Jun 15, 2009 10:57 AM
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A decent Hollywood movie coming around after quite a long time! The marvel comics’ fictional characters from the X-Men trilogy are already popular with movie and comic fans. Set as a prequel to the trilogy, the story is centered on the origin and the life of the mutant James Howlett/ Logan/ Wolverine and his skirmishes with his half-brother Victor Creed. With not a minute wasted, rest assured that this will be an interesting watch!
Beginning in 1845 Canada, young and sickly James Howlett witnesses his father being murdered by Thomas Logan who is later revealed as James’ father. Fleeing home, young James and brother Victor, both wolf-like, indestructible and immortal mutants fight in the American Civil War, both World Wars and the Vietnam War. Their skills attract the attention of Major Stryker who recruits them into specially set up all-mutant Team X.
The team’s mutant members include shooter Agent Zero, a mercenary, a teleporter, an invincible muscleman, a technopath among others. Tired of violence and inhuman acts meted out by the group, James leaves to retire into the quiet of the Canandan woods as a lumberjack. But, the violent past just doesn’t end as Victor returns to finish off Team X; instead murders James Logan’s lover, thus putting the latter on the path of revenge.
Stryker convinces James, now Logan to accept a bio-metallurgical reinforcement so that he can avenge his lover’s death. The element is the virtually indestructible adamantium which now makes Logan, now Wolverine’s bones and claws razor sharp and deadly. As the story unfolds, Stryker is also busy readying Weapon XI, a mutant-super-soldier that combines abilities of all other mutants being researched at the secret facility.
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine holds the movie throughout and plays the part to perfection replete with the intensity we have been familiar with in the other X-Men movies. Liev Schreiber as the brother of the protagonist and interchangeably an adversary and ally plays his part menacingly well. Of course, there are other weird mutants designed to keep the make-up man busy on the set. Ben Kingsley’s cameo is cherry on the cake.
Shot mostly in Australia and New Zealand, the movie locales chosen well and the special effects ensure that your interest is kept alive throughout. Although there are action sequences that beat logic by any stretch of imagination such as Agent Zero reloading his guns in mid-air and Gambit fighting off bullets with a sword, this is just passed off as creativity. Remember, the movie is both Sci-fi and Fantasy!
