X-Men Origins: Wolverine

I didn’t expect much from the Wolverine movie. Billed as X-Men 4 by the movie theater (says so right on my ticket), it is anything but. This is Wolverine getting the full Weapon X treatment, a mystery that took forever in comic-land to finally reveal. And with a few exceptions, Wolverine gets it right.

Whereas the previous X-Men movies became increasingly complex, with jumbled storylines and too many characters, a single character sharpens Wolverine’s plot to a knife’s edge. Nigh immortal and capable of regenerating from the most grievous wounds, Wolverine and his brother Sabretooth slash their way through the century, engaging in every major war and some minor ones too. For a little while, that’s enough, until Sabretooth’s propensity for raping and pillaging gets out of hand. A firing squad doesn’t do the job (that whole immortal thing), which is when General Stryker offers a devil’s deal.

There’s nothing new here with the exception of the movie’s primary x-factor: Wolverine. Jackman transforms Wolverine from a passive loner to an outraged spirit of vengeance as everyone he loves dies. And behind it all, pulling the puppet strings, is Stryker, channeling Hannibal from the A-Team.

Throughout his adventures, Wolverine is surrounded by a cadre of other mutants with their own abilities. Unlike the other X-Men movies, each mutant serves a very specific purpose. Nothing feels forced. Except for maybe the Blob, but he’s amusing enough in early and later incarnations to provide some much needed levity that borders on the game Super Punchout.

The real revelation here is Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool. Reynolds did a great job as a sword wielding antihero in the last Blade movie and he’s largely the same wisecracking nut job here. Only he’s much cooler and plays a larger role (think Darth Maul without the makeup).

There are some odd points where the Wolverine movie isn’t sure where to go. Stryker, for all his duplicity, often seems content to pull the movie villain mistake of letting people just walk out of his grasp. Some twists are emphasized with a theatrical exclamation point as the character tells us in no uncertain terms exactly what their plans are. And a few feats of derring-do border on the ludicrous…

But then I remember this is a movie about a comic about a guy who has metal claws between his knuckles. If you can keep that perspective, Wolverine is a lot like the titular character’s signature move: it tears through crowded plotlines with deadly efficiency. And if you’re a fan of other members of the Weapon X program, stay to the end of the credits. You can thank me later.