Plot problems in Wolverine

Most critics didn't like the Wolverine movie much. Here's a typical opinion:Verdict: At best Wolverine is undemanding, placating to an audience too young to appreciate the comics it's based upon. The older audiences will only turn their nose at the poor fight choreography, drastically drab visuals and a story so effortless it "for shames" that of its video game counterpart. This clunky prequel doesn't even make an effort to maintain a semblance of balance between story and spectacle, characters and special effects.I liked the Wolverine movie better than the critics did. My opinion is similar to this critic's:For a movie based upon a comic book, it's good fun. I wasn't expecting much, since most critics panned the story (what there was) but gave Jackman and Schreiber high marks for their respective acting skills, as do I. The big surprise was that this was actually good. My kids had a good time and enjoyed the action sequences and could follow the movie's plot easily. Their ages ranged from 6 to 11. Not that it was that simple, but there weren't a lot of silly complicated story sub plots to follow. Some films suffer from too many details. We learned why Wolverine is the way he is in the previous X-Men films (which take place later in the time-line of events). Fight sequences are well done, the cast does a great job with their parts, and the one-liners are funny. It's a good example of why it past the time to use mediocre actors and instead use good and capable actors in an action film.I guess I can't get enough of the ol' Canucklehead. And it was a hoot to see characters like Deadpool and the Blob along with Scott Summers and Professor X.

Rob finds flaws

Wolverine starts off as a great action film. It seems to have Logan (Wolverine) down pat, with a simplified but valid version of Logan's origin. Then the plot questions start piling up.

[*spoilers*]

The evil Col. Stryker tricks Logan into getting his bones laced with adamantium, an indestructible metal. Logan becomes Weapon X (Weapon 10), an unstoppable killing machine. Why does Stryker do this? Supposedly so he can use the same process to somehow create Weapon XI (Weapon 11), an even more unstoppable killing machine.

This is poor planning for several reasons. What if something goes wrong in creating Weapon XI? Then Stryker has an enraged Weapon X and no way to stop him. What if Weapon X kills Stryker before Weapon XI can kill Weapon X? What if Weapon X gets lucky and beats Weapon XI?

I guess Stryker's plan was to erase Logan's memory so he too would be a killing machine for the military. But erasing the memory of someone with a healing factor is a big gamble. Hasn't Stryker ever seen any movies where the amnesiac starts having flashbacks?

Stryker says he had to get Logan to volunteer to accept the adamantium. Why? Why not just drug him in his sleep and inject the adamantium against Logan's will? This would be in keeping with Stryker's belief that the US must take extreme measures to defend itself.

Since Stryker's motivation is apparently to use Logan as a test case for Weapon XI, why not let Logan go when he flees? Because Stryker doesn't like loose ends? If Logan is content with fleeing, Stryker should be too. It's foolish to attempt to kill an unstoppable killing machine. If Stryker fails, Logan almost certainly will pursue him for revenge.

Gambit's gambit fails

Logan goes to New Orleans to find Gambit, a mutant who escaped from Stryker's "island." Logan tells Gambit he wants to kill his brother Victor. Gambit doesn't want to get involved.

Logan runs into Victor outside the meeting place. They fight and Logan prepares to deliver the killing blow. Then Gambit blows up the scene and lets Victor escape.

Huh? Logan told Gambit he wanted to kill Victor, and now he's about to do it. Gambit will get his wish of not being involved if he does nothing. By interfering, he ensures that Logan will turn on him and force him to cooperate.

It's crazy. Gambit gets involved when he doesn't want to and helps the bad guy escape. How about letting the good guy take care of the bad guy so Gambit's involvement is no longer needed?

One critic said Gambit was afraid Logan was there to recapture him. But there's no evidence of that in the movie. Logan says he wants to kill Victor and Stryker, not to recapture Gambit.

