A Fair Balance of Good Film and Bad

Rating: 5/10 (9 May 2009)

Where did Wolverine come from? How did he get his adamantium skeleton and claws? If these are questions that troubled you, you're a dork. Also, you're a dork who never read the comics, since you'd already know the answer if you had. But for those who haven't read them and are still curious, this film explores Wolverine's days before there was such a thing as the X-Men.
This film has been receiving many, many poor reviews. Some have called it cheesy, others bland, others repetitive. I can see all that. And I'm not going to lie and say it was a great film, because it really wasn't. But was I entertained? Actually, yes. For what they had to work with, I think the outcome was pretty decent -- this is, after all, the fourth film in the series. Success cannot be maintained forever.
I appreciate the great inclusion of relatively obscure characters -- such as John Wraith. The writers clearly cared about the comics, so we have to give them credit for not trashing them entirely. Silver Fox? Never thought I'd see her in a movie. So, this was pretty cool in that regard. But then, things got a bit weird.
I'm not sure about young Cyclops, and the Deadpool story fails entirely. Deadpool has been one of my favorite comic characters for many years, and what they bowdlerized him into is just terrifyingly stupid. I can understand Ryan Reynolds as a casting choice, even if I'm not a fan, but what they turned the actual character into as the film progresses... what the heck? As I said, young Cyclops was strange -- the attempt to add in other characters just seemed lame. The Blob? Really? And Gambit, although popular in some circles, had no real point to being in this movie... and wasn't a terribly interesting guy.
Fans of the three "X-Men" films will likely see this, and perhaps enjoy it. Or be let down. I guess it could go either way. Sales on this one seem to be slumped, yet I wouldn't be surprised if one more film in the series was made. With the success of "Iron Man", the "Spider-Man" movies and more, Marvel can afford to take some risks. What would be the next film? Unclear. No other character has the solo appeal of Wolverine. A "Wolverine 2" is rumored, though what more of the story can they tell? Wait and see, I suppose.