Director: Gavin Hood
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber and Patrick Stewart
‘A Bland Blockbuster’
When it comes to superheroes whose stories deserve to be told on the big-screen, it’s worth discussing the Wolverine. Following creations in the 1970’s, the sharp-clawed superhero has played a strong role in movies. With charming personality, larger-than-life presence and razor sharp claws, the hero has earned a huge fan following. Given his huge fan following, Logan has been depicted on the big-screen several times. While most adaptations have become successful, others have failed to celebrate a hero whose sharp claws are powerful.
Unfortunately, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is a disastrous blockbuster that falls into the latter camp. Gavin Hood’s movie fails to celebrate an iconic hero in popular culture. It’s an entertaining but flawed movie that struggles to celebrate a hero. Boasting breathtaking visual effects, gripping action sequences and strong acting, it’s a passable comic-book blockbuster. While it’s entertaining, the film is far from perfect. It’s unevenly paced, and lacks the strong character development of the greatest X-Men movies. Ultimately, it’s a disappointing film that never lives up to its promising premise. It’s worth watching for its style as long as you’re willing to forgive the lack of substance.
“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” tells an origin story of how Wolverine transformed into a superhero with razor sharp claws. Hugh Jackman depicts Logan, a mutant with dangerous superpowers of claws. Logan recounts his childhood memories of growing up as a mutant with a painful past. Logan’s life story involves traumatic incidents that lead him to become the Wolverine. As he embarks on a frightening journey to run away from the past, Wolverine discovers shocking secrets about his brother. Facing a dilemma, Wolverine is forced to come to grips with past trauma.
Gavin Hood is a newcomer to the comic-book genre. Prior to “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, he is a filmmaker that had never made any comic-book movie before. It was the filmmaker’s first attempt to bring a celebrated superhero with sharp claws on the big-screen. Unfortunately, Hood didn’t entirely succeed. One area where the film does succeed is the visuals. Visually, the film is a feast for the eyes. Hood definitely excels at creating visual spectacle. Hood brilliantly uses montages to capture the world of a superhero with sharp claws. Montages elevate the opening scene showing Wolverine’s tragic childhood. The montages do a great job of informing viewers about Wolverine’s painful past. Through captivating cinematography, Hood captures a superhero’s origin story.
Another admirable aspect of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is the action. The film is filled with thrilling actions sequences celebrating a hero whose claws are shining. Hood has an eye for staging exciting action through slow-motion. Throughout the movie, the slow-motion action is used to emphasize Wolverine’s strength as a superhero. For instance, slow-motion enhances the opening credits scene. During this memorable scene, Wolverine is seen running through forests with his brother amid warfare. The slow-motion is effective at capturing the character’s strengths. Through awe-inspiring action, Hood celebrates a hero with strong reputation.
Amidst the thrilling action, it’s a shame that “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” finds little time for a compelling story. The movie is poorly written, and lacks character development. Unlike previous films in the X-Men franchise, the film lacks strong storytelling. Hood’s worst mistake as a screenwriter is his tendency to emphasize action over emotion. The film is packed with too many subplots, characters and ideas that don’t always mesh into a cohesive whole. Hood’s decision to use non-linear storytelling is clever but doesn’t quite work. The movie constantly switches back and forth between Wolverine’s past trauma present-day adventures. It’s a technique which has potentials to work but falls flat. It turns Logan into a mysterious character whom we never get a chance to know on a personal level. Through sloppy storytelling, the film fails to celebrate an iconic superhero with claws that are shining.
Thankfully, though, the fantastic performances from the cast keep the blockbuster from falling apart. The actors true to do their best with the material they are given even when it’s not a lot.
Hugh Jackman is as always fantastic as the hero with sharp claws. Jackman achieved appreciation depicting the hero in Bryan Singer’s original “X-Men”. With “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, however, Jackman portrayed a vulnerable side to the superhero that audiences hadn’t seen. Through riveting expressions, he conveys the anger, fear and resentment of a superhero which seeks to discover his identity. It’s a powerful performance from an extraordinary actor that was always born to play this iconic role.
The supporting cast is excellent and deserving of praise. Liev Schreiber is spectacular, capturing the vengeful nature of Wolverine’s brother seeking to put lives of innocent individuals in grave danger. Ryan Reynolds is remarkable, bringing hilarious comical relief to his short but sweet role of Deadpool. Lastly, Danny Huston is dazzling. As the villainous Stryker, he brings menace to the movie.
Despite its bold performances, however, “X-Men Origins: Wolerine” can’t honour a hero on the big-screen. The film is let down by its poor pacing. Hood’s decisions to integrate subplots about Logan’s love life into the movie is understandable but hinders the pacing. Due to this faulty technique, the scenes capturing Wolverine’s interactions with his girlfriend aren’t nearly as engaging as his journey of self-discovery. Moreover, the movie lacks a compelling conclusion. It’s an over-the-top finale without a satisfying resolution that seems intended solely for the sake of setting up a sequel. Whereas this cliffhanger ending elevated the original “X-Men” movie, it doesn’t fit in this film. Therefore, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” falters.
In the end, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is one of the worst movies that the X-Men franchise has made. Fans of the franchise may enjoy it but it will take much more to convince others their time was well-spent.
Nearly 40 years following the introduction of a beloved superhero with sharp claws seeking to complete a dangerous mission whose courage is seen, it’s a sad reminder that his timeless tales about overcoming the mean obstacle of aging that have been adapted into countless movies aren’t always worth telling on the big-screen.
2/5 stars
The Film Buff 
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