Hugh Jackman pops claws once again as the feral mutant in the prequel-spinoff “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” an action-fantasy flick that expands on the simple mythology of the three previous movies. The added history is likewise simple; the film only takes the gist of some comic book stories (particularly the Origin and Weapon X minis), and connects characters conveniently (sometimes, too conveniently) to make a smaller, less-confusing world. Yes, some X-people are siblings in the story; others are teammates, fellow captives, and so on.
Many action sequences look great, but there are a few that look cartoony (the fire escape-slashing part, some Sabretooth-Wolvie bouts). It’s good to finally see Liev Schreiber in an action villain role; the guy is a good actor, even when he’s got a cheap-looking fang-claw set here. But the stunts and effects that work outnumber those that don’t; it’s fun to see Ryan Reynolds as wisecracking, katana-swinging Deadpool, and Taylor Kitsch nicely fits as cocky, card-flipping Gambit.
“Wolverine” has a bunch of appearances by familiar characters that should make comic book fans happy. Again, histories are simplified and connected easily, and Wolverine’s past is your basic betrayal-revenge yarn. The throwdowns aren’t all unrelenting, and the post-end credits scene is unnecessary, but there are still engaging moments of mutant mayhem.
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