Movie Reviews: X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE
IN THEATERS
X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE
Leading up to the events of X-Men, X-Men Origins: Wolverine tells the story of Wolverine's epically violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, Wolverine encounters many mutants, both familiar and new, including surprise appearances by several legends of the X-Men universe.
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Lynn Collins, Ryan Reynolds
Director: Gavin Hood
Opened May 1, 2009
Runtime: 1 hr. 47 min.
PG-13 violence, intense sequences of action and some partial nudity
Genres: Superhero Film, Action
Review:
X-men Origins: Wolverine is such a lazy mind numbing film that makes you wonder who the talented cast kept a straight face throughout. A laughable opening sequence gives you a clear indication of the quality of comic book film you are about to endure. Director Gavin Hood lack of big blockbuster experience shows throughout the film as he set up actions sequences that are as chessy as they boring. The main issue is the entire affair lacks any emotional resonance or weight. Most of action and dialogue are mind numbingly generic and unoriginal; sequences that are supposed to blow you away just ends up making you roll your eyes. The cast is an impressive array of talented actors who deserve a much better material to work with. Huge Jackman delivers a fairly flat performance only occasionally giving us a glimpse of his work in the series best entry X2: X-Men United. There are just too many wooden lines that fall flat and too many roars matched with goofy posing. Liev Schreiber is mostly wasted as Logan’s half brother, so much so that it makes you wonder why they’d cast such a capable actor for such a 1 dimensional character. Ryan Reynold’s is good fun for all of 10 minutes he’s in the film. Same holds true for Kevin Durand, Dominic Monaghan and Will I Am, all of put in nice little performances but are horribly underused. Danny Huston does the best of the group as the nefarious William Stryker and seems the most committed to the material. Taylor Kitsch is effective as Gambit but his character seems shoehorned into the plot. X-Men Origins: Wolverine isn’t as bad as X-Men: The Last Stand but it veers terribly close, a real shame considering the talent assembled.
D
