Mini-Reviews: X-Men Origins:Wolverine and EARTH

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

Director - Gavin Hood

Cast

Hugh Jackman - Logan/Wolverine

Liev Schreiber - Victor Creed/Sabertooth

Having not ever completed a viewing of any of the previous X Men films nor having ever read any of the comics nor having read anything about any of it, and always having passed it all off as about the lowest form of film I would ever degrade myself to watching, I'll say this about the new film X-Men Origins: Wolverine : It was entertaining enough.

Plot holes? Umm...yes? Pretty much the entire movie is one gaping plot hole, sucking everything in and around it into a black abyss that pretty much rapidly sucks any chance of you giving thought to character and plot right out of your head. Special effects are on the low end for sure, and acting is what you would expect.

Having said all that, I actually enjoyed myself for 2 hours. It takes the right frame of mind to get through movies like this, but if you are in that rare form, well, you can sit back and just enjoy the carnage. Pay full price? No no no... but matinee or gift card worthy? Not exactly. BUT! Make it a double feature, and then yes, passable

** out of 5

Earth (2007/9)

Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield - Directors

James Earl Jones - Narrator

Based on a previously released tv series known as Planet Earth, the feature film version in the United States carries voice over work from James Earl Jones, and details through voice and amazing photography the incredible Earth on which we live.

With over 4000 days of shooting edited down to 90 minutes, much is left on the cutting room floor. What is presented to us is breath-taking views of all the wonderous nature we rarely witness, from migrating birds flying high over the Himalayan peaks to baby mallarads taking their first flights to melting ice caps wreaking havoc on polar bears.

If you like documentary style films that are not preachy but mearly present nature in all its ups and downs, you could do a lot worse than Earth. Unfortunately, the film is basically a re-telling and re-clipping of the mini series on tv, meaning if you have seen any of it before this film will feel a bit re-hashed. If seeing it for the first time, it makes the grade but certainly shouldn't make anyone's top list of documentaries.

*** out of 5