Wolverine Script Review

What is it?
Screenplay for the fourth chapter in Fox’s X-Men franchise written by David Benioff (the 25th Hour, Troy) and to be directed by Gavin Hood (Tsotsi). Due in 2008.

In a nutshell:
X2 minus the X-Men.

What returning X-characters are in the script?
Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Stryker (Brian Cox) and Sabretooth (Tyler Mane) take center stage here.

Who are the other main characters?
Silver Fox, John Wraith, Agent Zero, Weapon X scientists Hines and Cornelius.

Are there any X-character cameos?
Beak, Blob, James and Heather Hudson.

When does the film take place?
The timeline is kept purposely vague, but given that Wolverine suffers a Vietnam flashback during the Weapon X process…I’m going to guess the 80’s or early 90’s.

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS WITHIN

What’s the plot?
Former secret agent Logan enjoys a quiet existence working as a logger and living with schoolteacher girlfriend, Silver Fox.

Out of the blue: he’s approached by his former employer (William Styker) to track down a serial killer (Sabretooth) who is murdering mutants. Logan first refuses, but reconsiders after Sabretooth’s madness strikes close to home.

After barely surviving their first encounter, Logan is convinced to submit to a grueling experiment that will give him an edge over Sabretooth…but also forever alter him physically. Soon Logan is transformed into an indestructible killing machine called Weapon X…

What’s good about it?
- Simple/straight-forward and action packed.
- Bloody, hardcore fight sequences. There are two knock-down, drag out battles between Sabretooth and Wolverine (involving severed limbs) that could be gold if executed properly.
- Wolverine isn’t the neutered character he was in the 3rd film. Benioff’s version is pissed off, hopeless and deadly.
- Stryker is written well. There’s a dark humor running through much of his dialogue (”Victor and I were discussing ways to kill you and we thought you might have some suggestions…”) that seems tailor-made for Brian Cox.
- The Weapon X scenes mirror the Barry Windsor-Smith mini-series quite well. The only major difference is substitution of “The Professor” with Stryker.
- Sabretooth’s entrance and subsequent offing of a Grant Morrison-creation sets up his character nicely. He does have quite a bit of dialogue…although most of it is of the “Scream for Me” variety.
- The opening scene, in which young Logan battles a group of jock bullies, is a Marvel movie cliché, but it ends on a terrifying note.
- The final scene COULD be very powerful. It reminded me…strongly…of the last moments of Chan-Wook Park’s Oldboy. In fact, it’s almost too coincidental (from the symbolism, setting and physical action) to actually be a coincidence. I’ll label it as a “homage” to be kind.

What’s bad about it?
Did you like X2?

Would you like to see the film remade, but with a first act lifted from 1985’s Commando?

I hope so, because that’s essentially what you get here. Benioff’s Wolverine script is competently-written and does the job…but the entire thing is one big case of Deja Vu. We have X2’s main villain. X2’s setting. Extended sequences of X2’s flashbacks. We even have a near-identical climax, right down to a structurally-compromised Alkali Lake facility and outdoor stand-off.

In the end, the whole thing just seems a little pointless.

Other issues:
- Troubled second act: the film moves like a freight train from Sabretooth and Wolverine’s first battle through Logan’s escape from Alkali Lake…then it stops dead in its tracks. The late second act scenes of Logan doing clichéd detective work (by seeking out old war buddies) is a snooze.
- Despite the build-up and obvious trauma, Wolverine takes about 10 minutes to recover from the Weapon X process. After slaughtering a few soldiers, he’s essentially back to normal (albeit angry). Shouldn’t he have been comatose or (at least) in a dazed fetal position for a week or two?
- Logan vs. The Blob…please omit.
- The “twist” involving one character reads a little lame and overly-complicated. I’d imagine it will be cleaned up before shooting starts.

How about a big spoiler?
We find out why Wolverine can’t remember anything.

Was he mind wiped?
No. In fact, the explanation is pretty brutal and permanent.

How about one more spoiler?
We find out why Sabretooth acts very differently in the first X-Men film.

Does the film set up an Alpha Flight movie?
No. In fact, given the radically different characterizations of the Hudsons and their fate…I’d say this buries it.

What’s the lamest thing about the script?
I’ll code it in geek: Stryker has ordered the same thing as Master Syphadias.

What’s the single best thing about the script?
The Weapon X scenes, Benioff has written a very fun role for Brian Cox.

END SPOILERS

Overall:
Breezy (but forgettable) read. Jackman’s performance and Hood’s direction are going to determine if this is a gritty follow-up or a bland X2-redux. It’s in their hands.