CLEMENTINE'S REVIEWS

28th May 2009
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

Writer: David Benioff and Len Wein

Director: Gavin Hood

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Ryan Renolds, Dominic Monaghan, Lynn Collins, Danny Huston, Daniel Henney, Taylor Kitsch, Kevin Durand

Could I have been more excited about the fact Gambit would be appearing in the new Wolverine: Origins film? Only if he had be played by Josh Holloway. I was incredibly disappointed when Gambit's slated introducing in X-Men 2 was scrapped and slightly grateful he wasn't appearing in X-Men 3, so imagine how thrilled I was when he was confirmed in Wolverine!

Wolverine: Origins takes us back to the beginning. A tragedy sends young Logan/Wolverine (Jackman) and his half brother Victor/Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber) on the run. They both possess special superhuman powers, and rely only on each other.

Eventually they find their way into an elite superpowered defence unit working for William Stryker (Huston). Logan decides he's had enough and walks away from the operation. When he begins to build a normal life with a loving partner (Lynn Collins), he finds out he's not able to leave it all behind.

My initial excitement was quickly tempered by the average reviews. My expectations were at an all time low when I actually watched it - and I actually had a good time! As a fan of the X-Men universe, I was willing to forgive the plot holes and high cheese factor for the sake of seeing characters not yet featured in X-Men films and the slew of exciting superpowers. There was one too many 'Noooooooo!' moments; and how many times do you need Wolverine and Sabretooth baring teeth and running towards each other? On the upside, Wade/Deadpool (Renolds) was intriguing and he's lined up for the next Origins film. As for Gambit (Kitsch), he was excellent, even if lacking screen time. I hope he's featured in the next film - in the time line, if he was to appear in the next X-Men film, he could be old enough to be played by Holloway (okay okay Kitsch did a good job despite the subtle accent). Overall, fun for the fans with low expectations.

You'll probably like this - if you love X-Men and don't mind the superpowered cheese to go with it; if you want a bag of eye candy - Renolds, Henney and Kitsch.

You'll probably not like this if - you want something a bit deeper or darker. This is no Watchmen I would wager.

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

Read Alaris' review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009).