X-Men Origins: Wolverine | Reviews | Techie.com.ph
5:22 PM | Friday | 30 July 2010

The attempt to squeeze far too many characters and events in 100 minutes made X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a movie that tells the story of Wolverine's past, forgettable. Maybe Wolvie's murky memories are best kept where they were.

First, the characters. The pressure to give each one decent exposure resulted in a film that merely highlighted a humanized Logan (Hugh Jackman) and gave a pool of supporting characters - no, an ocean of superheroes both familiar and new - fifteen seconds of fame. You'd think the people behind the flick didn't know what "focus" means.

Second, director Gavin Hood (Tsotsi, Rendition) failed miserably in giving the film some heart - something that Bryan Singer masterfully intertwined with the mutants' brawn in the first two X-Men films. In Wolverine, there was a cheap play of good and evil, humor and wrath.

Wolverine isn't a complete bore, though. In fact, its first ten minutes is a masterfully edited montage of half-brothers and then best buddies Logan and Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber) during their adventures in the war [which war?], before they were recruited by Col. William Stryker (Danny Houston) for the Weapon X project. Those first scenes were promising, but then after that, everything went downhill. Even Creed's attempts to trample Logan got lamer and lamer as the film progressed.

In the technical department, Wolverine's a blast. It showed "hope" in its stunts, cinematography, visual effects, makeup, and sound design. The action sequences left moviegoers gasping for breath. So yes, in a way, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is still an enjoyable film. But then again, even Hugh Jackman couldn't save the movie from its chaotic script and confused director.

The first two X-Men films are proof that a sensible superhero film can be done. Why did this one go so wrong, bub?