X-Men Origins: Wolverine
posted April 30, 2009 11:20 AM
Will help viewers forget the last disastrous X-Men flick
There is both good and less-than-good news in Fox’s and Marvel’s restart of the X-Men franchise—the first of an intended series of X-Men Origins prequels. The good is that the muddled misstep that was X-Men: The Last Stand is effectively eviscerated by this return to the thoughtful, character-driven approach that defined the first two pictures. The less-than-good news is that the filmmakers—director Gavin Hood (Tsotsi) and screenwriters David Benioff (The Kite Runner) and Skip Woods (Swordfish)—aren’t able to sustain that trajectory for the duration, ultimately allowing the story to resolve in a fashion far too mechanical and conventional to be fully satisfying. On balance, however, the film works exceptionally well and should handily launch the summer movie season with solid blockbuster numbers.
Clues to the origin of Logan, aka Wolverine, were a key element in X2 and provide the new prequel with the essential narrative energy to get out of the blocks and into its whirlwind 99-minute sprint. A powerful prologue and dazzling main title sequence introduce orphaned brothers Logan and Victor (Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber)—almost indestructible mutants whose ferocity as warriors in every major conflict from the Civil War through Vietnam finally earn them a place on a covert military team headed by the duplicitous William Stryker (Danny Huston). Others in the outfit include the self-teleporting John Wraith (Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am); hulking Fred Dukes, aka The Blob (Kevin Durand); human battery Chris Bradley, aka Bolt (Dominic Monaghan); and superhuman sword master Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds). But after more than a century of merciless bloodletting, Logan increasingly has little stomach for the dark places to where Stryker intends to lead them—cutting ties with both the team and his increasingly sadistic brother.
Six years later, Logan is living a quiet, happy life as a Canadian lumberjack. He’s also in love, his inner beast tamed by the kindness of a beautiful schoolteacher named Kayla (Lynn Collins). Since movies aren’t in the business of dwelling on love and happiness, that’s a cue that all hell is about to break loose again, and break loose it does as both Victor and Stryker return, forcing Logan’s hand and dragging him back into a life he thought he had forever left behind. But all is not as it appears, as twists and turns beget other twists and turns, unveiling a plot of unfathomably nefarious dimensions.
Considerable credit is due to both Benioff and Woods for what amounts to no small task—crafting a prequel that manages to fill in the blanks of the previous films (particularly X2) without letting fans get ahead of the story based on what they already know. At the same time, a leaner assemblage of key players affords Jackman time and latitude to intimately explore the character that first vaulted him to mega-stardom. Schreiber, too, is particularly compelling as Victor—the Cain to Logan’s Abel—a character better known in the comics as Sabretooth. Both characters effectively comment upon the other—shared blood and shared life experiences corroding each man’s conscience and sense of purpose in tragically divergent ways.
The picture’s shortcomings, in fact, only really emerge when its focus devolves into the kind of outlandish set pieces and cockeyed plot complications on which lesser films typically rely from the outset. In the case of Wolverine, these detours come fairly late in the game, but it’s enough to at least partially hamstring what had looked like a runaway success.
Savvy viewers will find a few other hitches with which to take issue—subpar effects work in several sequences and an uneven audio mix, both the result of a clear rush to get a gargantuan film ready for it’s slated release—but they’re mostly offset by excellent performances which, to the credit of the actors and director Gavin Hood, are consistently the most interesting elements in any frame. Even the typically uneven Danny Huston, who bears the burden of being compared to the great Brian Cox’s performance as Stryker in X2, acquits himself without any substantial gaffes.
The most welcome sigh of relief, however, must come from supporters of Hood, the South African filmmaker who soared to notoriety with the Oscar-winning Tsotsi in 2005. The track record for foreign directors segueing to big-budget American films is notoriously spotty, with those able to make the transition typically accused of Faustian treachery to their principles. But Hood handles both the transition and the balancing act with aplomb—able to command the film’s massive logistics while preserving the story’s humanistic underpinnings.
