At one point during the nearly operatic X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the title character’s nemesis Sabretooth purrs to a soon-to-be-victim, “To tell you the truth, I’m a bit disappointed.” I couldn’t have said it better in regards to my own feelings about the film. After months
of hype, heightened buzz due to a security breach in which the movie was leaked
online, and the omnipresence of the film’s star Hugh Jackman, Origins lands with a thud rather than a splash.
Burdened by a simplistic storyline, leaden dialogue, “pithy” quips that fall flat and heavy-handed direction, the film never gains its
footing nor generates an urgency that projects of this nature require.
Beginning in mid-19th century Canada, we witness the start of the sibling
rivalry between James and Victor Creed, mutants who eventually become Wolverine
(Jackman) and Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber). Powerful beings with the ability to
heal rapidly, they age slowly, allowing them to participate in every great war,
until they catch the eye of Major William Stryker (Danny Huston), who recruits
them for a special-ops unit consisting of other mutants. While Sabretooth
thrives, sating his bloodlust on the group’s missions, Wolverine becomes disillusioned and opts out, taking up the quiet
life in the wilderness of Canada.
Of course it’s never that simple. When former members of the team are found murdered and
Wolverine’s wife is brutally slain, we know that he has to go on the vengeance trail to
set things right. Along the way, we see why he agrees to be injected with an
indestructible metal and are introduced to other mutants who will go on to have
major roles in the X-Men universe.
The film’s actions sequences — especially a duel between a motorcycle-riding Wolverine and a helicopter — are well done, as are the opening credits that see him and his brother
participate in a series of wars. However, there are far too many leaden scenes
and the film never builds a sense of momentum. There should be more regarding
the character’s motivations as well as the film’s subtext. There’s little depth to this affair and, while fans of the character’s comic book exploits will no doubt be pleased with Origins, those requiring more than just repeated scenes of slicing and dicing will be
left wanting more.
This article appears in Apr 30 – May 6, 2009.
