Although X3’s sucking didn’t help matters, it was already supposed to be the last traditional X-Men movie. The idea afterwards was that we’d see prequel movies showing the origins of various characters, starting with the most popular one.
X2 (and to a lesser extent, the first one) showed us how Wolverine doesn’t know his past, except that it involves him being submerged in water and getting the adamantium that makes his claws injected into his body. We do know a man named William Stryker was behind it, and why, but now in this movie we get the full story of Logan.
Or James, as is apparently his real name. We find out his real name is James Howlett, he was born in the mid-1800s, his nickname came from a highly significant person in his childhood, he was a runaway with his brother Victor (the future Sabretooth), they fought in four US wars together, James was worn down by the violence while Victor relished it, and the brothers remained loyal to each other above all else.
Those last two facts ultimately led to them meeting Colonel Stryker, which was the beginning of the end. Or the end of the beginning.
Of course in a later film we’d see the end of the end.
After rewatching X2, I watched all the bonus features on my DVD from long ago, which really made it feel like I watched the film three more times. It didn’t bore me for a moment!
I felt the need to do the same with the ample bonus features on this Blu-ray, even though it was something my oft-mentioned neighbor Ryan just let me have; I didn’t pay for it. It ultimately bored me and I rushed through some bonus features, although the fact that I watched them at all shows I liked the movie. Still, since I don’t own X-Men: The Last Stand, I refuse to pay for it again, and it’s not available to stream for free anywhere, I didn’t rewatch it for this series of posts – I went straight from X2 to this movie, which made Wolverine look really lame in comparison.
Yet it’s a better movie than people give it credit for. We see Logan humanized as, despite his advanced age, his superpower, and his history of trauma, he attempts a normal life as a lumberjack with his beloved, Kayla.* Some people have other ideas, though.
We know Logan ends up with his memory gone, and that could have added a powerful dimension to the first film, as we realize he kills not only his own brother but the only person who could have provided the key to his past. This film doesn’t go into that though. Such a missed opportunity, not helped by the fact that Sabretooth was recast with Liev Schrieber, even though Tyler Mane would have loved to return.
How could you not have wanted this guy back?
The movie comes down to a battle between Logan and his mortal enemy, Stryker, and different people end up pawns to various degrees. We know in X2 Logan wins the battle once and for all, but this movie does a nice job functioning as a self-contained episode in their saga. As far as the pawns, Kayla is beautifully played by Lynn Collins and really captures your heart and Schrieber at least gives a good performance that rises above the weak writing. Many fans were angry at how they changed Deadpool’s story, but Ryan Reynolds is as entertaining as he’s ever been during his appearance at the beginning and at the end I found his fate powerful and heartbreaking, knowing that someone found a way to shut him up.
Yet the rest of “Team X” is forgettable, and the movies suffers from a lack of focus. Sometimes the movie seems too complicated, as if they are trying to squeeze in scenes for the other characters simply because they’re there. Also, Remy Lambeau serves some use to the plot, but he doesn’t really do anything exciting, which sucks because I’m far from alone in thinking Gambit was the most awesome character on X-Men: The Animated Series.
It seemed like here the filmmakers were simply thinking, “Getting Gambit in there is all that matters. As long as we build anticipation for X-Men Origins: Gambit.”
Such a movie wound up never happening, and neither did any more X-Men Origins movies after this one didn’t live up to expectations. I’ll reiterate that it’s not that bad; it’s actually a pretty good power struggle between Wolverine and Stryker interspersed with some moving (to various degrees) scenes containing Sliver Fox (Kayla), Sabretooth, and Wade (Deadpool).
Nonetheless, I’m glad Fox went in a different direction afterwards, with some prequels to the main trilogy!
Bottom Line: Some good moments for a fan.
Up Next: Excitement!
*Also the name of my former beloved, LOL.
Questions? Comments? Feel free to write below.
%
Recent Comments