Review - X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Studio/Production Company: 20th Century Fox/Marvel Studios/Seed Productions/Dune Entertainment
Director: Gavin Hood
Written by: David Benioff, Skip Woods
Rating: PG-13 for or intense sequences of action and violence, and some partial nudity.
Release Date: May 1, 2009
Genre: Action
Strong Points: Strong performances from principal actors; well-done special effects; excellent opening sequence
Weak Points: Poor representation of every character; bad script; corny dialogue; weirdly jumps between bloody and bloodless; bad effects for Wolverine’s claws
Technical Score: C+
Artistic Score: D
Final Score (not an average): D
Moral Warnings: Violence runs throughout the film; an intense sequence in Vietnam and in World War II early in the movie; some profanity scattered through the film, including s*** and a**h***; blood is present in the movie, but not an extreme amount; some sensuality is implied; some characters are ruthlessly murdered; Wolverine is seen naked from a distance at one point

The “X-Men” film series, much like the “Spider-Man” series, has had its share of ups and downs. The first two films in both series, arguably, were the best, followed by weaker third installments. In the case of the final “X-Men” movie, it wasn’t bogged down by silliness, but it wasn’t as moody or character driven, either. That was the main problem with that movie, and the reason why some felt so disappointed with it.

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” doesn’t suffer from that problem, but adds many of its own to the list. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is just as angsty and angry as ever, but gone is the mysteriousness and complexity from previous films. In its place is exposition, and here, it’s just not that good. The script is full of bad, almost laughable dialogue. Characters that were intriguing and captivating in previous films are now almost parodies of themselves, which is really a shame when so many skilled actors are part of the film, turning in strong performances. Sadly, strong performances without good dialogue don’t add up to much.

Disappointingly, here is where the screenwriters decided to add in fan favorite characters beyond the more famous X-Men. Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) is the worst casualty of the bunch. Here is a sarcastic, funny character perfectly suited to the actor, and the writers used none of the actual Deadpool source material. Looking at the film without understanding the source material, one finds that the filmmakers underutilized Reynold’s, throwing him out ten minutes into the film and otherwise sabotaging the character itself. Gambit (Taylor Kitsch) is another such casualty, though not to the degree that Deadpool is. As one of the most anticipated Marvel characters to make the transition from panel to screen, one would think that the filmmakers would take more care in presenting the character. This largely is not the fault of the writing, because Gambit is nearly spot-on, ignoring some aspects of his past that the characters elaborate on. Instead, the problem is with the actor who plays the character, a person who bizarrely seems to have hardly any presence on screen, despite his character’s otherwise flashy powers.

Ignoring the lack of faithfulness to the source material, the film is still mediocre at best. The plot feels like an amalgamation of a number of disparate plot threads, muddied by ham-fisted and comically bad dialogue. Special effects are used everywhere, which isn’t normally a bad thing, but it is when they’re of this quality. Somehow, the claw effects that looked so convincing on Wolverine in the past three films now look fake and cartoony. A number of exciting chase sequences end in bad CGI followed by a bad one-liner.

There are a number of very cool things in “Wolverine” that are unfortunately stuck in the mire that is this movie. Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber) and Wolverine’s relationship is well done, mostly because of the chemistry that the actors have between them. Several fight sequences are intense, including one where Wolverine destroys a helicopter. These sequences, however, are few and far between compared to the things that don’t work, and those are what end up killing the movie.

Speaking of fight sequences, most of them are relatively bloodless. Compared to the first three “X-Men” movies, “Wolverine” hardly has bloodshed, though there is some on dead bodies and in a few key close ups. The profanity in the movie is about average for a PG-13 film, and includes s*** and a**h***. Wolverine himself is seen naked from behind at one point, and only from a distance. There’s also some mild sensuality involving Wolverine early in the film.

For what it’s worth, the cinematography is well done, as is the sound design. And, as was said before, there are a number of surprisingly good performances by the leads, despite the bad script. None of that is enough to save “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” however, which begs the question: Are further installments in this series necessary, or even worth it? After seeing this mess, it’s hard to be enthusiastic.

-Drew Regensburger (drew@revolve21.com)