ALARIS' REVIEWS

17th July 2010
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

I’d put off watching X-Men Origins: Wolverine because I expected it to be bad. Surprisingly, it was even worse than I expected.

I liked X-Men (2000), loved X2 (2003), and was hugely disappointed by X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). With actors like Patrick Stewart as the diplomatic Professor X, and Ian McKellan as the charismatic Magneto, all you really need for a decent X-Men movie is to have them making dramatic speeches at each other.

Unfortunately, XMO: Wolverine has neither Stewart nor McKellan, and Hugh Jackman as the title character isn’t enough to pull this deadweight movie out of mediocrity.

The best of the X-Men stories – whether it’s movies, comics, or cartoons - have two core features. Firstly, moving personal stories which draw disturbingly on real world issues, such as segregation and demonisation. Secondly, you gotta have awesome cool super powers.

XMO: Wolverine kind of puddles along from bland action scene to action scene, sandwiched between curiously boring interpersonal scenes, with far too much lumberjack Logan. The actors seem to be struggling to find an emotional place to stand, and the special effects – particularly the stuntwork – are just as unconvincing. The plot holes are enormous, and the directing is unhelpfully flat.

The first two X-Men movies had poignancy, humour, and all kinds of cool. XMO: Wolverine lacks both gravitas and warmth, and the characters are superficially sketched. It tries to be darker, but fails to be interesting. For an example of how this is supposed to work, see Strange Days (1995).

If XMO: Wolverine only fell short in one area, it still could have been a lot of fun. For example, if the effects had been frigging unbelievable, and the action John Woo cool, I could have enjoyed the spectacle. Alternatively, if the characters had been Anna Paquin amazing or Tony Leung electric, you wouldn’t need a plot. Unfortunately, XMO: Wolverine is one of the most unengaging movies I’ve seen in a while.

It’s a disappointing dip for the franchise, especially after the seriously poor X-Men: The Last Stand. I can see why Josh Holloway allegedly turned down the role of Gambit.

Verdict: A very mediocre action movie, and a shadow of what a real X-Men movie should be.

If you like X-Men: The Last Stand, you might like this.

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Read Zee's review for X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009).

Read Clementine's review for X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009).