X-Men Origins: Wolverine | Eastern North Carolina Now

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Wolverine Howls for Redemption and Finds None

    The prequel to the X-Men series, X-Men Origins: Wolverine affords us some insight into the origins of Wolverine, portrayed by a very buff Hugh Jackman, the preeminent character from the three previous X-Men films conceptually created by Marvel Comics impresario Stan Lee. This prequel was written David Benioff and Skip Woods, with Gavin Hood directing this action / adventure picture that sprints to conclusion that is more dynamic than it is surprising. X-Men, for all of you living under a rock, is about men and women mutants that exist in a world that does not want them, but will tolerate their presence, providing they fight their wars as quasi-human weapons in defense of their various causes.

    The use if these thinking / feeling quasi-humans as weapons is even more immoral than using humans, in conflicts, preemptive strikes and much larger wars because humans are guaranteed certain constitutional safeguards. In the world of the X-Men, mutants are guaranteed no safeguards, and in world where weapons research require that, the military or defense corporations deconstruct weapons to ultimately make them better, these powerful mutants are always at risk.

    In this prequel, we are quickly led by a film montage of Logan (Wolverine) and his brother, Victor Creed played by Live Schreiber, moving quickly, and somehow indestructible, from the American Civil War to the current War on Terror. In this constantly changing story of their past through these constantly changing images, we see these terrible conflicts having a profound effect on both brothers: Logan becomes inwardly bitter and Victor becomes extremely malevolent. Both brothers become more powerful in their avocation as fighters, but it becomes untenable that they remain together as a team. With their split, it is inevitable that they there sparks, and the rest of the film is played out revealing their the battle within themselves, and between each other.

    As a backdrop to that battle, there are many new and interesting mutants thrown into the mix, with the ringmaster, through much subterfuge, of this circus of freaks, is weapons specialist William Stryker, played by Danny Huston. Stryker is pulling all the strings of these mutant weapons, deciding who should live, who should die, and to what extent their purpose should become within his Dr. Frankenstein style world of building the ultimate mutant as weapon.

    Farfetched? Very much so, but what super hero constructed is not? It is very dark, with armed conflict shown as both necessary, and an evil enterprise, where there are no winners. The brothers, Logan and Victor, are shown as pawns in a larger context of unabated conflicts, as these often sympathetic mutants strive for some measure of independence, but find their existence tethered to the will of William Stryker. These mutant fighters are an enigmatic bunch, and interesting as components in the purposeful will of Stryker. Most notable is Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool as the menacing and verbose, fast moving swordsman, and Taylor Kitsch as Gambit, who can do some spectacular things with a deck of cards and a stout staff. One lives and one dies, but you would need to see the film to make that determination.

    I enjoyed this darker version of the X-Men series, but I am not sure if it would be suitable for those folks that desire a story to conclude in a manner where there are winners. There are few winners in this fantastic tale of the origin of Wolverine. The film is; however, well acted and keeps a brisk pace until its conclusion. The X-Men series is a valuable commodity: well constructed storylines, that become well crafted films. One wonders, how long before the series implodes? However, it is not X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It took 107 minutes to tell this tale, and it was time well spent.

    Rated PG13. Released on DVD September 15, 2009.

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