In any case, Gambit's best bet is to let Logan and Victor fight to the death while he flees. Not to break up the fight so Logan can concentrate on him. It may be convenient for the plot, but it makes no sense.

Despite vowing never to return to the "island," Gambit seems happy enough to fly Logan there. How about just telling Logan where the secret base is, or drawing him a map? There's no reason for Logan to seek Gambit's personal help or for Gambit to give it.

Logan confronts Stryker and learns the depths of his machinations. Instead of killing Stryker and freeing the captive mutants, as he vowed to do, Logan just walks away. Why? He might not feel like killing Stryker anymore, but Stryker still has captives to experiment on. Logan wouldn't just leave them to suffer.

Conclusion

The big finish involves a lot of fighting, killing, and exploding things. The ratio of characterization to action goes down, which detracts from the movie. But the above plot loopholes are the main problem.

I could've excused the confusion about why Stryker gave Logan the adamantium, but when Gambit started acting irrationally, I started noticing. While I enjoyed the rest of the movie, I spent half the time trying to puzzle out the plot twists. What could've been an 8.5 or 9.0 movie ends up an 8.0.

Another flaw didn't hurt the movie much, but is worth mentioning. Logan is born sometime in 19th-century North America. He and his brother Victor serve together in the Civil War, World Wars I and II (on D-Day, no less), Vietnam, the Gulf War, etc.

None of this ever happened in the comic books, by the way. I'm not sure Logan served as a regular soldier in any war.

Then Logan casually mentions he's a Canadian. I could imagine Canadians serving with US troops in the 20th-century wars, but in the Civil War? I don't think so.

For more on the subject, see Kayla Silverfox in Wolverine and Kuekuatsheu in Wolverine.

Kayla Silverfox in Wolverine

In X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Logan (aka Wolverine) grows up to be a Special Forces type of US soldier. He quits and becomes a lumberjack in some mountain setting in the western US or Canada. He falls in love with a dark-haired young school teacher played by Lynn Collins.

People identify her as "Kayla" and "Miss Silverfox," which suggests she's an Indian. Then she tells Logan an Indian legend about Keukuatsheu, the Wolverine. Other than that, there's no hint of her ethnicity.

Lynn Collins does a perfectly acceptable job in Kayla's few scenes. But she looks like what she is: an Anglo American with a bit of Native ancestry who dyed her hair brown. I.e., like someone pretending to be an Indian. Without the character's name and the legend, you probably wouldn't guess her to be Native.

Why didn't the studio cast an Indian for this role? Lynn Collins isn't a huge selling point to investors or distributors. Not when you have Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, and Danny Huston plus a presold concept in Wolverine. There's no conceivable financial reason for hiring a white actress to play a minor Native role.

What the studio was thinking

You can almost see the racist minds at work. The character got the name Silverfox, the dark hair, and the legend so comics fans would think she was an Indian. But they added the Anglo name Kayla, didn't mention Indians, and cast a Hollywood starlet so other fans would think she was white.

Heaven forbid if audiences saw a big white hunk like Wolverine shacking up with a woman of color. I.e., someone who didn't fit (white) society's image of an acceptable mate. Ohmigod, she might not be rail-thin. Might not have a pert little nose. Stop Wolverine before he commits miscegenation!

It's basically a case of the Indian princess syndrome. In our society, the only good Indian women are sexy maidens. The rest are unpalatable "squaws."

Kayla Silverfox had a few moments, but it wasn't that great of an acting challenge. Any good Native actress could've played it as well as Lynn Collins. Using a Native actress would've added to the idea of Logan and Kayla as two outsiders against the world. It would've made the Native legend that much more believable. And it wouldn't have hurt the movie's sales (see Twilight and Avatar for evidence).

Wolverine is yet another example of Hollywood's casting non-Natives in Native roles for racial, not creative or financial, reasons. When will it end?

For more on the movie, see Debating Lynn Collins as Silver Fox, Another "Native" Actor Discovered, and Silver Fox in Wolverine Movie.

