X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Dear Fox Executives: put that Magneto script down now. And that Deadpool one. Back – the – hell – away.

Just got home from seeing Xmen Origins: Wolverine and I must say I’m disappointed. Not that the film was bad per se – they just had their big chance to create a really fantastic, mind-blowing origin story right up there with Batman Begins and they blew it.

I can’t fault Hugh Jackman the actor. He’s awesome, no one else could play Wolverine as well. His raw physicality servers the character fully. But he was also Executive Producer on this film so should take part of the blame for delivering what, for the most part, is a yawn fest.

If you’re going to tell an origin story, don’t just string action scenes together and hope they stick. Don’t take the biggest moment of Wolverine’s story – the implantation of Adamantium – and make it because he’s all mopey over lost love. And you don’t, don’t, DON’T cast Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson/Deadpool and use him for a grand total of only five minutes.

In X2, Colonel Stryker at one point tells Wolverine how their history is littered with nasty, terrible stuff they did together. You get a glimpse that in his previous life, before he lost his memory, Logan was not a nice fellow. In Origins they instead they give that trait to Sabretooth. (Liev Schrieber is awesome by the way and deserves credit for obviously enjoying his role.) It is disappointing that they resort to the same old same old of story telling – the good guy standing up for the innocent, walking away from the bad deeds, but being dragged back in for a desire for revenge.

They had a huge opportunity to create something huge, go beyond what has already been done and deliver something that would be remembered in awe by fans, spoken of in reverant tones for years to come (much like The Dark Knight). Instead they give us a bland revenge-driven action film – and don’t even give us the revenge. Disappointing.

—
Random points that were kinda cool in Wolverine:

– Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson/Deadpool. All kinds of awesome.
– Gambit throwing cards.
– Professor Xavier! YES!