Posts Tagged Marvel

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Apparently disatisfied with the overly exhaustive treatment of Wolverine in the last three X-Men movies, Wolverine presents the title character’s origin story, with Hugh Jackman returning to don the adamantium claws.

Much like the most recent X-Men Movie (Last Stand), Wolverine manages to be more whimsical and entertaining than Bryan Singer’s oppressively boring X-Men films, but is nonetheless mind-numbingly dumb.  The plot contorts itself into a nonsensical tangle of “twists,” ornamented with a relentless parade of  unecessary cameos, each desperately praying for their own spin-off.

More fundamentally, it makes little sense to give Wolverine (a character conceived to be shrouded in mystery) an exhaustive origin story. The result is a somewhat incompetent execution of a movie that no one really asked for.  Skippable unless you really must turn your brain off for an evening.

Tags: , , , ,

Hulk Vs. (2009)

Marvel continues its direct-to-video insurgence with a slightly different approach in “Hulk Vs.” Instead of a single full-length feature Hulk Vs. includes two short features, with Thor and Wolverine respectively. Hulk fans should not be misled by the title–the Hulk operates more as a setting for his counterpart than a per se character. Both features are very superficial, focusing more on satisfying action and humor than a clever or unique story. Still, Hulk Vs. is surprisingly entertaining. The Wolverine feature is particularly funny, and the fights are well choreographed without exception. Comic book fans should enjoy it.

Tags: , , ,