| Overall Grade: |
C+ |
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| Story: |
C+ |
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| Acting: |
B |
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| Direction: |
B |
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| Visuals: |
B+ |
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The best at what he does... but somewhat lacking..
by bck (movies profile)
Apr 30, 2009
36
of
58 people found this review helpful
A couple of months back, we got a movie that decided to tread over some history that that had been covered in two previous installments. While Underworld had its own verbal history, a retread was pretty unnecessary. Wolverine, on the other hand, has a whole lot of history from both the comics and the three X-Men movies. Even the comics have had problems keeping that history straight while the movies had just one seemingly simple story to follow.
In the first X-Men movie, it was hinted that Logan (Hugh Jackman) was having memory problems, some of which was resolved in X2 (or X-Men United). So what we get with X-Men Origins: Wolverine is some sort of retread, particularly how he gets that metal skeleton and claws, as well as some additional back-story cribbed from the comics. My gripe is in the terms of relationship between some of the characters. Comics fans won't be too surprised at the Logan / Victor (Liev Schreiber) relationship, although those who followed just the movies might have some questions raised. The connection between Kayla (Lynn Collins) and a younger girl named Emma (Tahyna Tozzi) might raise the ire of comic fans, given who Emma is supposed to be (based on some TV ads).
So let's take the movie as it is instead and leave the character connections aside for the fans. The movie takes us from early in Logan's life (when he was a boy called James Howlett) when he first discovers his claws and then skipping to the events surrounding the Weapon X project led by General William Stryker (Danny Huston). Given the timeline covered, that's some really fancy technology they have back in the 1970s (more or less, given the surrounding events). Much like the bravura opening credits of Watchmen that chronicles a few decades in that universe, Wolverine's opening credits does the same but from a more personal perspective ranging across some interesting times.
Alas, the movie pace and plot becomes somewhat jittery from there. As much as it would want to try to be something intense and gritty (as it can get for a PG-13 flick) the straightforward point to point nature of the story leaves something to be desired. There is no complexity or hidden agendas. Stryker's actions and agenda are pretty similar to what he did back in X2.
Performances are fair across the board with Jackman carrying much of the movie on his broad shoulders (and serving as producer as well). Everyone else is equally up to mark as can be expected but something still feels wanting in that there's no emotional core. The ending gives a sense that it was all for nought, raising some questions and few answers, although it is something that was to be expected given the nature of the character.
Still, it is pretty much typical summer fare that entertains but it also falls short of its pedigree (the first two X-Men movies) falling almost in line with it's most recent predecessor (that'd be X-Men: The Last Stand). There are a few surprises that would be appreciated by some fans while others might balk, falling into the typical category of being a summer flick. |
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