Below:  Hollywood's idea of a Native woman.

Kuekuatsheu in Wolverine

In the movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Kayla Silverfox tells Logan (aka Wolverine) the following legend:KAYLA:  Why is the moon so lonely?

LOGAN:  Why?

KAYLA:  'Cuz she used to have a lover.

LOGAN:  Ohhh. You tell this to the kids?

KAYLA:  No.

KAYLA:  His name was Keukuatsheu and they lived in the Spirit World together.

LOGAN:  Oh, this is a true story.

KAYLA:  Mmm-hmm.

LOGAN:  All right.

KAYLA:  And every night, they would wander the skies together.

LOGAN:  Oh.

KAYLA:  But, one of the other spirits was jealous.

LOGAN:  Mm.

KAYLA:  Trickster wanted the moon for himself, so he told Keukuatsheu that the moon had asked for flowers.

LOGAN:  Mm.

KAYLA:  He told him to come to our world and pick her some wild roses. But Keukuatsheu didn't know that once you leave the Spirit World, you can never go back.

LOGAN:  Mm.

KAYLA:  And every night, he looks up in the sky, and sees the moon, and howls her name.

KAYLA:  But...he can never touch her again.

LOGAN:  Wow. "Koo-koo-ka-choo" got screwed.

KAYLA:  "Keukuatsheu."

[laughter]

KAYLA:  It means "the Wolverine."Comment: A nice little legend, but wolverines don't howl at the moon. Wolves do, but a wolverine isn't a kind of wolf. Oops.

I presume this legend is made up. I couldn't find any evidence of it on the Web. But I was pleasantly surprised to find the name "Keukuatsheu." It's really a Native word for "wolverine." I gather it comes from the Innu of the Quebec-Labrador region.

About Kuekuatsheu

Information about Kuekuatsheu (Gulo gulo, carcajou, wolverine)

Wolverine myths and historical referencesLucien Turner. 1979 [1894]. Indians and Eskimos in the Quebec-Labrador Peninsula Ethnology of the Ungava District. Quebec, Presses COMEDITEX. p.163.

The Indian conceives the wolverine to be an animal embodying all the cunning and mischief that can be contained in the skin of a beast. To its cunning is added great bodily strength, enabling this medium-sized animal to accomplish destruction apparently much beyond its strength.
Leacock, Eleanor B. and Nan A. Rothschild (eds.). 1994. Labrador Winter: the Ethnographic Journals of William Duncan Strong, 1927-1928. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. pp.67-68.

The purpose of racks...in camp is to raise damageable articles and food above the reach of dogs, while those away from camp are for the protection of stores from wild animals. The wolverine (kwiwa'tchu) is the worst offender in this regard and the solid log storehouses are especially designed to circumvent the wiles of this powerful and ingenious animal.I dreamed the animals: Kaniuekutat: the life of an Innu hunter by Kaneuketat, Georg HenriksenI know one story that tells how the animals made fire, and it's about the wolverine, Kuekuatsheu. He is crazy, but also very clever. Here is the myth about Kuekuatsheu.The Innu (the Montagnais-Naskapi) by Peter ArmitageThe Innu myth of the origin of the world is the Kuekuatsheu. In this tale, Kuekuatsheu (the wolverine) creates the world and everything in it.Myth of Kuekuatsheu

Kuekuatsheu Kutukuaniutshuahp, Quebec, Canada

Anyway, kudos to Wolverine for using a tiny bit of genuine Native lore. For more on the movie, see Debating Lynn Collins as Silver Fox and Wolverine Trailer.

Debating Lynn Collins as Silver Fox

A debate on whether the non-Native actress Lynn Collins should've played the Blackfeet woman Silver Fox in Wolverine.

