When I reviewed X-Men: Apocalypse, I made mention of the
series’ standing in the annals of comic book film history. Today, I get into
what I believe is the reason why the
original film and its follow-ups are as important as they are. And oddly
enough, it’s all down to a single character: Wolverine. While there are
definitely arguments that can be made regarding the decision to take the X-Men
team as a whole and create a story largely devoted to only one of them, Hugh
Jackman’s performance blended so well with the character that, for the last 17
years, it’s been near-impossible to imagine anyone else in the role. As the
avatar of the new guard of comic book filmmaking, one built on true character
pathos and subtextual themes of prejudice and isolation, he did what was asked
of him almost perfectly.
With this in mind, the news of what will be Jackman’s
swan song as the Canadian berserker definitely reached the geek community with
a very heavy heart, something bolstered by how Patrick Stewart was also bowing
out with this film as well. So, not only is this the requiem for two of the
most popular comic character in the comic book film sub-genre but also for the
very team that gave them their prominence in the first place. Very few films
have this much weighing on their success and, from the critical reactions so
far, that weight was delivered back and then some. But what did I think of it?
