It was 11:10am and I walked into my local cinema alone, for the first time. All my friends are so inconsiderate and have “jobs”, whatever they are! All joking aside, I was seeing this movie. What they did to Deadpool wasn’t stopping me. People’s knee jerk reaction to an unfinished leak wasn’t stopping me. So a lack of company wasn’t exactly going to get in my way!
I’ll say now that I didn’t see the leaked version so I can make no comparison. All I can give you is a Wolverine fans perspective of the “real” movie! Since the first X-Men film came our way I have been dreaming of this film being made, so my expectations were high.
The film opened with some slightly dodgy acting from the young James Howlett. I let this go as child actors often grate on me, even the talented ones! As a fan, I followed the opening with ease but I do have concerns for the non comic buffs. Too many small details were skipped and overlooked. Having said that, if they had included everything, then that would be it, movie over before the opening credits! This was an honest effort to support the source material and condense it into an opening teaser.
As the main credits roll, we see a montage of James and Victor fighting side by side through four wars (Civil, WW1, WW2 and Vietnam). I thought this worked well. As it started you saw how each one looked out for the other. You then see the change in their relationship as Victor revels in the killing while James tries to calm his brother. This was a quick and effective way of showing their background together.
I’ll try not to just talk you through the entire film. That has been done plenty of times here and all of them have the story right. I heard Hugh Jackman talk about the 70’s gritty tone this film has and I have to admit he’s right. There was a nostalgic feel to most of the scenes that I can’t quite explain any other way. The film seems to fit in a category that only one other movie I can think of fits into. That movie is “Sunshine”. What I mean is the tone of the movie is drastically different to the level of effects used. I can see this being a love it or hate it factor about the film.
The effects are good, with the exception of some dodgy claws here and there. And the story? Well, I liked it. There were some holes (mainly in the opening) and it failed to explain why he is “James” in one scene then “Logan” in another. It didn’t stay completely true to every character but I honestly thought they tried to capture the essence of each one and place them in a story that is enjoyable for fans and non fans of the comics. Yes, Wade wasn’t in it anywhere near enough but this is “Wolverine” not “Deadpool”.
The acting was actually better than I was expecting. Yes, there are cheesy lines throughout the film but it’s Hollywood. We all know Hugh is a great Wolverine. Liev was impressive as Victor. All those saying he’s too small have a point but also have a short sightedness that needs adjusting. His character was imposing and slightly creepy and he pulls it off easily. Gambit was great to finally see on screen! His accent came and went a few times but all in all he was a pleasure to have in the film. Ryan IS Wade, we all know that. If he gets his own movie I’d be ecstatic! All the other actors were solid with no real flare but nothing to let you down either.
On a personal (gloating) note. I’d like to say I was right about the Deadpool name. It is the name of the experiment Wade undergoes. As for all this talk about the “magic bullet”, don’t believe it! Whoever started that off was not paying attention to the film! It is simply an adimantium bullet. Stryker uses this as it’s the only thing that can pierce Logan’s skull. It is fully explained that it will destroy his brain but won’t kill him. His brain can grow back but the memories can’t. What part of that can you not get?
To all those against this film after seeing the leak. Give it the chance it deserves! I don’t care if you saw it through “film makers eyes” or just didn’t like it. You CANNOT get the full intended experience by watching an unfinished copy. If the only difference is a few polished effects and music than this is just a testament to how much they play in film making.
If you go to see this film, you won’t get a complete masterpiece of film history but you will get a decent movie that isn’t just about the action. It’s not perfect but it’s extremely enjoyable and well worth it’s money!
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