I went into this movie not expecting much. Didn't seem to get a whole lot of buzz, compared to "Star Trek" at least; but what I got was a pretty entertaining movie.
The film's first act moves a bit slowly, and although my memory's a bit sketchy on the actual origin of Wolverine, I do remember the childhood part and I think they got that right. I could be wrong. It's been years since I've read "Origin" so any Wolverine readers can point out if I'm wrong. The woman they got to play Wolverine's love interest annoyed the crap out of me and the whole relationship felt forced--but it pays off in the end.
In fact, the third act saves this movie. I didn't really care for a lot of the mutants that Wolverine was with; there was no chemistry, and Ryan Reynolds just isn't all that funny to me. The brother relationship between Wolverine and Victor (played by Liev Schrieber) had no chemistry whatsoever and a lot of the backstory is rushed, which was odd since this is supposed to be an origin story. It really works out more to be just another comic book movie.
BUT, the climactic ending is worth the clunky hour and a half you'll sit through before you get to it. The battle scenes between the Super Mutant (who looks like something out of a nightmare I had as a child--and Ryan Reynolds) and Wolverine and Victor are spectacular to watch. There's a lot of CGI, but I've come to the point now that I just accept it and move on. Yeah it looks fakey but that's what every filmmaker has to do now, since I think studios are pushing it more. It's still a captivating ending, especially due to Jackman's impressive performance. Sure he's played Wolverine before (3 times in fact) but there was something more to this role. There's pain in his eyes that show how deep this character has suffered. And in the end, you feel a lot closer to him than you ever would have before. And that, all in all, is the purpose of an origin film.
I think the next one will be on Cyclops. What I'm wondering is what is this all for? The X-Men movies are over, aren't they? And if they do relaunch the series, I have a feeling it would take place before the trilogy. That would be some task...a prequel trilogy I guess.
In any event, if you are sick of super hero movies, I'd say skip this one. But if you're still in the mood, and want to see some blade wielding action--see this.
Oh, and GRIDIRON MALE NUDITY ALERT!!!!!!!!
A naked Hugh Jackman for about 5 minutes. Enjoy!
out of