The Claws Are Out (X-Men Origins: Wolverine (DVD))

Member Name: utero

Product:	X-Men Origins: Wolverine (DVD)
Date:	15/06/09 (64 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hugh Jackman, Opening Titles

Disadvantages: Under-Par Script, Final Act

Hugh Jackman has a lot to thank Tom Cruise for. If it hadn't have been for overruns on Mission Impossible 2, we would have been seeing Dougray Scott getting the claws out in Bryan Singer's X-Men back in 2000.

So after a small twist of fate and three X-Men movies later we have the first attempt at expanding on the X-Men franchise with the first in an intended series of origin stories. Of course all of those hinge on the success of this movie. Troubled could be used to describe the behind the scenes affairs on this movie. Rumours of executive interference, re-shoots and script problems all culminated in a work print of the film being released online weeks before the film was due to hit theatres. In an effort of damage limitation, we were told that this was not the cut that would be hitting theatres, but it turned out it was the final product minus a few effects shots.

The finished article can be viewed as a mixed bag. Some stuff works, a lot of it doesn't but it just manages to hold itself together if you're a general movie audience, I you're a comic book connoisseur then the result may be seen differently.

After a brief opening that sees Logan as a young boy who discovers his mutation in tragic circumstances we are treated to the films first big hit. I have to say the opening credits of this film are pretty damn good as we see Wolverine and his brother Sabretooth (Live Schrieber) transition their way through historic battles such as World War 2 and Vietnam. It's incredibly well executed.

Wolverine and Sabretooth are brought into a group of mutants by a young William Stryker who uses their abilities to gain access to something he's been searching for as the missing piece of his military plan. His harsh methods don't sit well with Wolverine who walks away to a peaceful life. But a few years later his fellow mutant squad members are being hunted and killed until Wolverine himself becomes victim when someone close to him is killed. He then goes a rampage of revenge against his brother Sabretooth and Stryker. What ensues is a bunch of fights with the claws showing and the explanation as to how Logan submitted himself to the military procedure to make him indestructible.

I guess the problem with Wolverine is that really the story isn't well executed, there seems to be an insistence on chucking in some extra mutants to give the film diversity. Of course too many cooks can be the syndrome. In this case they could have done without the likes of The Blob who turns up in one scene that is basically pointless and a bit ridiculous.

Hugh Jackman carries the film well on his broad shoulders and doesn't disappoint even though the material is lacking. His blend of rage and sensitivity works well for the character. The casting of Schreiber as Sabretooth also gives a great dynamic as the opposing enemy with similar strengths to our title hero. Will I Am of the Black Eyed Peas also gets a role as a mutant and actually holds some prescence on screen. On the whole the acting is fine, I can't say there were any ropey performances on show.

Director Gavin Hood handles the thing with a competence but nothing really wows outside of the opening credits. He does do some silly clichéd stuff such as the classic yelling to the sky as the camera pans up moment - twice. Of course how much of his vision was compromised by interference is another matter. With the wealth of source material you should expect more but I think this is more down to the story and script more than anything else. It always amazes me that studios throw millions of dollars at something without a decent blueprint. It's no surprise that Pixar for example are consistently producing great films as they don't animate until the script is nailed down.

Where Wolverine really falters is in the final act, coupled with a few ropey effects shots it's an incredible anti climax and just a bit stupid. There is one character played by a recognisable actor who shows up at the film's beginning and then disappears until this final act but in a slightly different form. It's all orchestrated with minimal excitement and after seeing the said mutants skills earlier, I felt letdown.

Overall I was expecting far worse from this film due to the bad buzz around it. It's a perfectly acceptable piece of entertainment but considering the material to create a film from, it's woefully underwritten and the money spent on it doesn't really get reflected on the screen.

It's done decent business in the US and abroad so hopefully we'll see a second attempt in the coming years make a better attempt. Stay until the final credits roll and you'll see a hint at where Wolverine ends up and what's in store.

Summary: An ok but ultimately wasted opportunity at something great.