When it comes to creating summer blockbusters, Hollywood producers have the process down to a science. They make one movie, and if it is successful enough, they keep making sequels until they get bored or a film bombs at the box office. At this point, they try to revitalize the series by creating a prequel or a spinoff of a character. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is a mix of both solutions, loaded with flashy special effects and high-octane action, but not enough to cover up the glaring lack of development and an intriguing story.
Director Gavin Hood (“Rendition”), whom many viewed as an odd choice for director due to his inexperience with feature films, took the helm with the hopes of focusing on Wolverine’s inner struggle between his animalistic savagery and noble human qualities. While this internal conflict would have made for a captivating premise, Hood is instead bitten by the blockbuster bug and, consequently, sacrifices material substance for explosions and visual eye candy.
Going all the way back to 1845, this origins story begins with a young James Howlett (Hugh Jackman, “Australia”) and his half-brother Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber, “Defiance”) running away from home after it becomes apparent the two have mutant powers. The two grow up and fight in numerous wars together until Howlett leaves his brother for a life of peace and quiet after an altercation that occurs while the two are serving together on a special mutant military unit. However, when Creed comes back and kills Howlett’s girlfriend, Kayla Silverfox (Lynn Collins, “The Lake House”), Howlett is forced out of hiding, becoming Wolverine in the process.
Although screenwriters usually use origin films as a way to further develop a well-known story, David Benioff (“The Kite Runner”) and Skip Woods (“Hitman”) take a completely different approach with this film. They instead chose to not develop the plot or any of the characters. In fact, even Wolverine’s backstory is mostly just a few new details added on to what we already learned in “X2.” The result is a screenplay that would probably bore audiences to death if it were not for all the mutant action going on.
Most of the plot is a bunch of trivial nonsense that gives the impression of building up for a huge climatic battle, but when the time finally comes for this showdown, it is over before it even really gets a chance to get started. To be honest, it feels like the entire purpose of this film was to set up an imminent sequel to take place between this movie and 2000’s “X-Men.”
The fact that Benioff and Woods are self-proclaimed fans of the “X-Men” comic books also affects the film as a whole. You can tell that the pair jumped at the chance to play around with X-Men fan favorites like Gambit (Taylor Kitsch, TV’s “Friday Night Lights”), a Cajun thief who can charge all matter with explosive bio-kinetic energy, despite the fact they feel forced into the storyline and do not receive the development they deserve. Yet, you probably will not hear a lot of moviegoers complaining about having the chance to finally see these characters on the silver screen, no matter how out of place they may seem.
It is no mystery that films such as this one do not rely on stellar acting to draw crowds. The movie’s ensemble cast which also includes musician Will.i.am as Kestrel, Ryan Reynolds (“Adventureland”) as Deadpool, newcomer Daniel Henney as Agent Zero and Kevin Durand (TV’s “Lost”) as the Blob, is no exception, doing just enough to keep the film moving.
In the end, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is what most moviegoers expect it to be: an enjoyable popcorn flick at the very least. While the film’s creators did not succeed at breaking the summer blockbuster mold and instead created a film similar to the first two “X-Men” movies with lots of action and an exciting storyline, audiences will be entertained nonetheless.
2 1/3 stars out of 5.
