Trailer:
“You’re an animal. You just don’t know it yet.”
X-Men has always been one of the biggest Marvel properties. Perhaps THE biggest, behind only Spider-Man. So it should come as no surprise that Fox keeps pumping out these profitable films; even if they have to make something like X-Men origins Wolverine. A film whose bases were already covered by the first two X-Men films. Here is a film that is bad enough that the next movie in the franchise seems to disown it completely.
Here is the main problem with Wolverine. The first and second X-Men were very Wolverine centric. It was an effective device the filmmakers used to introduce the audience to this world and the superhero team. By the end of them, we know the story of how Wolverine came to be. Much of this film just feels like an extended rehash with unnecessary filler tossed in. There is nothing left to discover or hold the audiences interest.
The movie opens with introducing young Jimmy/Logan/Wolverine learning about his powers and discovering his half brother Victor Creed/ Sabertooth. The two decide to stick together over the course of about a hundred plus years. Apparently they really didn’t bond much over that course of time considering they are quick to turn on one another and Creed doesn’t even mention anything when the first X-Men (2000) film comes around.
The continuity between the X-Men films has always been a little loosy goosey but here it is blatantly bad. Nothing really meshes together and plot holes pop up all over the place.
Anyways Wolverine and Sabertooth join William Strikers Team X. With an assortment of other characters, including Deadpool, they head out in search of Adamantium. Wolverine has a falling out with the team and leaves to go live a quiet life in Canada. Yet his brother and Striker manage to track him down. Sabertooth is out for blood and Striker wants Wolverine’s help to take him out. Yet as is too be expected Striker has a convoluted silly scheme up his sleeves.
When Sabertooth kills Wolverine’s personality deficient girlfriend, he seeks Strikers help for revenge. Here is another major problem. Wolverine for all extents and purposes is as good as immortal. So essentially we never fear his life being in danger. That’s why he works best against a ticking clock or protecting someone else. He also works well in a team. Running around solo seeking revenge doesn’t suite him and becomes boring because it has no real repercussions.
Hugh Jackman is as likable as ever but his character is poorly scripted this time around. I’m not just talking about the dialogue (which is bad), I’m talking about how he is painted as a do gooder golden boy. He doesn’t really struggle against his animalistic side. Rather the films has its villains attempting to trick him into that mind state. Not that interesting. Gone are his anti-social tendencies and loner mentality, and it strips away a lot of what made him dynamic.
However, Liev Schreiber takes over the role of Sabertooth and portrays him far more menacingly and convincingly than Tyler Mane ever did. Now the twist of him being Logan’s brother is undoubtedly stupid, as they don’t even do anything original with it. Yet he is fun to watch in the role and seems like the equal adversary to Wolverine that he never was in the 2000’s X-Men.
Striker also makes a return with the face of a new actor. This time around he is more of a mustache twirling villain who captures mutants and experiments on them for seemingly no purpose or future goal. He lacks the motivation and screen presence he had in X-Men United, where he was a phenomenal villain, most likely the best of the series.
The film really takes no time trying to capitalize on all the characters they have the rights too. Like X-Men 3 it stuffs in as many mutants as possible along side celebrity singer cameos. Did we really need the Black Eyed Peas as superheroes? THE ANSWER IS NO, FOOLS!
As such we get a new love interest in a boring and lifeless Silver Fox played by Lynn Collins who looked exasperated that her agent had the nerve to put her in this film. We also get Cyclops who coincidently as more screen time in this movie than he did in The Last Stand. This guy can’t catch a break!
Let’s not even get started on Deadpool. I’d love to go into detail on the abomination that is this version of the character but as always I’m trying to keep these as spoiler free as possible. At least Ryan Reynolds gave a good depiction of his personality early on in the film.
Now many people might say, “at least the action was cool”. And yes there were some legitimately engaging action set pieces but many were dragged down by almost laughable CGI. How they went from the gorgeous computer effects in X-Men Last Stand to Wolverine’s claws looking like they’re from a video game is beyond me.
In the end the movie is as soulless and emotionless as the previous chapter in the series. The supporting cast is (for the most part) abysmal with exception to Schreiber. It only serves to wreck people’s favorite characters and mess up a movie series back-story. Hugh Jackman does his best but he is fighting a losing battle in this one.
FINAL RATING: 3/10- (30%)
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