Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 1 min, 47 secs
Cast:
- Hugh Jackman
- Liev Schreiber
- Danny Huston
- Dominic Monaghan
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Review - "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"
Reviewer: Richard Jackson
Rating:
As soon as we heard about X-Men Origins: Wolverine here at LLH, we thought it would go one of two ways. Either it would be an appalling excuse for a film that was just a money-raking exercise to cash in on the success of the X-Men franchise, or it would be an interesting film adding value to its predecessors, despite being a money-raking exercise to cash in on the success of the X-Men franchise! The first in the series, Wolverine, just about falls into the latter category.
The basic plot is that after the murder of his father, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is taken under the wing of his half-brother Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber). They become members of an elite military squad but Wolverine is sickened by the violence and tries to turn his back on it all and become a family man living a quiet life in Canada. His psychotic half-brother has other ideas.
Whilst the film does answer a lot of the questions about how Wolverine became who he was, it also succeeds in raising a lot of unanswered questions as well. His early childhood and the murder of his father is just touched upon in an all-too-short pre-credit sequence, and doesn't show us how he was born a mutant in the first place which is something I would have liked to have seen included in the film.
Sabretooth is a dominant character and Schreiber adds real menace to his performance which makes exciting viewing, particularly in the fight scenes. Again however this raises a new question as to why Wolverine's half-brother has developed such a penchant for killing. Maybe that will be answered in an Origins:Sabretooth film (if there is to be one).
Ryan Reynolds is excellent as Wade Wilson/Deadpool, a mutant who wields his sword with speed and accuracy, but also has a very dry sense of humor and delivers some wickedly funny one-liners. However his character is in the film all too briefly which is a major shame. I would love to see him have an Origins film all of his own. Unfortunately the film devotes more screen time on two ridiculous "mutants" - Wraith (played by Will.i.am) and The Blob (Lost's Kevin Durand).
The end does feel as though it has been rushed, and the sudden appearance of Magneto at the end of the film also leaves unanswered questions, but no doubt these will be answered in Origins: Magneto which must surely already be on the storyboard.
The effects are excellent and the performances of Jackman (naked at one point!), Schreiber and Reynolds make this film above par, but too many questions unanswered left me slightly disappointed.
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