X-Men Origins: Wolverine Movie Review
Hugh Jackman Shines in Otherwise Shaky Superhero Prequel
May 4, 2009
When X-Men Origins: Wolverine begins, it's clear that Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber are up to the challenge. From the opening title sequence with Jackman and Schreiber fighting in different wars throughout the ages, both men seem intent on giving this X-Men prequel their all.
The problem is, the script simply doesn't match up to their fine performances.
Jackman snarls, leaps, slices, howls, and uses his charisma and animal magnetism to full effect from beginning to end, showcasing the fiery energy of the Canuck mutant Wolverine. He's alternately charming and feral, often both in the same scene, and he gives an electric presence to an otherwise somewhat lackluster superhero offering.
Wolverine's Origin
The film begins as a period piece, delving into the mysterious past of the young Logan and attempting to answer the question of how Logan came to be the claw fisted mutant known as Wolverine. With a few surprises, even immediately after the start of the film, the movie is not without it's fascinating and even emotionally charged moments. Those moments are typified by the relationship between Logan and Victor, who eventually becomes Sabertooth, Wolverine's arch-enemy.
Logan is part of a strike team of Special Forces made up of different mutants. This portion of the film is especially interesting and engaging, as we meet, however briefly, a few of the characters that make up the X-universe, particularly Deadpool (ably played by a wisecracking Ryan Reynolds) and The Blob. In a fun sequence, the team works together to defeat what are presumably, "the bad guys".
Act Two: Wolverine, a Love Story
Unfortunately, the momentum from the beginning of the film starts to weigh down a little, and Wolverine finds himself in the middle of a fairly uninspired love story. Coupled with the tracking of Logan by Sabertooth, much of this part of the film is embroiled in corny dialogue and predictability, though a fun little sequence featuring a nude Wolverine in a barn keeps things entertaining.
Another mutant, fan favorite Gambit, shows up and is well played by Taylor Kitsch. The character is probably underutilized, and not really developed much, but is an effective foil/ally for the title character.
For the most part, the downward trend of the film begins during the middle section and continues to spin until the kind of predictable "good guys vs. bad guys" showdown at the climax of the film.
Hugh Jackman and the Cast
As mentioned before, there is much to recommend in Wolverine, not the least of which are the aforementioned inspired performances by Jackman and Schreiber. Most of the cast is at least decent, with only Will I. Am (of Blackeyed Peas fame) seeming a bit out of place as a teleporting mutant who befriends Logan. He's not bad, just doesn't seem right for the part despite his likability.
There are a few surprises, of course. Some go with Marvel Comics' mythos, some go directly against it and are likely to anger hardcore X-Men fans. Still, the film isn't absolutely unwatchable...it just isn't anywhere near as transcendent a comic book movie as the first two X-films. It's closer to the equal of the third X-installment, The Last Stand, and maybe even a little bit better because of the dedication of Jackman. Obviously, there is a lot of sound and fury and a bunch of Michael Bay style summer blockbuster explosions to break up some of the monotony, but not much by way of emotional clarity.
Overall, it manages to be a fairly entertaining popcorn romp, if you don't think about it too hard. Of course, the movie sets in place the required events for the inevitable Deadpool and Gambit offshoot films.
