There are two recent schools of thought when it comes to films based on comic books. In one corner we have the recent Batman films, directed by Christopher Nolan, that attempt to reduce the story to it’s essence, aiming for as much realism as is physically possible. The Batman source material, in general, makes Christopher Nolan’s job fairly easy. He just had to stick with what made Batman such a compelling character. Batman is a guy with problems stuck inside a high tech outfit that allows him a mechanism and a mask to express his dysfunction.
In the other corner we have the high gloss Hollywood neon comic book movie as exemplified by “Xmen Origins: Wolverine”. Just about every movie other than the Batman films fit in this category. There is zero realism. The heroes and villains have powers and abilities that are closer to what we might imagine a gods powers to be than anything the Batman can do. The Batman would last about 10 seconds in this form of comic book movie. Batman is slow and heavy. He shoots no fiery beams of molten destruction, his knives cannot deflect bullets from several automatic weapons fired at him from multiple angles as a character in Wolverine can do. The villains in the Hollywood comic book movie illicit zero menace. In Batman, the Joker, despite having no abilities of any kind is a thing to fear.
Wolverine and Batman are similar characters. As a fan of the comic book character Wolverine, I was very interested in his internal struggles and his desire to remember who he was. I loved to read about his attempts to control, like the Batman, his love for inflicting pain. Wolverine is a low tech comic book character. He real power is his will and personality.
The movie “Xmen Origins: Wolverine” lies solidly within the 2nd category of comic book films. It is shiny and plastic. Heroes and villains move around for the most part utterly outside any physical controls we would recognize. It is impossible to identify with them. The exception to this are, for the most part, Wolverine and his brother Victor, played by Hugh Jackman and Liev Shreiber. Though there are other fighter characters in “Xmen Origins: Wolverine”, some attempt was made to ground Wolverine and Victor (Sabertooth) in some semblance of physical reality.They get dusty, roll around and get hurt. Since their powers are healing fast, if you didn’t see them get hurt you’d never see their superpowers.
In Wolverine, we get the Hollywood version of Wolvie’s tortured past. We get the short version of his pale and pasty youth living somewhere privileged in the 1830′s. We witness his first anger management problem and then together with his brother Victor, we view a whirlwind tour of the horrors of war until Vietnam, where he is recruited by William Stryker, a guy famous in Xmen lore for really hating mutants.
The character Wolverine deserves to be in a movie in the Christopher Nolan style. The Las Vegas level special effects just serve to separate the viewer from identifying with a guy that has a character worth getting to know. The other problem is Hugh Jackman. I like Hugh a lot. He’s a good actor. He howls and froths and quite believably seeks his vengeance upon those that hurt him. Hugh though, is transparently too nice of a guy to play Wolverine, a man who fights to control his love for really hurting people. Hugh is absent any kind of look in his eyes that he really means business. Missing from Hugh’s portrayal is that threat and intent to cause suffering that is essential to understanding the character as he is portrayed in art and print. The most interesting character in the story is Victor. Liev Shreiber’s Sabertooth has a good humoured, casual cruelty about him that made me wish he was on screen for every moment.
Xmen Origins: Wolverine isn’t a bad movie. I was entertained throughout. Ryan Reynolds as the future Deadpool stole the show in the brief scenes he was in. Hugh Jackman strapped on the claws and did quite a passable Hollywood imitation of our hairy hero.
If Xmen Origins: Wolverine does well we can expect a sequel. I want to see more of Wolverine and his brother. There’s been some talk that the 2nd movie will revolve around Wolvie’s time in Japan. I think this is an excellent excuse to bring some Batman style into the fray. Leave the rest of the Xmen and their high wattage, zero believable superpowers behind. Focus on the down and dirty, character driven story that made Wolverine interesting. In a Wolverine movie we deserve to witness a guy that has to use his will as the means to express his superpower and as the means to control his abuse of it. Wolverine can’t shine in a superpowered lightshow.
