Movie Review for X-men Origins: Wolverine
Hugh Jackman Stars in Lacklustre Attempt to Bring Wolverine's Origin Story to Life
May 6, 2009
Wolverine has always been the stand out character in all three previous X-men outings. Not quite part of the group, his attempt to understand Xavier’s school helps ease the viewers into the world of the X-men. His gruff yet caring nature is perfectly portrayed by Hugh Jackman, who, from his very first appearance in the X-men films as a cage fighter, immediately had the audience in awe of his abilities.
It’s too bad that Wolverine doesn’t get a movie deserving of his amazing talents and abilities. While exciting and action packed, some pitfalls in the plot and an overcrowded cast hinders this film from blockbuster movie status.
Wolverine Delivers a Very Weak Script
X-Men Origins starts out guns firing, a very solid opening that contains an interesting reveal about Wolverine and Sabretooth before diving into a very well-orchestrated montage of the many wars that Logan and his brother Victor have taken part in. From then on, however, the plot slowly digresses into mediocrity.
Viewers will quickly be annoyed by the many holes in X-men Origins: Wolverine. From Logan’s poorly developed relationship with his sweetheart Kayla Silverfox to the lack of characterization of the villains, the films story does not match up to its predecessors in terms of depth or heart.
Other Famous Marvel Characters Outshine Wolverine
Fans holding their breath to see Remy LeBeau aka Gambit finally got there chance, and he really stole the show, dazzling audiences with his kinetic ability. The appearance of the Blob, Deadpool, the White Queen, Cyclops and a cast of other famous mutants was fun, but Wolverine was quickly overshadowed in his own film by an overcrowded cast.
The problem with having too many characters is that none of them can be developed effectively. The previous X-Men films handled this well by focusing on a few key mutants, but touching on the other important ones too, X-Men Origins: Wolverine just didn’t do that.
Wolverine Provides a Satisfactory Action Experience
If nothing else, then at least the action in Wolverine is deserving of the cost of entry. There are some stunning visuals, from Wolverine jumping onto a moving helicopter to the final fight with Weapon XI, so this movie definitely delivers in that regard.
One of the best features of Wolverine was his mysterious past, basically this movie destroyed that. Hopefully subsequent films, if there are any, will give Wolverine a script he can really sink his claws into. Ever since the advent of Dark Knight, the bar has been raised on comic book films, unfortunately Wolverine just doesn’t measure up.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine gets a 6.5/10 for not totally ruining the character, while still leaving the audience feeling like Wolverine deserved better. For another take on the film see Felix Kemp's review for X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
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