Should the film succeed as it deserves to, the brass at Marvel and Fox will be likewise relieved, for both companies—as well as other studios in the Marvel fold, like Universal and Sony—have a great deal riding on Wolverine’s success. The X-Men Origins series effectively prefigures and mirrors the approach with which Marvel hopes to eventually launch The Avengers, the former breaking down a series of successful films into component franchises as opposed to the latter which will coalesce its antecedent franchises into one. Granted, the success of one film doesn’t guarantee the success of all future Marvel efforts, but it will confirm the public’s willingness to play along with what amounts to one of the most ambitious long-range film slates ever conceived.
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, will.i.am, Lynn Collins, Kevin Durand, Dominic Monaghan, Taylor Kitsch, Daniel Henney, Ryan Reynolds, Scott Adkins and Tim Pocock.
Director: Gavin Hood
Screenwriter: David Benioff and Skip Woods
Producers: Hugh Jackman, John Palermo, Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter
Genre: Action/Sci-Fi
Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, and some partial nudity.
Running time: 107 min.
Release date: May 1, 2008
22 Comments
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Mitchell Vasallo said:
I have just watched the Wolverine Origins premier. And my first impression was WOW! I was really impressed on how they got this prequel to work. The cast selection was right, story to me didn't seem rushed. There was a lot of action, drama suspense and comedy all in one. Ryan Reynolds aka DeadPool, had great one liners and a potential franchise and man he looked TOUGH! Hugh Jackman aka Wolverine really prepared for this role physically and mentally not only is he more grittier but shows that there is a lot of passion and heroism that is instilled in him naturally. Liev Schriber aka Sabertooth is a mean son of a gun who doesn't take no s#5t! from no one, this character is not only more frightening than the original Sabertooth from the first X-Men film. Liev grasps the chracter of Sabertooth to another level you just have to see it to believe it. A lot can be said about this movie....will there be a sequel?...will there be other franchises like Gambit, or DeadPool coming in the future?...All I know is that I love this movie! I hope you guys and gals will show the same reaction as I have when you first see it.
May 1, 2009 2:55 AM
gramscifi said:
Just as I thought, the critics may not like this movie, but us mortals will love it. It DOES explain a lot and is put across quit well. *****(That's 5 stars).
May 1, 2009 2:49 PM
Askari Haider said:
this movie is simply the best ... and this is the best in the series .. Logan, Victor, Gambit are very interesting charecter ..... these 3 character give the life to this great movie ... now waiting for next X-Man 5 .. and wanna c all these 3 charecters in that movie ;)
May 1, 2009 4:31 PM
Pezzmondo said:
Much better than the last X men movie. The lead role played by Jackman makes this movie work. Paints much more interesting layers to his character and tells a gripping story which I want to go and watch again! A little more time in post production would of made this a really great movie. Nevertheless, probably one of the best movies in the series, there is hope for the future of X men movies!
May 2, 2009 2:19 PM
XD said:
I saw it on Thursday and I thought it was AWESOME. Jackman can play this role perfectly even when he's sleeping. The rest of the cast was great as well. I liked the tone of the film, the darkness and that more serious approach by the creators. The script was done well, I don't know why those critics were sooo confused! Oh, who cares about what they say! Blow them and their reviews! X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE was a GREAT film!!! And a smash hit at the box-office as for now with $170 million worldwide! And that's just the earnings of a weekend!!!
To sum up, the forth film of the franchise was by faaaaaar better than X-Men 3. I'll put it right next to X2 and I'll give it ***** YES! 5 whole stars!
May 3, 2009 4:57 PM
ANTHONY HARRIS JR said:
ME and my gurl went to see this movie last night and let me tell u this movie was OFF THE CHAIN. It tops the other 3 and i can not wait for da dvd to hit stores.
May 3, 2009 7:02 PM
Keith said:
Do any of you know the comic story? Wolverine had the procedure forced on him he didn't volunteer. Where was Captain America in WWII? Where was the Canadian military? Adamantium Bullets are you kidding me? Does anyone know what happens when two unbreakable forces meet each other. NOTHING! That why false memory implants were used.
