X-Men Origins: Wolverine

I came into X-Men Origins: Wolverine with trepidation. The last X-Men film (The Last Stand) was not my favorite film. It's not because I generally like Bryan Singer's work, or that I thought X2 was one of the best superhero films to grace the screen, but that X3 felt pieced together as a showcase for powers and superheros rather than plot and story. When you parade your characters out with the appearance of having them have a series of extended cameos, it appeals more to fans who just want to see live-action representations of the characters rather than fans who also want to see them have some kind of arc or logical involvement in the story.Right from the beginning, when we see Team X assault a complex, they function as a laundry-list execution. Each hero is ticked of by name and given a special stage of entry to use their powers exclusively, while the others just sit around and appraise or have a cappuccino. This overt introductory storytelling is as implausible as adamantium claws, but that's only a minor irritation. It is what it is.

Later in the film, Wolverine attacks a helicopter and brings it down. As he is walking away, the helicopter explodes, and you have Wolverine (Hugh Jackman owns the character, by the way) fully silhouetted in a fiery frame. And I laughed, because the first thing that sprang to mind was MacGruber.
Hair flying, explosions in the background, a caricature of itself. It is what it is.

And ultimately, it is an entertaining film, serviceable, but hamstrung by writing and a weak director. Good, yes, but could have been a lot better. I saw it in the theater, but I won't be seeing it in my super-exclusive-awesome DVD collection.