blu-ray]
starring Hugh Jackman, Liev
Schreiber
* Snikt ! * Jackman Delivers Maximum Logan Spirit & Energy ! (Bub)
Wolverine, fan favorite of the X-Men universe in both comic books and film,
gets his own movie vehicle with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a tale that
reaches way, way back into the hairy mutants story. Somewhere in the
wilds of northwest Canada in the early 1800s, two boys grow up amid
violence: half-brothers with very special powers. Eventually they will
become the near-indestructible warriors (and victims of a super-secret
government program) known as Wolverine and Sabretooth, played
respectively by Hugh Jackman (returning to his role) and Liev Schreiber
(new to the scene). It helps enormously to have Schreiber, an actor of
brawny skills, as the showiest villain; the guy can put genuine menace into
a vocal inflection or a shift of the eyes. Danny Huston is the sinister

government operative whose experiments keep pullin Wolverine back in,
Lynn Collins is the woman who shares a peaceful Canadian co-existence
with our hero when he tries to drop out of the program, and Ryan Reynolds
adds needed humor, at least for a while. The fast-paced early reels give an
entertaining kick-off to the Wolverine saga, only to slow down when a
proper plot must be put together--but isnt that perpetually the problem with
origin stories? And despite a cool setting, the grand finale is a little
hemmed in by certain plot essentials that must be in place for the sequels,
which may be why characters do nonsensical things. So, this one is fun
while it lasts, if youre not looking for a masterpiece, or an explanation for
Wolverines facial grooming. --Robert Horton
Stills from X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Click for larger image)
Personal Review: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Two-Disc Edition +
Digital Copy) [Blu-ray] starring Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber
I'm not the first person to review this movie, and I'm certain I won't be the
last. I WILL stand with many of the other reviewers who encourage a more
"balanced" perspective of the film, and not the "berzerker-rage"
perspective which some reviewers have offered.
ENERGY & ESSENCE:
My review of the movie can be summarized in the headline of this review.
Hugh Jackman's fourth performance as Logan truly is "The Best There Is."
Whether it is because the movie's purpose is to focus solely on Logan, or
because Hugh has evolved as an actor, or because Hugh has grown
closer to the character. Jackman captures the full emotional bandwidth of
the character. The pathos, the irony. the overwhelming sense of loss that
comes with over 100 years of life on the planet. Part of Logan's appeal as
a character has been that he is always seeking to become more than what
he is. "Gifted" with "powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men,"

he sees himself as an animal "less than human." A Samurai without a
master, who sees himself as a "failed samurai," etc... The movie, and
Jackman's naturally-enhanced physique and dramatic performance
perfectly captures all of that ENERGY of the character.
Throughout the movie, Logan is surrounded by people who see either the
"light" or the "dark" in him, and as such, the character is continually pulled
in different directions, and tested, and as a result - grows. Whether it is the
father who raised him - who sees the best in him, or later in life Kayla
Silverfox, who acts as a guiding moral beacon to Logan, reminding him
over and over that "he is not an animal." They are (unfortunately)
outnumbered by those who see the "dark" in him, including his mother,
Victor and Stryker - the latter two who continually seek to exploit Logan's
dark side to fulfill their own purposes. And Logan himself finds out that
focusing too much on his dark side usually results in him paying a price of
some sort.
PULSING & PUMPING THEMES:
Someone once said that a great musical score can elevate a move to "the
next level." Part of what DRIVES this "testosterone-filled" film is the music.
It reaches its successful goal elegantly, and "dovetails" perfectly with the
on-screen action, supporting it without overpowering it, or drawing
disproportionate attention to itself. There is a solid foundation of pulsing
rhythms that are tribal in nature. However, much like Logan himself, the
music combines the base primal urges with aspirational tones. A mix of
classical and contemporary instruments help give certain tracks a nice
sharp "edge."
Some characters have their own unique "themes" yet even these often
have a "hook" of familiar notes/chords which remind us that these
characters all reflect different facets of Logan himself. This often subtle
"echo" also helps the entire soundtrack hold together as one cohesive
entity.
All-in-all - Harry Gregson-Williams' score reflects the pure masculine
energy of the character - both his "light" and "dark" sides as he grows
against challenges - internal and external.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
CONTRIVANCES - "Marvelwood" & "Hollywood":
I have seen the film in the theatre more than once. The first time I viewed
the film, I felt there were elements that were very contrived.
Immediately after that viewing, I went to my "LCS" (local comic shop) to fill
in some of the "gaps" in my knowledge of Logan's published history in the
past twenty years. In anticipation of the film, Marvel Comics published a
comic called "Wolverine: Weapon X Files" - which is an inexpensive
"encyclopedia" listing the chronological history of Logan and his supporting
cast.

