Wolverine opens with a clever and nicely done credit sequence that shows Logan and his brother, Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber), battling side by side in wars throughout the ages — the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam — before we see the brothers have a difference of opinion and head their separate ways. Of course, their parting is not a pleasant one, and one that will have long-lasting implications for them both.
The story is pretty straightforward. As Logan attempts to live a new life away from the violence that was life with his brother and the military group that he was a part of, he cannot seem to stay away as trouble always finds him. Members of his old team are being cut down one by one and only he can stop the culprit, but first he needs the right tools.
This story tells how Wolverine came to be Wolverine, how he got the name, where the metal on his skeleton and claws came from, everything. We do indeed learn these things, but it is dealt with in such a fashion that I did not care.
The one thing that helped the first two X-Men films be so good was the way you cared about the characters; the flow of the story made you become invested in what was to happen. This film is more about the posturing than the caring.
You see, this is what happens when you get too many cooks in the kitchen, when executives think they know the best way to direct a franchise. People begin to think with dollar signs instead of logic. Yes, the film, will make a ton of money, but it will all be in the short term, as long term viability will be compromised by lack of true artistic input.
Perhaps I have been spoiled by the likes of Iron Man, The Dark Knight, and Watchmen, where we got films that had true vision, where the filmmakers understood what they were working with and the studios let them do their work.
Article comments
1 - Robert M. Barga
Of course you bring up the dark knight and the first two xmen, all of which i thought were drivel and crappy movies
i did, however, like this xmen.