Synopsis:
The origins of the X-Men's most likeable
"animal" are finally known in this first (no
doubt of many) in the Origins series. From
his days known as Logan to his ultimate
transformation into a killing machine, this
leaves no stone unturned in how he came to be.
The Freak's
Rating: A- : Hugh Jackman is no doubt a
talent. He's been the star of both stage
and screen, hosted the Academy Awards, been
named People's Sexiest Man Alive and recently
put together a nice little PR run lately (even
having the guts to swing by my favorite radio
show, Howard Stern). He is the whole
package and has studios drooling over adding him
to their films. A Hugh Jackman picture
virtually assures a good box office return.
If it didn't in the past, it will definitely do
so now.
I am
a self-professed geek. I enjoy movies,
video games and even had a nice run during
adolescence at comic books. With all that
geekdom, I am not an X-Men fan, nor have I ever
been. I can't explain precisely how their
appeal escaped me, but it did. I stuck
primarily to DC comics (Superman, Batman,
etc...) and ventured into the world of Marvel
periodically at best to catch the latest issue
of Spiderman. X-Men seemed too much of an
investment for some reason and so I let it slip
by. I never lost a wink about it until I
recently saw Wolverine. Now I regret not
having read this story in print.
Hollywood seems to be pumping out superhero
movies one after another and Wolverine is
refreshing in many ways. Direction of the
film is nicely done, keeping sweeping epic shots
to a minimum as well as avoiding the overused
super fast shutter speed technique that
ultimately makes the audience a little dizzy.
Instead we are treated to nice saturation in
scenes that merit it as well as slick
cinematography throughout. The running
time is also nicely maintained and we're left
wanting more afterwards, a nice job by the
editing team.
Liev
Shreiber continues to be one of the most
underrated actors of today, spewing out solid
performances one after another. Those who
missed his turn in Defiance,
pick that up on DVD and see how Schreiber
virtually buries Daniel Craig to steal the film.
Likewise, Wolverine falls into the B range
without his prescence. Though Jackman has
more talent than Craig, Schreiber still nearly
takes over his scenes. The two feed off
one another very nicely. Notably added to
the cast are Ryan Reynolds (surprisingly
tolerable here) and Friday Night Light's Taylor
Kitsch as Gambit. All supporting roles are
par for the course, but the two leads truly
shine.
This
is as pure a superhero movie I've seen since
Iron Man and a great sign of things to come if
Hollywood keeps this up. Wolverine is
fast-paced, interesting and a whole lot of fun.
The summer blockbuster season has begun and
Wolverine comes out of the gates blazing.
Nate's Rating:
B : It's enjoyable, but don't expect too
much. There are some plot holes, some
lackluster acting, a few special effects
whoopsies, and a hefty serving of predictability
that is only broken by characters inexplicably
doing something contrary to their own motives.
All that aside, the action works and the acting
counts when it has to. Special props to
whats-their-names playing the roles of
Sabretooth and General Stryker. Could have done
without some of the attempts at humor, and
expected a little more from Hugh Jackman. The
movie works despite its flaws, however.
click here to review
it yourself!
