X Men Wolverine!

X Men – origins - Wolverine

Even as you enter the cinema hall, a mere look at Wolverine poster (Hugh Jackman) can reveal enough about what is to be offer. This movie chronicles the origin of “Wolverine”, unarguably the most charismatic Character in the entire “X Men” trilogy.


It begins with lousy story of the “Young” Logan and his half – Brother Victor running away into the woods after killing his father. As the credits roll, the blood brothers are shown decimating every other “gun” clad enemy during their stint in the American Army. Soon they are captured and sent to prison for “decapitating” a senior officer and when help arrives in the form of devilish Col. Stryker (Danny Huston) who offers them a deal which they cannot refuse. The blood brother’s finally make up their mind to join his “Special team” which has been promised with special privileges.

Cut to Nigeria, the team embarks on a mission. Unable to put up with the moral aberrations he had to endure during this mission, the do-gooder Logan leaves the team and finds solace in the Canadian woods with his lady love. But Col. Stryker isn’t done with him yet. By this time if you haven’t figured out how this movie is going to end, then this movie is for you and especially made for you. The routine super hero(s) revenge plot has been rehashed with predictable turn of events that fail to muster up anything that is even remotely interesting. What we get to see on the big screen is the old wine stuffed in an even older bottle. To the benefit of those who are still interested in the story here it comes: As Victor starts enjoying the “Animal” side of him, mayhem ensues as brothers are pit against each other.

Wolverine strides out in search of blood as he comes to know that it was Victor who has harmed his lady love. Out for revenge and with no idea of stopping without ensuring a blood bath, Wolverine seeks the help of Col. Stryker who arms the already armed Wolverine with even more ammunition. He is turned into a man of steel with Adamantium claws, quite literally. It is now revealed that Col. Stryker is an intelligent Villain who has bigger plans.

The threshold of those watching the film finally gives away and one wonders if the director is actually Gavin Hood, the man who directed “Tsotsi”. We also begin to wonder why this prequel was actually made in the first place. The very reason why X -Men was hugely popular was because of the mystic aura surrounding the wolverine and his steel claws. When this mystical past is revealed with such a primitive storyline there isn’t much you can do except bite your teeth and sit through the trauma.

The narration is pedestrian and boringly linear for a wafer thin plot; it actually induces sleep even though it runs only, for just over 1hr 30 minutes. The movie might have been worth its money had the screen writers (David Benioff and Skip Woods) concentrated on character building and plot points than banking on Hugh Jackman to carry the film completely on his shoulders.

There is absolutely no humor or intelligent tongue in Cheek dialogues that would have made “Wolverine” better than the previous installments. Wolverine is reduced to claw brandishing animal; He is boring because he heals himself quickly and pulls of insane stunts at the drop of a hat. After a point you realize the fact that there is nothing that can harm him and at the end of the day, you seldom care about him.

The movie has its moments as well, even though the stunts gives us an “I have seen this before” feel, it still manages to inspire awe in us. The spectacular climax showdown between Victor, Wolverine and the Ultimate Mutant who possesses the combined powers of other mutants on top of a circular structure has been breathtakingly conceived, it’s a treat to watch it on the big screen. Hugh Jackman has carried the film on his shoulders completely and is the ultimate saving grace in the film. If at all you want to watch this film, watch it for Hugh Jackman and the stunts.

Verdict – Old wine in an old Bottle.