Why is she playing a Native American?by MariaTie (Wed Apr 15 2009 06:31:42)

Another racist act from Hollywood. So much for the Pro-Indian stance.

by licketysplits (Tue Apr 28 2009 01:51:33)

I think the issue is there are so few roles for people who are a visible minority that when roles come up and they cast a white person in a role that asks for a minority its kinda a low blow... I agree with the original poster.... Hollywood needs to diversify!

by luscious_lady52 (Fri May 1 2009 12:41:06)

After seeing the movie... I was a bit put off at how they were trying to play off the Native American background of Silverfox. If you look at the actress. She is wearing "Native American" jewelery and telling Wolverine a tribal story about the moon.... Come on now...

I felt like they were pushing it there. Why even touch on it if you weren't going to go for a Native American actress? A talk show my sister was watching the other day with NA actresses on it was discussing this topic also. I wouldn't go so far as to say racist but... I dunno, I was disappointed but she didn't do a bad job. I don't want to bash her or anything.

by claweless (Fri May 1 2009 13:22:52)

More importantly, why is she in this film. Her acting is beyond wooden.. it's Keanu Reeves-esque in its woodenness. At least Keanu has the good sense to be in movies where all he needs is to do some action and rely on his pretty looks.

Seriously, she's awful. Seriously.

by missparkers (Fri May 1 2009 13:26:58)

Hey,

How do we know she's not native american? I just saw the movie and saw how she played Kayla. I am not legally native american but I do have 1/16 cherokee blood. Maybe she has some native american blood also.

by WasDreaminWhenIwroteThis (Fri May 1 2009 17:22:55)

That was what I was thinking, missarkers. She totally could pass for 1/4 or even 1/2 Native American. But I do agree that Hollywood likes to white-wash characters when it comes to big budget films. It's not malicious, they are just trying to appease what they think is an intolerant nation. It is insulting and helps to perpetuate the problem.

by ReelFilmster (Sat May 2 2009 10:48:58)

If you can actually FIND a TALENTED native American actress then fine--

Besides skin colour: Is she dramatically effective? Does she have a good resume? Is she able to do the physical scenes? Is she attractive enough to play opposite Hugh Jackman in front of mainstream audiences who demand eye candy?

--but hiring someone just because they're Native is stupid, especially if they are unable to pull off a role for the mainstream audience. I live in Canada, work in the industry, and we have a show called The Reserve that is produced on tax credit, and it is by far the worst show on canadian television...it's not easy casting natives when you have 3 or 4 capable performers scattered across the country...why delay the release of a film trying to miraculously find this person when you can go with an actress that has paid her dues...its been a long time coming for Lynn Collins.

by WasDreaminWhenIwroteThis (Sat May 2 2009 13:53:37)

Reelfilm, you make a great point but it fails terribly here because the character IS actually Native American. We aren't concerned that they didn't cast a NA for the sake of diversity but only because the character is a NA woman. When it comes to screen adaptations of novels, graphic novels and comics, it is extremely important to honor and respect the original work. It's important to the fans who have read these comic books since childhood. If the best actor for the Wolverine character was Black, would it be okay to cast him because he is the most qualified or should the cast the most qualified white actor? What if all the best actors are white? Should they be cast for ever character and just perform with make-up, prosthetics and CGI so that they look like another race? When does it go too far?

by captainchris5369 (Sat May 2 2009 21:18:54)

Only Native Americans can play Native Americans? You're the racist.

by WasDreaminWhenIwroteThis (Sun May 3 2009 11:01:22)

Yay! We have a black president now and the second he gave that oath we all magically went color blind:-) Discrimination based on race and ethnicity no longer exist. So, whenever you think you encounter it, just remember that it's all in your head.

