All the action, none of the excitement
Image Courtesy of IMPawards.com
Director: Gavin Hood
Notable Cast: Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, Danny Huston, Liev Schreiber, Will.I.Am
For any talented independent director, the chance to broaden their appeal and become a major player in the Hollywood system has to be extremely tempting. Justin Lin put forth the brilliant teen crime film Better Luck Tomorrow and has since made a serious of studio pictures that flirted with mediocrity. Gavin Hood seems to be the next director to follow that path, following up the brilliant Tsotsi with the awful Rendition and the slightly better X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Wolverine is a prequel of sorts to the X-Men film series, focusing on the titular tough guy of the team. Hugh Jackman once again suits up for the character that made him a household name, but this time is seemingly a step back career wise for him.
The film focuses on the life of Wolverine up until slightly before the first X-Men film. Fleeing from the law with his brother Victor (Leiv Schreiber) after killing their father, the two find refuge in the military fighting in every major American conflict from the Civil War to Vietnam. Recruited from the brig by Colonel Stryker (Danny Huston) as part of a special black ops team, Logan finds himself opposing the killing of civilians and winds up in the Canadian Northwest as a logger. When his past comes back to find him, he winds up part of a special government project that renders him on the warpath and seemingly indestructible.
The problem is that when you’re dealing with a hero who is invulnerable and heals from wounds in moments, one is left with only caring because of something. Hood gives us no reason to care about Logan the man or Wolverine the hero, only setting him up for perfunctory action sequences that leave no doubt as to the outcome. It’s akin to watching The Terminator as the good guy against a slew of underpowered Dodge Neons; the end result is something even a blind man could see. There’s no drama, no suspension of disbelief that Wolverine might not survive or walk away. With a series of films already out, his future is already written but there’s no tension to be found in the buildup.
It’s a major problem because the film becomes a series of “can we top this” moments that end up becoming a bit boring. The action sequences are marvelous for the most part, including Wolverine taking out two Humvees and a helicopter by himself, but when he can survive a helicopter crash without a scratch or even a hint of being in danger then any inherent drama in the moment is lost.
And it’s a shame because Hugh Jackman’s career should be beyond an X-Men prequel at this point. This feels more like him reaching back than moving forward in the same manner that Paul Walker and Vin Diesel used another Fast and the Furious film to try and jumpstart their careers again. Jackman is significantly underrated as an actor, holding his own on screen with Christian Bale and Michael Caine in The Prestige and stealing Australia from Nicole Kidman, and going back to his roots as the Adamantium-clawed hero doesn’t seem like a forward move. And it’s noticeable in his performance; this is a genre picture and as such an Oscar winner isn’t expected but this is a couple steps ahead of Steven Seagal territory. Jackman’s range is limited to snarling and menacing looks, which is fine from many lesser talented actors but Jackman should be beyond that at this point.
The summer movie season officially kicks off in May, and this is the first major blockbuster of the year. If X-Men Origins: Wolverine is any indication, this is going to be a summer to forget.
FINAL RATING (ON A SCALE OF 1-5 BUCKETS):
