The most anticipated superhero movie of the summer made its US debut yesterday, and it's one of the most iffy titles I've seen in a while.
The film has its positives, particularly in the casting department. Every actor channels their persona well enough to make the character's presence felt, rather than their own. Reynolds, Huston, Durand, and Henney all recieve high marks in my book for bringing their characters to life. Ultimately, this really hurts the plot; some of film's most likable and fascinating characters are cut down before they can even be developed. The plot doesn't handle supporting characters as atrociously as X-3, but it makes the mistake of building them up without fleshing them out.
The acting ranges from convincing to lukewarm, the most cringeworthy lines being the ones created for impact. Take our leading man for example. Jackman cruises through dialogue with ease, but when it comes to delivering a big line, it just feels awkward and overstated (see "I'm the best at what I do" or "You wanted the animal; you got 'im). Many of the actors do their best acting when they're silent, finding more success in the way they emote rather than the way they articulate.
The visuals are also hit-and-miss. The scenery and the cinematography hit the perfect tone, particularly in the opening credits. The film never fully loses its gritty, rustic tone (a key difference between an X-Men story and a Wolverine story). However, the visual effects are next to atrocious. Wolverine's adamantium claws look way too artificial, almost as if they've been lifted from an animated movie. It's far too obvious when a character is replaced with CGI, which makes the movie feel like it was made a decade ago.
The one time when the poor special effects are easily forgiven is during the fight sequences. They may be short, scattered, or just infrequent, but the action in this film is far superior to that of the X-Men trilogy. Even the infamous "Rape of Deadpool" delivers us some astounding fight scenes in spite of its peculiarity.
But when all is said and done, what really makes or breaks this film is the plot, or rather, how willing you are to tolerate it. The first half of the film is done wonderfully. No scene is too short or too long. The suspense is tantilizing without being frustrating. The storytelling is at its best. If they had kept this up, Wolverine would be at the level of the Incredible Hulk or Spiderman 2. The movie quickly turns sour as it approaches the halfway mark. Characters are removed from the story far too early and replaced with new ones that lack any real purpose or intrigue (I'm lookin' at you,. Ms. Frost). Things happen that simply don't make sense. This culminates into the dreaded introduction of Weapon XI, which was everything I expected (read: piece of shit). The final scenes were rushed. I'm not complaining; at that point I honestly wanted the movie to been done with. But that is no excuse for amount of loose ends this film leaves untied. Some characters just dissolve from the story. When conflicts are settled, the result just doesn't make sense. Characters who were outed to make room for the central plot seem to have died in vain. The ending is simply frustrating.
You may have noticed that I've talked little about the movie's faithfulness to the source material. It may be because I've grown numb to my favorite characters being mistreated, but I feel like the film used its creative license when it needed to. The origin is changed in ways that fit the screen rather than the comic book. They may have created some bizarre moments in the story, but when it comes to the major changes, the film truly benefits.
Except for Deadpool. Serioiusly...what the [frick]?
When it comes to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, you have to take the good with the bad. This truly is a hit-or-miss movie if I've ever seen one, but don't be too hesitant: when it does hit, it knocks it out of the park. It's not for everyone, but you really do have to see it for yourself.