This pet project of superstar/producer Huge Jackman, however, has encountered its fair share of production pot holes ahead of its May 1st release. Mounting concern over the film even prompted Jackman to send an email of reassurance to king geek Harry Knowles at Ain’t It Cool News. Whether an augury of the film’s fate or not, the production issues are far from the only stress that this effort is enduring.
The recent release of the X-Men Trilogy on DVD is reminder of the quality gene pool that mutant series stems from (see FFR’s reviews of the X-Men Trilogy). Discounting Brett Ratner’s The Last Stand, the X-Men saga is top tier comic action that measures up to any entries in the genre’s storied past. This was due in a large part to the directorial prowess of Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects) and a great team of writers. Wolverine director Gavin Hood (Tsotsi) is hoping to steer his new Jackman vehicle to similar heights.
In this newly spun tale of mutant affliction, we are taken back to Wolverine’s early years when his powers have yet to be discovered and he still answers to “Jimmy”. While growing up with his older and similarly gifted brother Victor, a great tragedy unfolds that forces them to flee. They learn to trust no one and fend for themselves. The brothers find a home on the battlefield as they begin to embrace their animalistic tendencies and utilize their incredible mutant healing factors.
After centuries of war, Victor looses touch with his human side as the beast within takes over and becomes uncontrollable. The renegade antics of Victor land the brothers in the brig with nowhere to turn until Colonel William Stryker comes calling. He covets their mutant powers and offers them certain privileges if they join his elite task force. But Stryker has a hidden agenda that will eventually give birth to the character we know as the Wolverine and pit brother against brother.
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| Liev Schreiber and Jackman show some brotherly love. |
Nearly all the mutants introduced are just hollow shells with little more than their special abilities introduced. Top down there is nothing to be learned from the new additions as they file in stage left. Here is a guy that teleports! Here is a chick that turns to diamonds! Even a brief back story of the famous character of Gambit, played poorly by Taylor Kitsch, would have been more than welcome. And the mere presence of the cleverly named Black Eyed Pea “will.i.am” should be enough to turn any film litmus test some shade of skeptical.
Jackman is steady once again in the role of the enraged clawed avenger, but it is actually Liev Schreiber that saves the film from grossly underachieving. Schreiber exhibits much needed ferocity in the roll of Victor (aka Sabretooth), Wolverine’s equally side-burned brother, and gives life to an otherwise tepid film experience.
Despite the efforts of Jackman and Schreiber, the story arc continually thwarts the film’s momentum by being content on skipping from set piece to set piece with little cohesion. Glaring plot holes and tiresome dialogue further add to the overall inconsistency. The reckless melee that ensues makes us wonder why Wolverine didn’t consult its own origins before making a film about mutants so ordinary.