On DVD: 'The Road' and "Wolverine'

I watched a couple of movies recently while traveling, and here are some thoughts.

The Road (2009): What a hauntingly good film. Vigo Mortenson and young Kodi Smit-McPhee form a powerful duo, who spend most of the time together, with interludes of interaction with other characters in this post-apocalyptic drama. It is violent, and is it dark, but the film reeled me in from the beginning and didn't let go of me until I sat there stunned and emotionally drained during the closing credits. Like Children of Men (which I reviewed briefly earlier this year), it's really not a sci-fi movie; it's really a dark tale of a father and son, and one that, though I'm not likely to watch again, I'm glad I did.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009): I reviewed this last year after it came out, and I can tell you I actually enjoyed it more this time without the weight of the 20-year expectations of a Wolverine movie. It still had it's problems: the last fight scene was too over-the-top; the special effects were sub-par; and there are too many characters. But I liked it better the second time. Hugh Jackman is awesome as Logan, Ryan Reynolds is good as Deadpool (though they butchered his charater a little), and the story was interesting. Is it a great movie? No. Does it belong among the best super-hero movies? No. But it's very entertaining, and I would certainly see a sequel.

Chicks dig claws

X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie review

Score: 7/10

First off, I've been waiting for a Wolverine movie for 20+ years. I remember reading rumors about Sylvester Stallone playing Wolverine, and cringing at the thought. Then this unknown Aussie gets in role in X-Men, a guy who was much too tall and not stocky enough to play Wolverine. But he was awesome at the role, and all was finally right in my geeky little universe.

So after a fairly mediocre X-Men: The Last Stand, I was hopeful that the X-Men universe would get a reboot in a positive way. I can say it did, but with some caveats.

What worked: Hugh. He's very good at playing Logan, with all the complexity of that character. He can be both human and animal in the same scene. Some of the other acting was very good (including Liev Schrieber as Sabertooth and Danny Huston as William Stryker). The story was also tight and understandable. And a few of the action sequences were amazing, especially the motorcycle fight sequence.

What didn't work: Most of the special effects. There were a few very fake looking sequences, which is unforgivable with a budget this large. Especially the last fight scene, which was too poorly done to be the climactic moment it should have been. There were also too many characters, though they did a decent job of balancing them; it was as if Fox/Marvel wanted to introduce as many characters as possible, and give Ryan Reynolds a very small part as Deadpool, but set him up for a potential sequel.

Who would want to see it: Comic book geeks like me, anyone who liked the other X-Men films, and action-film junkies. You might not want to see it if you are a Marvel fan who was offended by the liberties they took in the first three X-Films. They go even farther afield on this one. And if you don't like PG-13 violence, stay away.

Closing credits: Overall, I really enjoyed it. It was good escapist entertainment with a character I really like. But it could have been better. So did they regain momentum after X-Men: The Last Stand? Yes, but there's still a ways too go before this franchise eclipses the recent accomplishments of Batman and Iron Man.