I have been excited about this film since I first heard about it. I am a great fan of comic books and Wolverine is one of my favorite characters ever and he's never been anything but a joke in the movie franchise so far. This rating could be high, because I had very little reason to believe this time out would be different, but I was happy with it. With that preface, I would like to break it down for you.
I chose to give this one a 9 for wit. This to me is an out and out win. It's been a lot worse. I never rated X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but if I had to guess, I'd bet I would have given it about a 5. I compared it to Winter's Bone and Zero Dark Thirty and it wasn't close, but compared to more modest fare like Watchmen and Valkyrie, it thrilled. The former two were 9.5's and the latter were 9's. The dialogue rarely felt forced or over-expository. It genuinely felt on par with some of its source material. The ultra-purists will scoff, but all the relationships were dealt with deftly and the actors made it all feel real.
Hugh Jackman and Famke Janssen reprised major roles. Hugh finally felt at home in the character in a way he'd failed to previously. Famke played solely in dreamy sequences and spent most of her time playing out Logan's demons, which she did, without seeming too out of place. It's not easy to ride the line between, clearly not real and dream-believable.
Newcomer Tao Okamoto made a splash in my mind as well. I will definitely look forward to her next appearance. She managed to play strength and weakness in equal measures, to have confidence and yet vulnerability. I was truly impressed. The rest of the actors were more or less forgettable, but filled their place well. The writers both have made a number of solid, if not remarkable films, but this seems like a step up to me.
For wisdom, I felt the movie had a lot in common with True Grit (2010). Some basic questions about revenge and justice came up, but this one avoided a lot of that by putting Wolverine in a different place than he often is. Don't get me wrong; he kills a bunch of dudes and that can't simply be overlooked. But he only kills criminals in the pursuit of murder, kidnapping, etc. The bigger questions are about his obligation to be a hero and to step in when he sees injustice. This kind of stuff gets me going. He realizes the essential truth that hiding from the world is not an option. One has to take action in the face of evil.
There is also a subplot about the possibility of healing and peace, even for those who have seen and done hard and harsh things for the right reasons and people who have experienced great loss. They come down squarely on the more optimistic side, which I approve of. Overall, the film is close to perfect in this regard. I only have a few reservations about its characterization of love. Specifically the whole, "I love you but I have to leave you" schtick. I don't buy it. So 9.5.
For wonder, I choose to give a 9.5. A couple of points push this. One is the realism of, that is the lack of distraction from, his claws. They really looked real, metal, and menacing. Other than that it looked great and sounded great. And surely the director isn't a complete bozo. Some of the stuff was weird and I don't know how it will be dealt with, but I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt. Go see this movie. Or rent it. And please, pray that Disney and Fox can come into some sort of agreement to bring the X-Men and other Fox properties together with the Avengers, where they belong.
No comments:
Post a Comment