X-Men Origins: Wolverine – Was That It? ⁵

by Sinoun • Reviews • Tags: Batman, Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds, Wolverine

I’m not saying I didn’t like the movie. But when the credits came and we all turned to each other for the verdict, the unanimous answer was an unenthusiastic “It was good”, except for maybe one person who said “It was really good” but I suspect it had more to do with her lust for Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds and the guy who played Gambit. In any case, it wasn’t a bad movie, it just did not live up to its character’s iconic status.

Let me explain what I mean.

Wolverine’s a troubled guy, right? He’s supposed to be this deep character full of personal conflicts and a tormented past of which he can’t be sure of on account of the countless memory alterations. He’s been manipulated with, experimented on, scarred, screwed over and forsaken by the woman he loved. His emotions should be as impenetrable as the adamantium bound to his bones – kind of like a mutant James Dean.

In other words, Wolverine is bad-ass, like Christian Bale’s Batman, who too, because of his dark past rises from the ashes a brooding, complex character. But where Chris Nolan’s Batman was able to convey that contemplative, morose, anti-hero persona at a profound level, Wolverine’s people took no measures to embed any depth to his personal struggles.

I know it’s not really fair to compare Wolverine to the Batman franchise, because they aren’t meant to be similar in nature (or are they?) If anything, the characters are from two opposing camps (Marvel vs. DC) so of course creating similarities would be rather pointless.

I just wish the writers had been clever enough to come up with memorable quotes that might be applicable to real life (Batman had a ton of them), something I could use to make myself sound smarter in conversations about our flawed society and the human condition (ie: “Some men just want to watch the world burn”). Wolverine provided no such insights. Instead, all I kept hearing were cheap clichés like “You want him? You got him” or “Look what the cat brought in.” After several of such trite sentences, I stopped hoping for anything exceptional.

And what a shame that is. For this here’s a guy who’s endured so much strife, who operates like a one-man army against antagonists from all angles – including from within himself – yet is given no chance at self-reflection and personal revelations. Surely he must have a shipload of wisdom to dispense, or something a bit more impactful and significant to say than “How about I cut your goddamn head off? See if that works?”

No, says one of my Wolverine insiders, that’s how he is in the comics – he doesn’t say much. He says things like “Bub”. Ok fair enough, so Wolvie’s a man of few words. Fine. But what about all the other characters? For example, the old man who owned the barn. Old guys tend to have wise things to say. In Batman it was usually Alfred who steered Bruce towards enlightenment. In Spiderman, Uncle Ben told Peter Parker “With great power comes great responsibility.” I thought for sure this elder and his wife would give Wolverine something remarkable to remember after their meeting. But no, they abruptly get shot and that’s the end of them. Another opportunity unused.

I can already hear people objecting to my emphasis on the importance of “words” when a movie is really all about the storyline. Who cares about quotes and intelligent-sounding sentences? It’s all about the kick-ass plot.

Fair enough. For people who just expect a generic story interspersed with some slightly cool action sequences (and a very lame fiery explosion scene with a slow-mo Wolverine walking away unscathed), then the movie shouldn’t really dissappoint. If you’re just there to pass the time with two-hours of standard entertainment, you’ve got nothing to complain about.

But I was truly hoping for more. I hoped for something deeper, with more psychological impact, something that would imprint the story of Wolverine with a tad more substance. If a movie is going to establish itself in any meaningful way, it has to have something meaningful to say. If not literally, then at least metaphorically, or symbolically.

I did appreciate a few things about the film though. In particular, the scene where Wolverine’s girlfriend tells him the story of why the moon is so lonely. That was quite touching – almost made me shed a tear. I also found Victor Creed quite scary and ruthless (a nice performance by Liev Schreiber) and the way he charged on all fours amused me greatly. Ryan Reynolds had huge arms – that was quite exciting. (Ok seriously, I didn’t actually care about that last one but it was worth mentioning).

Still, the potential to be something greater was grossly missed. Wolverine could’ve been more than just a man on the run, more than just a witless warrior embroiled in a stranglehold of violence and self-preservation. It reminds me of that part in Batman Begins when Liam Neeson (as Henri Ducard) explains to Bruce Wayne that  “A vigilante is just a man lost in the scramble for his own gratification. He can be destroyed, or locked up. But if you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can’t stop you, then you become something else entirely.”

Which is?

A legend.

And what exactly did Wolverine become at the end of the film?

I don’t remember.