Spiderman, Fantastic Four, and the Punisher movie stories were tweaked a little bit, but their origins were a lot closer to the comic then Wolverine was. I'm sure movie rights got in the way of telling the accurate story. For fans like me changing the story like this was, made the movie very disappointing.
Tell me does this sound like the movie you just watched?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolverine_(comics)
Following the death of his Blackfoot paramour, Silver Fox, he is ushered into a Canadian military unit. Logan then spends some time in Madripoor, before settling in Japan, where he marries and has a son.
During World War II, Logan teams with Captain America and continues a career as a soldier-of-fortune/adventurer. Logan works for the First Canadian Parachute Battalion[17] and the CIA before being recruited by Team X, a black ops unit.
As a member of Team X, Logan is given false memory implants. He continues on the team, until he is able to break free of the mental control and joins the Canadian Defense Ministry. Logan is subsequently kidnapped by Weapon X, where he remains captive and experimented on, until he escapes, as shown in Barry Windsor-Smith's "Weapon X" storyline which ran in Marvel Comics Presents. It is during his imprisonment by Weapon X that he has unbreakable Adamantium forcibly fused into his bones.
May 4, 2009 4:47 AM
j.dogg said:
its amazing. i never wanted the movie to end
May 4, 2009 1:09 PM
mostafa said:
its afantastic film
May 5, 2009 4:40 AM
رضا ب said:
!من این فیلمو دیشب تو خونم دیدم
May 7, 2009 4:20 AM
Jack said:
I'll give it *** stars.
No film wins the original xen.
But i have to admit logan looks so cool with all his 20 pound new muscle.
May 7, 2009 4:33 AM
sentayehu said:
the best !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 7, 2009 6:24 AM
ramon said:
the greatest movie of the year!!!!!!!
May 7, 2009 8:55 PM
Amoooooor said:
I'm waiting for this film
I love wolverine
May 8, 2009 7:09 PM
Some who cares said:
This movie was awesome, but there were some things in the movie that bothered me. In the movie Wolverine claws seemed so fake as if they were a last minute slap on. The movie director could have done a better job at making them look real like in X-Men: 1,2,and 3. Other than the poor use of graphics for the claws and and most action scenes this was an awesome movie. I'm looking forward to seeing the Origins of Magneto.
May 15, 2009 4:42 AM
femi said:
WOW!!! this movie is the bomb! in my books i rate it ***** (5 stars) .
U just have to give it to all the xters. GOOD JOB.
May 15, 2009 10:23 AM
hero said:
THIS MOVIE JUST ROOOOOOOOOOCK
May 15, 2009 3:23 PM
Brandon said:
I don't get it. Did everyone see the same movie?? I saw the Thursday midnight show and was extremely disappointed. I could understand people saying that it was "ok, worth the watch," but this movie definitely did not "ROOOOOCCCCCK." The special effects, especially the penultimate scene on the reactor, were extremely sub-par. The new Col. Stryker was horribly cast, and the screenplay was barely average. Gambit's scenes were extremely limited, hardly more than was shown in the trailer. Finally, the film's explanation of Logan's memory loss was ludicrous, mostly because Stryker was so positive of the outcome. At best, this movie is 3/5, with Hugh Jackman deserving most of the credit, as he never fails to impress.
May 18, 2009 2:52 PM
San San said:
To start with, I give X-Men Origins: Wolverine 10********** stars. I actually saw it twice in 1 week and planning on watch it again in theatre for couple of more times. Second, the cast was just perfect and Hugh Jackman ROOOOOCKS!!!
May 20, 2009 7:08 PM
Hamid said:
Just saw the movie as I was afraid to be disppointed..WW origins is a good movie, well prepared and directed, not more. Jackman is loyal to himself in playing WW, I was expecting WW more animal and aggressive . I very much liked Schreiber playing Victor; he gave him more credibility and personality than in the first X MEN. Hope next ones will do the same as WW at least..
June 9, 2009 5:14 AM
Dr.DooM said:
WoW It's A wonderful I love Marvel Movies
June 11, 2009 6:45 AM
TIM_TAM said:
WOW,this is a fantastic movie i could watch it over & over again
June 24, 2009 3:13 AM