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Reviews of X-Men Origins: Wolverine
X-Men Origins: Wolverine review
Posted : 1 week, 6 days ago on 9 December 2009 08:40
(A review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine)I really like the first two X-Men films but not that keen on the third one so I was nervous about seeing this one incase it was going to be bad. There have been a lot of negative and dreadful reviews of X-Men Origins: Wolverine and because of these two reasons, my expectations weren't very high at all, really. I thought the film was neither good nor bad. The flaws in it were that the story was a bit of a muddle, the beginning was awful! I mean, when did Logan say he was a mutant before the adimantium procedure?! Also, the ending was really lame as well because it became a muddle and rather ridiculous! The middle part of the film was quite enjoyable even though some parts went a bit silly. The action was decent and that?s the only thing, really.
Hugh Jackman's performance as Wolverine/Logan has always been amazing! He was awesome in the trilogy and his return as Logan was amazing! Hugh Jackman, Heath Ledger and Tobey Maguire are the only two actors who play their characters literally perfect where nobody else can play their characters any better. To be honest, I think I would've hated this film if Hugh wasn't in it. Live Schreiber's performance as Victor Creed who later becomes Sabretooth was actually quite good. Too bad he didn't really look like the Sabretooth in the first X-Men film but he played him quite decently. Danny Huston was an awful William Stryker!! Should've brought Brian Cox back to play him because that would've been more interesting! Huston made Stryker like a clueless idiot whereas Cox made him like a cold-hearted villain. Lynn Collins wasn't awesome in this film but she was damn hot!
If they truly wanted to succeed with this film, they could've at least returned either the director of the first two films because Singer knew what he was doing. I thought Gavin Hood was absolutely clueless as director of this film! Bit like Marc Forster was with Quantum Of Solace but he was 10 times worse. The script was very weak! Didn't feel as powerful or as emotional as the trilogy did.
Overall, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a disappointing film that could've been a lot better! Hope that they don't do the sequel of this film like they are planning to because that will probably kill the series like this one almost did. Only good thing about this film was Hugh Jackman and that was it.
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X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Posted : 2 months, 3 weeks ago on 1 October 2009 04:08
(A review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine)Was an origin film for Wolverine absolutely necessary? Considering that so much of the screentime was occupied by him and his backstory in X-Men and X2, this just feels redundant. It doesn’t help that everything is surrounded by the most cliché ridden storyline imaginable. There’s not one, not two, hell, not even three, but at least five shots of Wolverine screaming “NOOOO!” towards the heavens. Oi vey, how the once mighty superhero franchise has fallen. The cast gives it their all, but there’s not much that they can do with the material. Leiv Schreiber tries to inject some menace and a sense of (demented) fun into his portrayal of Sabretooth, but he can’t rise above the poor costuming and makeup. Lynn Collins looks like she’s been bronzed and dyed to look like a Native American and absolutely nothing like one. Shameful casting choice? Oh yes. Especially since in the eleventh hour an Emma Frost cameo is shoved in as her sister…? I believe a lot of the film was shoved into being during the eleventh hour. The scene with Wolverine examining his claws in a bathroom is just laughably bad. It’s nearly ten years after the first film and the special effects work looks worse. Or the scene at the very end with the extremely obvious Ryan Reynolds stand-in and the change over to his stunt double between shots. What good can I say about the film? Not much. The introductory scene is amazing, the male cast members are delicious (check those ass shots of Jackman! Or Taylor Kitsch in general) and uh…well…that’s about it really. Skip it and rewatch the first two X-Men films.
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X-Men Origins: Wolverine review
Posted : 4 months, 2 weeks ago on 10 August 2009 02:50
(A review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine)Being a big Marvel's fan it's impossible for me not to watch a super hero movie especially when it's part of the x-men history. After Batman, X-Men is probably the smartest super hero movie I've seen and Wolverine is the main character. With a huge cast and a huge history is definitely another part from the story. The plot is about Logan's life and how he handles his 'powers' and how he gets them from his childhood until being an adult.
It has nothing to do with X-Men plot/history besides some small facts and details during the movie but the action scenes are breath taking, and I can picture each of them on the video game plus it's a definitely interesting story. They did and excellent job and I can't wait for the other characters bio to come.
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this is a brave man here!!!!!
Posted : 5 months, 3 weeks ago on 2 July 2009 04:41
(A review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine)it's a kool and awesome movie....
i don't want to tell u what's it about but he gets what he wants towards the end in a way though^^
go watch it if u haven't^^
bye bye
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X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE
Posted : 6 months, 1 week ago on 16 June 2009 10:51
(A review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine)ITS A FUCKING GOOD, KICK ASS MOVIE!
