An Entertaining, If Not Brilliant, Comic Book Flick

Rating: 6/10 (15 November 2009)

As I was walking into the cinema to watch "X-Men: Origins-Wolverine", I wasn't sure what I was going to make of it. Although the initial reviews for the movie had been good, negative reviews had soon started pouring through the floodgates. However, everyone at my college who had seen it was raving about it, some even going as far as calling it the best film in the "X-Men" series. So my vote could have gone either way.
As it turns out, I'm in the middle on this one. Thankfully, "Wolverine" is an enjoyable film, and far from the disaster that many critics have labelled it. However, apart from a few moments, it lacks the cinematic verve to boost it up to the high level of other comic book movies such as "Iron Man" and "The Dark Knight". If you asked me to compare it to the other X-Men movies, I would say that it was on the same level as X-Men 3 (yes, I liked X3), but below X-Men 1 and 2.
Before I dive into the main review, here's a summary of the film's plot. After a domestic incident, brothers Logan and Victor flee their home. Both have mutant abilities which allow them to live forever and recover from nearly all wounds (also, Wolverine has bone claws which pop out of his knuckles and Victor has sharp fingernails and fangs). After fighting in wars from the American Civil War to the Vietnam conflict, Logan (played as an adult by Hugh Jackman) and Victor (played as an adult by Live Schreiber) are approached by Major William Stryker (Danny Huston). Stryker has discovered the pair's mutant abilities, and offers them a place in his covert ops team. However, after witnessing some of the group's more vicious activities, Logan quits to live a life of peace and quiet in the Canadian Rockies with his girlfriend, Kayla Silverfox (Lynn Collins). However, Stryker and an angry Victor aren't far behind, and when tragedy strikes, Logan wants payback
"Wolverine" has quite a few flaws, some bigger than others. Wade "Deadpool" Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), Remy "Gambit" Labeau (Taylor Kitsch) and Chris "Bolt" Bradley (Dominic Monaghan) are three examples of characters who are underused. Concerning Deadpool and Gambit, if you can't find a significant role for a fan favourite in one movie, wait until another movie where you can! Deadpool and Gambit suffer the same fate here that Venom suffered in Spider-Man 3. Time to learn, Hollywood. Also, the script is littered with plot holes. The plot point concerning adamantium bullets is an incredibly lazy way of linking "Wolverine" to the plot line of the original trilogy. The lack of originality in the story and some dodgy special effects are just two other things to criticise.
However, there is still a lot to like. As the big man himself, Hugh Jackman is top-notch. He not only captures the internal struggle between Logan/Wolverine's human and animalistic sides beautifully, but he also manages to capture some genuinely poignant moments in what is essentially a big, loud blockbuster movie. Liev Schreiber (who lit up the recent Holocaust drama, Defiance) is also great as Victor Creed. Schreiber is vicious without going over-the top, witty without being pretentious. Both Jackman and Schreiber are the glue that holds this film together. Probably the most successful aspect of the movie is the love-hate relationship between Wolverine and Creed, which somewhat reflects the duel between Batman and the Joker in The Dark Knight. As the scheming Stryker, Danny Huston delivers an intriguingly devious portrait of a villain who the audience will love to hate. Lynn Collins gives a memorably vulnerable yet sensual turn as Logan's romantic interest, and rapper Will.i.am is surprisingly good in his movie debut as teleporter John Wraith. As mercenary Wade Wilson, Ryan Reynolds seizes your attention for every moment that he's on the screen. He is perfectly deadpan, cool and has one moment which pretty much defines the "giddy schoolboy" term, when he takes on 12 guys with machine guns when he has just two swords. Taylor Kitsch is suitably charming and charismatic as the roguish Gambit, whilst Dominic Monaghan elicits a beautifully understated sadness as Chris Bradley, who is cruelly called a freak. Overall, "Wolverine" doesn't let the side down when it comes to above-the-call-of-duty acting in comic book movies.
In terms of action, Wolverine doesn't disappoint. All of the action sequences are exciting, with a thrilling chase sequence which involves Logan being pursued by jeeps and a helicopter a stand-out. Aside from a few slips, the visual effects are effective. The cinematography is wonderful (a portion of the movie was shot in New Zealand, which, as Lord of the Rings proved, is a beautiful landscape for movies), whilst Harry Gregson-Williams creates a solid musical score. The script also contains funny moments of wry humour (such as Logan coming to terms with his new, metal claws), some unexpected cameos from "X-Men" favourites and some subtle nods towards the events of the original trilogy (Logan's fear of flying etc).
And the final question that I have to ask myself is; is the direction good enough? I think that it is. Gavin Hood doesn't make his own mark on the material, but he still does a decent job at over-seeing this movie. Despite some moments where his talent shines through (such as the exquisitely crafted opening sequence which sees Logan and Creed battling their way through four major wars), Hood's direction is mostly workmanlike, but still good enough to ensure that the movie doesn't collapse completely.
So, X-Men: Origins-Wolverine is a well-made, terrifically acted movie. It's just a shame that its flaws drag the movie down, as the best moments show the potential for a movie which could have easily rivalled X2 for the title of the best film in the X-Men series. Still, it's a decent slice of comic book entertainment.