The truth of the matter is that the published history of Logan has been
"retconned" to be a LOT more contrived and convoluted than this film was
(I mean, "Romulus" ? "The Lupine Sect" ? "Death" ? "Shogun" ? "Daken" ?
"Elektra" ? and of course - "more," come on...) The filmmakers (including
Jackman) did a VERY fine job of "stripping away" some of those
cumbersome contrivances in order to more clearly communicate the pure
ESSENCE of the character and his driving forces, as clearly defined years
ago by Claremont, Byrne, Miller and Smith.
Wolverine
Weapon X (Wolverine)
If the film had slavishly followed the published history of the character for
the past 20 years, as some reviewers had wished for, here's what would
have happened:
- A small "comic-fan-boy" percentage of movie goers would have been
orgasmically excited
- The larger percentage of movie goers would have been left scratching
their heads
- All movie goers would have been spending too much time "in their head"
and not in their "emotional heart," leaving the same cerebral feeling that
"Watchmen" did.
- A shorter run in theaters (it's on its eighth week as of this writing), and
less revenue
- Shorter Run + Less Revenue = Less Demand for Additional Movies
- Most Importantly - the primal feeling, passion, conflict and ENERGY of
Logan would have been lost.
- No, in reality, Victor is NOT Logan's brother, or even half-brother
(but, he's also not his father either. That was a red herring for years in the
comics)
- No, Cyclops never met Logan before the X-Men
- No, Logan never met Gambit before the X-Men
- No, The Blob nor Deadpool were ever part of Team X
- No, Stryker was not associated with Weapon X (but then again, he was
never a General either...)
- No, Logan's memory was not erased with a "really-well-placed-bullet" to
the head
However - all of these "adjustments" are less contrived than some of the
"retcons" in the comics these days, and may be acceptable "prices to pay"
since they made the FILM work better as a representational, cohesive
whole, easier to follow for the majority of viewers, and fulfill it's Ultimate
Purpose as a vehicle for the character of Logan / Wolverine.
IN (*SNIKT !*) SUMMARY:
"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" strongly succeeds in conveying the pure
"testosterone-filled" masculine energy of the character, and the overall
essence of the character - his conflicted journey as he strives to become
more than what he has been, and some of the key emotional relationships

in his past. The filmmakers have wisely chosen to streamline 20+ years of
needless published exposition & contrivances - in order to focus on the
strong CORE of the character, which is what has "hooked" readers and
moviegoers for the past 34 years
Logan / Wolverine is not the "deepest" or "most profound" character ever
to grace the printed page, or the cinema screen. The essence of the
character is primal, direct, but never simple or two-dimensional. But, in the
words of the fictional character himself, in his niche, he is "the best there is
at what he does." And more importantly, so is the Driving Force behind this
film: Hugh Jackman.
WARNING: If you are a continuity-obsessed-fanboy, this film may cause
anxiety, elevated blood-pressure, and in some cases hemorrhaging.
* NOTE: This is a review of the movie, as seen in theaters. As of this
writing, the DVD has not yet been released. As such, I have no comments
on the package design, DVD extras, etc...
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