Review: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

As the most popular character coming out of the X-Men film trilogy, and one of the cooler characters in all of comic-dom, it makes sense that Wolverine would eventually get his own film. This film serves as a prequel to the original X-Men film, taking you through Wolverine’s origin story and up until the point of the first film.

My knowledge of the X-Men comes almost exclusively from the early 90s Fox animated series. I don’t really know anything about the comics, and as such, I can neither confirm nor deny how accurate this origin story is. If I had to guess based on my gut reaction (and my history with origin stories) it probably hits on two or three main elements, and then makes up the rest. That being said, any major fans of Wolverine may find themselves upset at changes made by the film, but since I was oblivious, I was able to keep my panties out of the proverbial twist.

From a plot perspective, I found the movie pretty lacking. There wasn’t really much of a thread connecting the film, there were just scenes that took place in between action set pieces. The only two characters that are consistent are Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber). The rest of the movie is filled with other characters that make five-minute cameos and then fight each other for a variety of reasons (both clear and confusing). It honestly reminded me of playing a video game. When I pick a character in Street Fighter, the game isn’t over until I’ve fought every other character. I beat one, and the next fight starts. That’s what this movie felt like. Characters were introduced, then there was a big fight, and then they were gone, never to be heard from again.

This method of plotting the film is probably due to their strategy for this franchise in the future. Although the movie is called “Wolverine,” it really felt more like a showcase to set up other Marvel characters. They introduce familiar names like Deadpool and Gambit, and you can almost feel the studio going “How do you feel about this character? Would you watch a movie that was just them?” Regardless of the fact that, yes, I would probably go see Ryan Reynolds in a Deadpool movie, I felt a little cheated. I wanted to see a fully fleshed out movie about Wolverine, and instead I felt like they used Wolverine to lure me in, and then just showed me previews of coming attractions to gauge my interest level (and no doubt sign actors into binding contracts requiring them to play the characters in any sequels/spin-offs).

Ignoring the plot, there were some enjoyable things about this movie. The big fight scenes were typically fun, and there is something that is endlessly entertaining about watching a guy cause havoc with sweet metal claws. This movie also sports some of the coolest facial hair in movies to date. Jackman and Schreiber both really let their facial follicles fly, and it helps to remind you that you are watching a comic book. It’s not a terrible way to kill 90 minutes, but your seatback needs to be in the upright and locked position, and your brain and any other electronic devices need to be switched into the off position. And you better get used to it too. As anyone who reads the internet can tell you, the X-Men franchise’s life on the silver screen is far from over.

Once we finished our classes at Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, I’d buy this movie two beers.