I THINK THAT THE DIRECTOR DID A AWESOME JOB WITH THE MOVIE, AND SOME PARTS REALLY REVEAL THE COMIC BOOK, FOR EXAMPLE THE FIRST PART WERE LOGAN KILLED HIS FATHER. THE MOVIE WAS REALLY ENTERTAINING FROM THE BEGINING AND WAS MORE THAN WHAT I EXPECTED IT TO BE.THE CASTING WAS DONE PRETTY GOOD TO. THEY DID A AWESOME JOB. YEAH. IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE GET YOUR ASS UP AND WATCH IT.
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Ah, the beauty of it all
Posted : 6 months, 1 week ago on 15 June 2009 10:32
(A review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine)The movie barely kept me down. Great action, a few fake effects there but barely noticeable, Hugh Jackman is the best... I just loved every minute of it.
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X-Men Origins: Wolverine review
Posted : 7 months, 1 week ago on 13 May 2009 04:06
(A review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine)Os efeitos são bons, claro, e a história é interessante, lógico, mas acho que faltou mais da personalidade ranzinza do Wolverine no filme.
É um filme médio.
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It wasn't THAT bad
Posted : 7 months, 2 weeks ago on 10 May 2009 10:40
(A review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine)Okay so it wasn't the greatest movie, or even greatest comic book to movie adaptation thingy. But it's far from the worst. And I wasn't bored so that's a plus. Most of it was really cheesy and lame but this is still a far cry from the blue and yellow tights, which I had secretly hoped would have made an appearance.
I've pretty much been waiting for this movie to come out ever since I read the Origin comic, which says alot considering I rarely read American comics. I remember reading back then that a motivation the writer had for making that particular comic when he did was because he wanted the comic book version to explain Wolverine's back story as a opposed to a movie. I might (most probably) be remembering wrong but I like to think it went something like that. I'm thinking that guy probably made a good choice back then.
But I haven't read Origins since then but alot of things are different in this movie adaptation, no surprise. But I don't really follow comic books so I'm sure alot of things were different. But perhaps this would have been better if it were divided into multiple movies instead of just one, which seems to be the problem with most comic book to movie adaptations. Or even better in my opinion if they had just stuck closer with the Origin comics. That way they wouldn't have had to put all of the extra stuff that ties in with all other storylines relating to the X-Men universe. And it would have been a period drama, which I whole-heartedly approve of.
Still it was kinda hilarious to see Cyclops, or the teenager that would become him eventually, since he was just fumbling his way through Spanish class. The whole brother feud wasn't that bad either. And every now and then I would mentally exclaim "Oh I know that dude!" but that didn't happen very often.
Err. I just rambled along, but that's no surprise since the movie kinda sorta did the same thing. Bare minimum explanations followed by action sequences. Some moments could have really been awesome but others simply left no explanation. There was some whiny Canadian boy and his brother in a war montage and then some random mutant dudes came along and they went to Africa blah blah blah Canadians oh look it's Deadpool.
The one thing I didn't get, which may be a mild spoiler but really wouldn't matter either way is that if Wolverine got that jacket, which he wears in the other movies, from that farmer couple before he lost his memories, then how does he get it back, or remember it's his, after he loses his memory? Because he was not wearing a jacket at the end scene. Rather he was sporting a very fitting wife beater.
Ah well a not so great review for a not so great movie. But not bad. I enjoyed it enough, though perhaps not enough to watch it many times.
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I'm gonna cut your God damn head off.
Posted : 7 months, 2 weeks ago on 7 May 2009 03:47
(A review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine)After a few months of anticipation (more than any of the X-Men movies) i finally got a chance to see this last night; and honestly wasn't that disappointed. Most of the things that did bring me down were wardrobe choices I didn't agree with (project 11's in particular) and certain characters still not making their way into the film series. Even though, I was looking forward to two characters in particular to make their first appearance; Deadpool and Gambit. Both characters had a decent roll in the film, and if you think deadpool wasn't seen enough (almost like the death of Darth Maul in Star Wars episode 1) stay past the credits for a usual marvel surprise clip. Though many people knew Wolverine's past going into this film, things still had to be explained throughout the movie for everyone seeing it to be on board with the story of how he came to be. I was actually happy to see the animal side of Hugh Jackman; which never played his part nearly as good as he did in this movie. Not that I'm saying he was bad, but X-men Origins unleashed the animal in him. One of the only things i really thought the film could do without was the image of professor X: now the back of his head was fine as he talked in the film, but turning the camera around to seeing his face just really wasn't needed. Definitely good to check out in the theaters, for there are awesome trailers full of action as well as laughs. I can't wait to see Up.
