Wolverine and the Green Screen

The Internet – can’t live with it, can’t live without it. And the web being the never- ending game of Chinese Whispers it is, I’m sure you’ve all heard of the Wolverine Origins leak over the last few days. In short, somewhere along the post-production line someone procured an incomplete copy of the film and uploaded it in the usual questionable spots. ‘Fans’ instantly jumped upon it, despite the fact that it didn’t contain important things such as visual effects (which are a moderately important element of your average summer blockbuster).

I for one feel this leak –and Wolverine is surely not the last major pre-release leak of a major blockbuster – is significant for a number of reasons. Firstly – and I don’t really want to get into a whole anti-piracy debate here, as in the past I have found such conversations to lead to migraine inducing bouts of illogical nonsense, especially online – it really is a significant illustration of the increasing prominence of movie piracy. I’ll be honest: I am strongly against piracy – as someone who hopes to work in the industry someday, it is a trend that often annoys me. As a big fan of foreign and independent cinema, it does infuriate me when I read reviews of the latest releases on forums from people who have clearly downloaded them – these are the films I feel should be supported. I read loads of ‘early’ reviews of Let The Right One In before I finally got to see it on the big screen at the Dublin Film Festival a few weeks ago (superb, by the way) – the film is still a few weeks away from general release here in Ireland, yet many had seen it as early as last year. And while the point that ‘Hollywood has enough money’ is more difficult to argue against, I still like to support cinema in general, and for that reason never pirate. I’m not taking any moral high ground here (apologies if it came across that way), but that is just my position on the issue. So moving on…

Perhaps more importantly for me, is the supposed quality of this pre-release. Reports I’ve read suggest that while the copy is crystal clear and of DVD quality (a fact that has raised many questions about who actually leaked it), it is still a rough cut of the movie, with green screens still present, effects yet to be inserted, wires still visible etc… In short, many questions have been raised about how far along this version actually is – perhaps an early rough cut minus recent reshoots, or a close to finished version of the final product minus some post-production? Interesting questions for sure, but there is a more important one – why the fuck would anyone want to watch it?
As I hear of more and more people having watched this – both online and in that crazy thing called real-life – I just can’t understand it. Now, I admit I’m not particularly enthusiastic about the film –the sour (and mediocre) taste of X-Men: The Last Stand still lingers (damn Brett Ratner), but I’m willing to give it a chance and it should at least serve as some light entertainment. But even if I was enthusiastically following it, there is no way I would consider watching the current cut. Films such as X-Men (or any other blockbuster) are designed to be viewed in a theater – just block out everything for two hours of mindless superhero action. Watching an incomplete version on a laptop or a TV just seems crazy to me. Perhaps as a useless extra on a DVD (which I likely wouldn't watch anyway) but clearly not the optimum way to watch any film for the first time (except for maybe the fabled pre-Jar Jar cut of Episode One).

This brings me to what is perhaps my main reason for writing this piece. I am, and always will be, a massive fan of the cinema experience. I love watching a great film on a good screen – in fact, I can’t think of anything quite like it. Seeing a film with no distractions (assuming of course you don’t get stuck with any of the weak bladdered, ‘what just happened?” brigade behind you) is the only way to truly digest a film. Recently, having the pleasure to digest the likes of Synecdoche, New York or Let the Right One In on the big screen have been wonderful experiences. Wherever possible, I will watch films I want to see in cinemas rather than at home.

That is not to say I don’t see the benefits of DVD and ever improving home theatre setups. Indeed, if without DVD I’d probably never have seen a huge majority of my favourite films at all (and given the continued absence of a decent classics cinema in Dublin, I doubt I’m going to have the opportunity to see Persona, Akira, 2001 or countless others on the big screen anytime soon). But there is always something about watching a film at home that seems ‘off’ to me. You can build up a fine surround sound, Blu-Ray equipped set up for sure. But even then, there are distractions (I for one am constantly irked by time and chapter displays on DVD players), costs (especially for high-def shit) and limitations (as the only night owl in an otherwise early-rising house, midnight viewings with the volume turned up are downright impossible).

So what is the point of all this ranting and raving? I don’t know – maybe I’m just disappointed (if that is even the right word) at the popularity of this Wolverine leak. Admittedly, ‘pirates’ (yarr!) are a particularly vocal community online, with many always ready to tell anyone who cares (i.e. no-one) about their perfect copy of whatever. It just goes to show people are increasingly willing to skip the cinema in favour of a lower quality download. I just hope that it is a trend that doesn’t continue, as I will forever support the cinema over the increasingly numerous alternatives. Films such as The Purple Rose of Cairo are good looks at the kind of joy and excitement a good cinema trip can conjure up. While I don’t think theatres are at risk just yet (with films like The Dark Knight or Slumdog Millionaire attracting deserved sell-out crowds), it is an experience that should still be appreciated – and I certainly don’t think a leaked copy of X-Men Origins is the way to go about it.