My earliest memory of Wolverine is a tattered dusty comic book i found at my cousin's place years ago. His room had always been a veritable treasure chest from the perspective of a teenager. As i settled into a corner, the comic began (as Wolverine story arcs tend to do) with Wolvie pissed drunk in a bar, quite unaware of the impending danger headed his way. A group of villians, previously torn to ribbons by his admantium claws on some occasion or the other, have joined forces with the intention to de-fang him forever. As they approach the bar, armed to the teeth and well-prepared, a terrific battle rages with Wolverine finally taken prisoner after inflicting much damage. So strong is the thematic violence, that not only do they mercilessly restrain him, they decide to crucify him. So as per plan, Wolverine is shown carefully nailed to the cross, through places not reinforced with the cursed metal. He is raised on a cross, bleeding profusely in the middle of nowhere, left for dead. The loss of blood and scavengers are assumed to finish the job. Close to death, Wolverine turns to what he fears the most, his animal rage. With screams to chill the bone, he begins to pull the nails out by sheer force of will. By the time he pulls himself off the wooden cross, he is a spent force, almost insane with pain and fury.As i sat watching 'Origins', i couldnt help but replay those feelings of raw animalistic ferocity i had imputed to Wolverine as a young reader, and how those same attributes were now glossed over by this formulaic Hollywood junk, ever so eager to please the average movie-goers baser instincts. I cringed every time Stryker asks Logan to become the 'animal', the latter growling as if doing a Garfield imitation in response. In all fairness, Hugh Jackman does try. But what's clear from the outset is this: they just dont get it. With a healing power making him almost immortal, but not inhuman, Wolverine is perhaps the most exciting of all Marvel characters. Having endured centuries of pain, loneliness, hatred, love and loss, the comic books treat his backstory with a reverence reserved only for Kal El and Bruce Wayne. And yet, all the production houses can offer us in terms of character development is nightmares and screams. What a waste.
Mercifully Schreiber plays Sabretooth with enough menace to give his character some 'teeth'. Spoiler: Reynolds isnt half bad as Deadpool, though i cant imagine why they had him decapitated towards the end. The movie seemed like an extended trailer for future spinoffs, and Deadpool should most definitely get a larger share of that pie.
Overall, the movie doesnt suck. But comic book fans will be disappointed. What could have been another Dark Knight was duly turned into a Spawn because the makers didnt care enough for the character we have come to know and love.