I agree that we should pick our battle WAY more carefully and this is definitely not something to get upset about. But it doesn't hurt to start a dialog about it. Especially in a forum as innocuous as imdb. There wouldn't even be a thread about this if this sort of thing didn't go on in Hollywood since the birth of the film industry. It's just funny to see it still going on in 2009 and there is nothing wrong with making the observation. I think some of the responses are way over the top. Lynn is a beautiful woman and pulled off the character wonderfully so I don't have a problem with her being playing the role. The fact that she isn't NA is just something to note and file away with similar instances.

by e-bowen2 6 days ago (Mon Jun 15 2009 21:20:32)

I think this is a little overreaction. Do any known Native American actresses pop in your head? ARE there even any? Probably, but more than likely it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack.Comment:  Naturally, I agreed with WasDreaminWhenIwroteThis and disagreed with his critics. To see my responses, go to page 4 and page 5 of this thread.

Note:  I fixed some of the spelling and punctuation in these messages to make them more readable.

For more on the subject, see Friday, Tonto, Jacob Black, et al. and The Best Indian Movies.

Another "Native" actor discovered

Previously we discovered that formerly white actors Taylor Lautner and Johnny Depp are Indians who are qualified to play Indians. Now comes news that a third white actor is actually an Indian.

Lynn Collins talks ‘Silver Fox’ of X-Men Origins: WolverineCollins, 29, who this year tied the knot with 10,000BC star Steven Strait, said playing the Marvel comicbook mutant in the X-Men prequel allowed her to embrace her Native American roots as well as getting intimate with Jackman.Does that decision satisfy everyone?Maggie Q and Michelle Monaghan were previously believed to be in line for the role. Fans were disappointed with the decision not to cast a Native American actress, but the mention of Collins' roots appears to lay to rest that particular criticism.Should we worry about how Collins will play a Blackfeet Indian?Asked by MTV how she prepared for the role of Silver Fox, Collins said her male co-stars had a much tougher time getting into their roles. ... "I didn't have to beef up in this movie, I just had to wear skimpy clothes."But at least Silver Fox still retains her core identity as an Indian, right? According to another source:Lynn Collins stars as love interest Kayla Silverfox (an amalgamation of two separate comicbook characters, Kayla and the native American mutant Silver Fox)."Kayla Silverfox"? Oh, right...because not only is a brown-skinned Indian too strange for Hollywood, even an brown-skinned Indian's name is too strange. Let's make the "exotic" Indian into a typical action figure with a leather bikini and a Valley Girl name.

Are the critics mollified? Not if you go by this posting:I don't know anything about Lynn Collins, but it is very off-putting that one of the few Native American characters in comic books is going to be played by a white person. That shows insensitivity and laziness on the studio's part.Comment:  In related news, Al Pacino, Barbara Streisand, Ricky Gervais, and Gwyneth Paltrow also have discovered they're part Indian. Look for them to play a bickering family of Plains Indians in a 19th-century remake of All in the Family. With Tony Shalhoub and Margaret Cho as their wacky Indian neighbors.

Sheesh. Is there any actor who isn't qualified to play an Indian these days?

Since we have three instances of this happening, it's officially a trend. When casting an Indian role, studios find the cutest, hottest star they can with an ounce of Indian blood. Voilá! Political correctness is satisfied and critics are supposed to shut up about it.

These studios must not use Google to identify "Native" actors. Because if they searched for Lynn Collins, they wouldn't find any evidence that she's Native. But I'm sure they have great resources at their fingertips, or we might have to accuse them of "insensitivity and laziness."

Yeah, I'd say it's lazy and insensitive when you act like bigots. No one would hire an Indian to play Wolverine, the Lone Ranger, or Edward Cullen from Twilight, but white pseudo-Indians get hired to play Silver Fox, Tonto, and Jacob Black. Discriminating in casting based on race is the epitome of racism.

So put this in your (peace) pipe and smoke it, Twentieth Century Fox. Your casting decision is racist. Because my blog is popular, people will find this note whenever they Google "Silver Fox." If you don't like being called racist, change your racist casting policies.

For more on the subject, see The Best Indian Movies.

P.S. To reiterate the point for Google's search engine:  Twentieth Century Fox...racist.