Comic book films operate under curious criterion. On the one hand, audiences expect fantastical super powers to amount to gripping action sequences. Simultaneously, these individuals who are able to fly, level buildings, and shoot sticky white goo from their wrists must be vulnerable people who viewers can identify with. X – Men Origins: Wolverine had perfect potential for this, but unfortunately fails to deliver on both accounts.
The film revolves around Logan alias Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), a mutant with superhuman regenerative healing abilities and claws that thrust out of the indents between his knuckles. He seeks revenge for the murder of his girlfriend that was committed by his brother (Liev Schreiber), and as such enlists himself into the ominous Weapon X project to bolster his powers.
The plot progresses with predictability and twists fail to shock at any point. It is hard to care about any of the characters because the roster is so large, none of the important characters are given enough screen time for the audience to empathise with them. Not to belittle the death of one’s lover, but it is genuinely difficult to muster up any sympathy for Logan when his relationships with them seem so artificial.
The trade off between sidelining these main characters is to give screen time for a wide selection of other mutants lifted from the Marvel back catalogue. The scenes where these individuals get to show off their abilities is where the film is at its most enjoyable. Having been unfamiliar with the any of them from the original sources, I found their powers and the way in which they were utilised original and entertaining. Though at times their inclusion does seem forced; several of the characters serve little function other than for entertaining set-pieces that add nothing to the plot. Characters are simply defined by their superpower. There is a mutant called Blob that just gets fatter as the film goes on, made fun of for his size, and used as a human punching bag in a superfluous boxing scene.
This is where the film fails most significantly, the characters are just not engaging. The acting is fine, Hugh Jackman and his brother played by Liev Schreiber do the best out of what little they have to work with, but what they have to work with is very little. The script is woefully wooden: the bulk of the dialogue is used functionally to get from one scene to the next; and when the pace does slow to add emotional weight, the dialogue is painfully contrived.
It could be argued that these criticisms are missing the point; X-Men Origins – Wolverine clearly markets itself as a big, brash summer action blockbuster and to judge it negatively on the basis of lacking character development as being slightly irrelevant. However with the film being a prequel specifically concerning the origins of Wolverine, the feeling of complete indifference to his plight that permeates the film makes for a very hollow viewing experience. Fans of the series will be disappointed, give it a miss and watch the first two again instead.
2 stars out of 5