William Stryker: [from trailer] You were sentenced to death for decapitating a Senior Officer. Your sentence was carried out by a firing squad at ten hundred hours. How'd that go?
Logan: It tickled.
William Stryker: My name is Major William Stryker. You boys tired of running? Tired of denying your true nature? Tired of wars?
Victor Creed: Why do you care?
William Stryker: Oh I care. I care because I know how valuable you are. I'm putting together a special team, with special privileges. So tell me, after defending this country for 150 years and 4 wars, how would you like to really serve your country?
William Stryker: Welcome to the war.
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Review of the theatrical cut... It still sucks!
Posted : 7 months, 3 weeks ago on 4 May 2009 02:23
(A review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine)"Become the animal. Embrace the other side."
Let's face it: we pay to see summer movies for the explosions, the fight scenes and the action in general. They aren't required to engage us on a cerebral level; they merely offer an abundance of action during which we're required to suspend our disbelief. X-Men Origins: Wolverine, however, is definitive proof that a plateful of action is not enough to create a satisfying summer movie. For a film to attain the status of an excellent popcorn-munching cinematic experience, it's required to pay at least some attention to narrative coherence and character arcs, not to mention the action has to occur in an actual context. In Wolverine, the action sequences just...happen. To arrive at an action sequence, one has to suffer through badly-paced scenes of trite dialogue and terrible acting. Plot holes also flourish, logic is quickly discarded, and it leaves too many things unexplained. Instead of a deep character study, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is merely an action film masquerading as something more. There's no human drama (ala Spider-Man) or witty dialogue (like Iron Man). Even the other X-Men movies had a political resonance to them which isn't retained here. This is Hack Filmmaking 101!
X-Men Origins: Wolverine was ostensibly a labour of love for poor Hugh Jackman who also served as producer, but unfortunately his efforts didn't pay off. About a month before the film's scheduled release, an incomplete workprint was leaked online. As it turns out, though, this leak was the best thing to happen to the film industry during 2009. Those eagerly anticipating the movie (this reviewer included) were given the opportunity to see how awful it truly is. Fox immediately attempted to cover their blunder by claiming footage from the reshoots was missing from the workprint (fourteen minutes in total, apparently). Curiously, closer to the release date, Fox's story changed: ten minutes of reshoots are missing from the workprint version, and these ten new minutes are replacing ten particular minutes which have been removed from the final cut. However, the workprint was indeed the final cut sans finished special effects, sound effects and music. The alleged "missing footage" never existed...it was a lie manufactured by Fox in a frantic attempt to convince audiences to go see the completed movie. But those deceptive chairmen at Fox couldn't manufacture a lie to cover one particular fact: Wolverine is completely beyond salvation. No amount of reshooting could salvage this mess. Nothing short of a total remake - with a completely new script and plotline, and a bunch of new actors - could rescue this awful film.
In a failed attempt to distance the franchise from 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand, Fox green-lit this prequel instead of another sequel. Wisely, Wolverine was selected as the focus of this first origins adventure...yet this motion picture fails to illuminate the breadth of Wolverine's tale. His back-story is complex and lavish, traversing over many centuries and veering off into numerous sub-plots (and countries), all the while navigating through various relationships with an assortment of characters. This is all condensed into about 105 minutes, and it falls apart in less than a fraction of that time. No-one cares about where Wolverine got his jacket - a Wolverine-centric spin-off following the main character kicking butt in Japan would have been far better!
The film opens in Canada in 1845 (which is very strange, considering Canada wasn't established 'til 1867) when a young James Howlett first discovers his bone claw abilities. A few deaths occur, and James goes on the run with his half-brother Victor. This prologue, however, is very rushed; it's more confusing than compelling. Following this, a montage is presented as Wolverine and Sabretooth (Jackman and Schreiber, respectively) fight alongside each other in every major U.S. war. Never mind that it's impossible for these two to always be assigned to the same unit, as this indiscretion is reasonably minor compared to the other sins of logic to be found within. For instance, they're also Canadian... I guess no-one checked their papers when they enlisted in the U.S. Army...
After their experiences in Vietnam, the brothers are recruited by William Stryker (Huston) to be part of a team of mutants assigned to carry out missions in third world countries. Off-tangent sub-plots then appear in abundance; the main one concerning Wolverine seeking revenge after his lady friend meets with a violent end. Some betraying also occurs, more mutants are introduced, and this culminates in an endlessly silly climax. Instead of one solid plot, Wolverine is merely a tonne of sub-plots mashed together.
