3. Supporting Characters
Origins is a film that simply tried to stuff too much into its 107-minute run-time, introducing a wealth of characters both new and old, though failing to do any of them justice as a result. Whether youthful takes on the likes of William Stryker and Cyclops or the highly-anticipated Gambit and Deadpool, nobody gets enough time to truly resonate with viewers, and looking at the character list, it's clear that Gavin Hood simply tried to cram too much into an already cluttered plot. The Wolverine, on the other hand, has a far firmer handle on its peripheral characters; the protective dynamic between Wolverine and Yukio is particularly well-developed, while his romantic entanglement with Mariko - a staple of the comic book arc - mostly works despite admittedly slowing the film down a little in act two. If Origins is simply too busy, then The Wolverine mostly gets the balance right, albeit with a few missteps here and there.