Wolverine Review and a Small Feminist Rant

[lydamorehouse]

I'm a huge Marvel fan, as you all know. Last night seanmmurphy and I went to see "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." My main review could be summed up pretty simply, "It was cool!" I left the theatre all jumpy and wanting to BE Wolverine, which is all I really need from my superhero movies, to be honest. Plus, as usual, Hugh Jackman has totally embodied the character, and every time I watch him be Wolverine it impresses me how much he really looks and feels like the guy I read in Alpha Flight, X-Men, and Wolverine for years (other than being a bit too tall is all.)

Gambit, however, has been a big, big favorite of mine since his first introduction in the comics in the 80s. We even had a cat named "LeBeau" who was every bit a red-haired charmer as Remy, himself. I was really, really worried that the actor they chose would disappoint me. I needn't have worried. He grew on me (a bit like the "real" Gambit, really), and I think the thing that cinched it was seeing Gambit's moves made real. Sort of like my experience seeing NightCrawler at the beginning of the second X-Men film... I was won over simply because the cinematographer managed to bring the still panels of the comic book into real-life action. Seeing Gambit do his card trick and weild his staff just made the fan-grrl inside me squee.

The writers took liberties with Wolverine's origin (Jimmy? You're kidding, right?), and I could see some more true blue fans being upset by that. Wolverine, until Hugh Jackman became him, was never one of my more favorites to read (Shawn, my partner, was the BIG Wolverine fan -- thanks to her, we have almost the complete run of the Wolverine stand-alone title). I'm just not that attached to his origin story (which I think Marvel has mostly still kept pretty blank.) It was nice, however, to see the iconic moment that Wolverine rises out of the adamantine injection tank and, you know, kicks ass. It looks just like my brain imagined it when I read the story the first time.

Also... somehow they made Scott Summers cool. For me, that's kind of an awesome trick. (And on an unrelated note I'm glad to see Charlie from LOST is working.)

My small feminist rant goes like this -- where the [bleep!] are the cool chicks?

As I watched Agent Zero, who I have to admit to not knowing terribly well, my mind kept trying to replace him in my head with Domino who hardly ever wears any clothes and totally rocks. Apparently, my memory of her being part of Weapon X is faulty. I just read her history on the Marvel Universe site, and I guess I must have first come across her in Cable (which I was following mostly for the artist Ian... Somebody? Churchill?) Anyway, my thought was, since they're already playing fast and loose with TRUE Marvel history, why not do a replacement of Domino for Agent Zero and inject some more hot chick action into a boy-heavy cast?

I mean, despite my being a lesbian and all, I did appreciate the naked Hugh Jackman moments.

But part of the reason I read comics (and continue to ocassionally pick up an issue or two) has a lot to do with the seriously hot, half-naked girls who have to use anti-gravity devices to keep their costumes on. And, you know, say what you will, but Chris Claremont wrote some great parts for the X-Women when he had the helm of the X-Men title. I believe he was writing when Storm when through her whole I-lost-my-powers-but-I-can-still-bring-on-the-pain phase. But, even if he wasn't, there are plenty of moments when the women of Marvel had far more interesting story arcs than many of the men.

Where are they in the movies?

Is it still the case that strong women have to be defending children (see what they did with the whole Tank Girl thing when they brought HER to film or even Geena Davis' character in "Long Kiss Goodnight".)? Or what? I mean, when I think back to Halle Berry's sorry excuse for Storm, I start to weep. Actually, all the women in that first X-Men film were nutered. Rogue is one of my all time favorite characters and, in the movie, she was robbed of everything that made her cool -- her history, for one, as a villan... which is one of the things that made the romance between her and Magneto so cool in the comics.

So any theories out there, true believers? What's up with the lack of strong superhero chicks?

Comments

[cmpriest.livejournal.com]

I mean, despite my being a lesbian and all, I did appreciate the naked Hugh Jackman moments.

Well now, come on! You're gay, you're not dead.

(Which is the opposite of what I tell people when I gush over Kate Beckinsale in the Underworld movies. Come on! I'm straight, I'm not dead.)

[cmpriest.livejournal.com]

(A comment which, I do hope, is received in the fannish intent of "ooh, pretty people who all of us can appreciate!" without any subtext or snark. And if it came off as being too flippant or presumptive, my apologies.)

[lydamorehouse]

No worries, grrl! I laughed out loud at this!!

[cmpriest.livejournal.com]

Excellent! My husband just said something to make me second-guess it, that's all :)

[tiernsshadow.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've never read any X-Men comics and don't have much knowledge of the world beyond the cartoon series I grew up with, but I still left the theater after Wolverine going, "Where were all the chicks?" There were only two women in the movie with featured superpowers (if I remember right), and their powers were: the ability to manipulate people and make a man fall for her, and the ability to summon up a diamond-like defensive skin. Boring and manipulative or sparkly and only useful for self-defense?

I don't know what's up with superheroines in movies these days. Maybe moviemakers think only boys enjoy superhero movies, so they have to make all the cool plots and strengths and interesting histories to the male characters?

And Halle Berry as Storm? I...just...ugh. I have to look away when she's on screen so I don't get angry.

[lydamorehouse]

Yeah, and the diamond hard skin is supposed to be Emma Frost, I believe... but she gets that powers later (although after Genosha, which this sort of was...) agh, it makes my head hurt.

I hadn't thought about SilverFox quite that way, though you have a point.

[seawasp]

My biggest X-movie disappointment was #3, where they foolishly attempted to do TWO of the biggest X-stories in one movie, and thereby ended up screwing both of them.
Phoenix' story deserved to be told properly, and told over at least two separate movies (possibly three). And the Mutant Registration Act/Mutant War deserved at least its own movie.

Unlike many, I didn't mind Halle Berry's Storm, though she was weak in the first movie. In the second, she got some good Storm moments, especially the Twisters From Hell sequence.

[stephen-dedman.livejournal.com]

I thought Halle Berry had one cool moment in the first X-men movie, when she confronts Toad. The CGI-eyed eyes might have helped, though. And I suspect that her insistence on a more dominant role in X-men III was one of the (many) things that really hurt the movie.

yeeeaaaah...

[chibi-evil.livejournal.com]

canon wolverine origin story has his name being James. He ends up with amnesia (the first time! just before...ww1?) and the only name he can remember as being associated with him is "Logan" the name of the guy who is his biological dad. cool story, for the most part. the movie scrunched about 3 of his origin stories all together.

I'm a big wolvy fan as well--so when silverfox (the girlfriend) showed up i was all "whelp. great. they are doing the whole 'sabertooth rapes and kills silverfox to get wolvie's goat.' thing. maaan..."

When that was what you were expecting--she came out pretty awesome. She managed to avoid being fridged, and actually managed to make her death mean something FOR HER.

AND they got rid of the idiotic red-head from the origins story who existed just to be killed off and provide ANGST. I didn't see the woman who becomes lady deathstrike though...

probably a good thing, since that means he didn't date HER as well.

wolverine has never been a good feminist comic. I just love it anyway.

Re: yeeeaaaah...

[lydamorehouse]

I read the James thing in my copy of The Marvel Encylopedia yesterday. Still... James? I like Logan so much better.

Re: yeeeaaaah...

[chibi-evil.livejournal.com]

I like logan better too.

my favorite wolvy origin story is the one where he was raised partly by wolverines. I think thats an early one. that was appearently one of the false ones implanted by the weapon x program.

the weapon x program enjoyed false memories. I loved that stuff.