X-Men Origins: Wolverine is the first installation of the X-Men Origins series, and a reboot for the X-Men franchise after X3: The Last Stand. Hugh Jackman returns as title star and producer for the long-awaited superhero release of Wolverine in his own film. The story rewinds the X-Men saga to Wolverine’s childhood as he realises his mutant gift. He and Victor Creed, fight side-by-side like brothers through the American Civil War, Normandy landings and then onto Vietnam, where they are captured and imprisoned after an incident.
The superhuman soldiers are commissioned by William Stryker as part of a special operations unit and sent to Africa. Logan’s humanity overrides the beast within and his blood-lust is diminished after a run-in with Creed. Wolverine disbands the special ops team and heads to Canada to start his life again. However, the simple life, fresh air and mountain views are cast aside when Wolverine is given a reason to seek revenge.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is directed by South Africa’s very own Gavin Hood of Tsotsi and Rendition. Hood demonstrates his range with this superhero film, showing that he can direct on location in the townships of South Africa to the green screens of Hollywood. His job is made easier by determined Australian and Australia star, Hugh Jackman, who reprises his role as the wolf-man with a mean streak, Wolverine. The character is a favourite amongst X-Men fans, and many would agree that it was high time he got his own film. The movie is set in the early ’70s, yet the production has a timeless feel to it as the epic moves from Africa, to Canada and then to the United States.
Jackman has a firm grasp on the character, embodying the vulnerability of a human and the invincibility of a superhero simultaneously. The character makes a fascinating study, like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde rolled into one. Jackman is supported by Liev Schreiber, who recently played a similar role in Defiance alongside Daniel Craig. Schreiber has returned to Hollywood with a vengeance, and fleshes out a complex character in Victor Creed. Danny Huston of 30 Days of Night appears as a younger William Stryker and injects some real vigor and megalomania to his character, which makes a worthy adversary for Wolverine. There’s no shortage of villains in this film as Wolverine has to confront every one of his former allies from the special ops team. Each of them have a unique talent and he faces an uphill challenge from the get-go.
This is one of those films that has it all… romance, action, sci-fi, horror, fantasy and drama. It’s a real blockbuster that lives up to its epic proportions and delivers rich, full-blooded entertainment. X-Men Origins: Wolverine sets out to be a solid action superhero film and achieves every milestone. The only drawbacks are that one knows Wolverine’s path is predestined, and that the film can only really finish with a “To Be Continued…” atmosphere. The movie is explosive and supercharged with motorcycles, blades and guns - making it a tough guys film.
The international backdrops boost the epic atmosphere and the host of villains make the plot look like a heartbeat line before a heart attack. There are times where it feels like the movie has outgrown itself with reliance on some less-than-perfect CGI, otherwise it’s visually electric and mesmerising. Gambit finally makes an appearance and Sabretooth brings another dimension to the duality of Wolverine’s friend/enemy relationships. There definitely are two sides to the story on every count, and one can thank Gavin Hood and Hugh Jackman for bringing Wolverine down safely on the good side. This is a welcome return to the ’80s action phenomenon and a solid entry as the first X-Men Origins installation.
The bottom line: Cool.
