Tends to entertain

Rating: 7/10 (6 May 2009)

I'll start by saying that I honestly have not read any of the source material about at least half of who appears in this. I cannot comment on how those were done. I haven't watched the leaked version. This is a mixed bag, and it definitely could have been better. The very beginning is unclear and muddled, and (what describes much else in this) a disappointing waste of potential. I'll go over the positive first. Jackman basically *is* Wolverine. Schreiber does the attitude and sadism of Creed well, and he did bulk up for this. Reynolds is spot-on, when he's there. This is more raw than the X-Men films, and the tone is darker, whilst following the realism-based approach of them. The term "badass" fits well. The action is almost invariably awesome, enjoyable and exciting. The fights are well-done. The bone claws, as far as I know and could tell, were done right. The CGI is marvelous. This doesn't overstay its welcome. It ties into the other reasonably well. Now... this manages to have the same problem as the trilogy it's sort of a spin-off of. They try to fit in too many characters and powered people, and most get little to no personality, screen time or stuff to do. However, unlike that series, here, they aren't written around as much, you'll know what they do instead, if you have seen it, and you shouldn't if you haven't. Abilities are shoehorned in some, and the script, at times, feels like it was put together around the showdowns and such that they wanted in there, trying to include every mutant that they wanted, or that they felt the audience would wish to see in there. The nods at the comics range somewhat. The pace is uneven, rushing at points. The drama is actually effective, at its best, and captures some of the core of the anti-hero. It's sad that there are typical clichés and that, at the worst times, this feels like a lame revenge flick. It does hold nice twists, and there are excellent moments in this... what they do with the "procedure" in this is nice and well-done. It's all shot well, cinematography and editing are great. The acting is... not all quite good. Several depictions leave something to be desired. There is violence and disturbing content in this, if bloodless. There is infrequent, moderately strong language. I recommend this to fans of the graphic novels, the movie franchise and those who helped make this. 7/10