Online reviews of Wolverine are embargoed until Friday, but as usual it’s full-speed ahead for our brothers in the rapidly fading world of print. So while the rest of us are forced to sit in the dugout, early word on Fox’s controversial movie is starting to take shape. Consensus so far? It’s not good. Maybe they should have let online critics published. After all, most of them are geeks. They might have been kinder.
With 27 reviews in on Rotten Tomatoes, almost all of them from print publications, X-Men Origins: Wolverine has only a 41% fresh rating. It’s doing even worse on Metacritic, which generally takes an even higher percentage of its review consensus from print publications. There it’s stuck with a dismal 38 out of 100. It’s starting to look like whether you’re watching the pirated version or paying to see the official version, Wolverine just isn’t any good.
Here’s a quick selection of quotes, from some of the most interesting reviews I’ve found floating past the press embargo. Watch for Cinema Blend’s review, Thursday night at midnight, which is as soon as we can post it.
“X2 more or less covered the same ground in a matter of seconds, as opposed to 107 minutes that feel like almost as many hours.” - Robert Wilonsky, Dallas Observer.
“It's packed with nonstop action, has cutting-edge special effects and stunt work, terrific cinematography (by Donald McAlpine) and beautiful locations, and is tautly directed by Gavin Hood.” - Lou Lemenick, NY Post
“Can everyone stop making moody origin stories now, please?” - Nick de Semlyen, Empire
“Wolverine is a story on a straight and simple trajectory, landing a lot of rungs below Singer's tales but a notch above the mutant muddle Brett Ratner made of the trilogy's finale.” - David Germain, AP
“Jackman invests his fierce character with a cheeky attitude, clear-eyed intelligence and inherent decency, compelling viewers to care about his metamorphosis.” - Claudia Puig
