I’d like to start this review by stating that I borrowed this movie from my local library. Local libraries are the bomb. In addition to this, I’d like to briefly discuss the previews included on the DVD; I had forgotten about those. Streaming, am I right? Previews are a real snapshot into the time period of whatever movie you’ve decided to watch, for whatever reason, on DVD. Here’s the selection from this fine film: Percy Jackson, Family Guy’s Something, Something, Dark Side – which always reminds me I’d love to teach a course on Star Wars and then transition into satire with these episodes, but that’s a story, or lesson plan, for another day – Night at the Museum, and Sons of Anarchy, aka Modern Hamlet. So that’s a snapshot of the year this glorious movie came out: 2009.
But, as usual, I digress…onto the movie. The minute this movie started I remembered how I hate the tone of the opening scenes of the two Wolverine stand alone movies, both this one and The Wolverine. I don’t need to see little kid Hugh Jackman get manipulated by his older brother, played by the gloriously villainous, Liev Schreiber. I haven’t seen Logan. Don’t @ me. I also don’t need to see a bear needlessly harmed, but that’s for another review.
One element of this movie I do enjoy is how the passing of time is approached. It’s during the opening credits and the amount of exposition and character development they manage to jam into a small amount of time is something I APPRECIATE.
I’m sure others are going to cover this, by Hugh Jackman looks so very young in this film; he’s aged extraordinary in 10 years. I mean, he’s still fine as hell, but he’s kinda a baby face here. His hairstyle has somehow not aged well, but that’s the nature of trying to make him Wolverine. The hairstyle didn’t detract from his butt, so it’s all good. I am curious to see how many of us do reference Jackman’s ass. It’s great. Just like his singing. How many actors can play both Wolverine AND Professor Harold Hill in The Music Man? I’m going to go out on a limb and say, not many.
I know Ryan Reynolds and his version of Deadpool is much hated, so I’m not going to talk about it. This is a movie where I would like him to shut up. He’s totally unlikeable.
In terms of storytelling, this movie is pretty simple. Logan and Victor are brothers and foils; one is good and one is bad. Logan has a girlfriend that is around simply to ask him if he’s ok and for him to reveal his thoughts to, so we as an audience can see him as a complex character. His girlfriend is, at best, two dimensional, and spoiler, is a victim and dies, but not really, but she’s still simply a victim. No quality female roles, and basically, there’s only one female role. You know, the usual.
In reality, the plot is not overly complex. The villain, Stryker, wants to make a totally controllable super-mutant that will obey his commands; a common villainous project. That is how we wind up with the worst Deadpool ever. Stryker, of course, has some vaguely complex backstory, his son is a mutant and drove Stryker’s wife to suicide, which is motivating him in his journey. He was fine. Just fine.
In the end, Wolverine is shot in the head twice with adamantium bullets which causes him to lose his memory, and brings us full circle to the Wolverine we know, and love, from the prior X-Men movies. Now we know about his origin. Title reveal.
One last comment on watching movies from 10 years ago or more. It’s always fun to get a snapshot of what actors were considered cool and worthy during the time period. And to see which transcend the time and make it 10 years later. For example, Taylor Kitsch as Gambit. He was right in the middle of Friday Night Lights, a masterpiece of modern television in my opinion, and kinda cool at the time. But his staying power seems to have waned. I have seen Battleship multiple times, but in reality for me, it’s Tim Riggins for ever.
While this movie was bad, writing this review was fun.
