Logan the Wolf Shows a Viking Era Wolverine Unleashed, but We Wanted More Story

Logan the Wolf, a Wolverine fan film by Godefroy Ryckewaert, is "very very impressive," and the takeaway was simple: "I thoroughly enjoyed that." The one real wish was for more story to go with all that action.

A Nordic Wolverine without a PG-13 leash

The film has a Viking, Nordic feel, and Magneto turns up as well. That reminded us of Superman: Red Son, which imagines Superman crash landing in Russia instead of the States. Taking these characters and dropping them into a different place and time is a neat concept, and it still works.

Growing up with the PG-13 X-Men films, it felt like Wolverine was held back. It wasn't really until Logan that we saw the carnage he is capable of, and this short takes that even further. We did find the gore a bit much after two or three times. Still, it properly conveys how dangerous he is.

Fight choreography where everyone is trying to win

Logan is not perfect in the fight. He gets hurt and knocked down, and his opponents are strong and strategic, attacking high, low and from behind. A stunt coordinator friend of ours talks about stunt performers holding back. Sometimes you'll also see a group fight where only one guy is fighting and the other two are waiting. We didn't get that sense here: "everybody's trying to kill him and they're genuinely trying." A standout moment comes when Logan nearly reaches the group's leader between the rocks and a spear comes down in his way.

Having just made our own short, Love Punch Kill, we know how hard invisible stitched shots are. I only caught one stitch in this entire thing. The frenetic camera hides the cuts, yet even with shaky cam you can still track the fight.

Costumes, makeup and a full production

The costuming, makeup and tattoos stand out, and the fact that everyone has scars tells you immediately these are warriors. The actors all found the balance between slightly over the top and grounded. The effects aren't Hollywood level, but they don't need to be for a short film. They communicate the point without looking cheesy.

People can hear "fan film" and picture a weekend project with five friends, "like this is a full production." Ryckewaert comes from a martial arts background as a director, editor, stuntman and fight choreographer, and it shows. The short had 2.3 million views, most of the 3.1 million his work had drawn overall.

Why story matters for the next step

"The only thing that I wish I got more of in this short honestly is just story." What is Logan's motivation beyond surviving, and why are we rooting for him? Maybe it draws on an early version of the character we don't know, since most of our Wolverine experience comes from the cartoon and the movies.

From conversations with people breaking in, producers care more about whether you can tell a story with heart than about the fighting. As it stands, this is a great calling card for second unit direction or fight choreography. Marvel keeps hiring directors without action backgrounds. Destin Daniel Cretton came from indie drama before Shang-Chi, and the Russo Brothers came from comedy. I think, though I might be wrong, that an action heavy episode of The Office helped get them hired. We would love to see another action piece from Ryckewaert where the fight is part of a character driven whole.

Should a fan film like this lean into story, or is pure action enough to prove what a filmmaker can do?