It's hard to begin detailing exactly what's wrong with this movie, because the truth is, it's just about everything. X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a disaster of monumental proportions.
The first major problem is the screenplay. It's a string of well-worn clichés we've seen a million times before - including not one, but two "don't do it, you'll be just as bad as him" moments as well as a conventional, cheesy, embarrassing romance subplot which concludes on the most clichéd note possible. Dialogue is another issue: it's AWFUL! I have no idea what's worse; the dreadful dialogue or the abysmal way the actors disperse it. The script also skims through crucial character development and more or less eschews Wolverine's origins entirely. If it's truly an "origins" tale as advertised, where are the explanations? When initially introduced to baby Wolverine, he's already a mutant with bone claws. How did he get them? The best we can assume is his biological father was a mutant, although the implication is irritatingly vague. These things are brushed aside in a hurry in order to dive straight into the action. The screenwriters never considered, however, that an audience needs a reason to care for the characters that are stuck in the midst of the action (only small-minded, ADD-inflicted individuals will overlook this). Another thing regarding the action: virtually all of the characters are invincible, which jettisons all hope of any emotional investment with them. When Wolverine and Sabretooth battle pointlessly over and over again, we know neither of them will die and the fight will conclude with them just walking away. Why should we care?
Wolverine is never given an opportunity to come to terms with his mutations. Even after his skeleton is coated with Adamantium, he's automatically cool with it all...except for the customary "looking at self in mirror while testing abilities" (TM) scene which lasts one or two minutes. Another major gripe: the name "Logan" is never justified. In the original comics, Wolverine was a Samurai and he was given the name Logan. In this muddled mess of a movie, the name Logan just...appears. We have no idea where it came from...he's just named Logan for no reason, and other characters mysteriously pick this up.
Neither does the script justify why Sabretooth becomes Wolverine's sworn enemy. Reasons for other happenings in the story - such as Sabretooth killing a perfectly harmless mutant, and beginning a Watchmen-style elimination of all mutants in his former team - also never become clear.
The script is beset with absolutely preposterous moments. Like there's a high profile facility on the mysterious "Island", and Wolverine is able to simply stroll through the front doors. No security? No locks? And when mutants are escaping, a grand total of four armed men try to stop them. The cages containing the mutants are also just metal wire fences. Some mutants have powers to cut through these wires easily, like Cyclops who can slice through bricks. On top of this, Stryker is so dumb he decides to erase Wolverine's memory after coating the guy's skeleton with Adamantium, making him indestructible. Characters also pop up at the most appropriate time (an entrance from a particular character during the final showdown is embarrassingly terrible and way too convenient...it will elicit groans). Wolverine is beleaguered with logic problems, primarily from the "Why don't you just...?" variety and the "That's just totally stupid / What the fuck?!" range (like the aforesaid examples). One should suspend their disbelief for a comic book movie, but this takes things to the next level. It's worse than your usual brainless summer actioner. The film's concluding 10 minutes in particular are absolutely retarded. On top of this, the continuity of the entire series is wrecked. Certain conversations in the other X-Men films now make no sense (like Stryker telling Wolverine he gave him claws when in reality Stryker just strengthened the claws).
A plethora of infamous Marvel characters are dispatched not long after their introductions. Virtually every single character is flat; appearing in name-only form to entice fans. Deadpool's treatment is most heartbreaking. Perhaps Ryan Reynolds was behind the workprint leak after he viewed the incomplete version and realised the gross misuse of Deadpool. The character's appearance is no more than a cameo. Don't get too attached to other much-hyped characters such as The Blob, John Wraith, Agent Zero and Bolt, as (like Deadpool) their appearances amount to a mere cameo. Team X is formed at the film's beginning, but after a brief first mission Wolverine has a stroke of moral conscience and leaves the group. Why Wolverine and Sabretooth are so willing to join Stryker in the first place is a mystery. Due to the rushed nature of the opening twenty minutes, there's no way we can get emotionally attached to the characters. A lot of potential is wasted.
Most jarringly, this film clearly wants to be separate from the comics as it takes a separate path, yet if you're not acquainted with all these Marvel characters you won't care about those who appear and won't understand what they're doing here. The story isn't deep enough to provide the uninitiated with requisite information about everything (the title of 'Team X' isn't even mentioned...if it was it certainly wasn't a memorable moment), and it isn't loyal enough to satiate the fanboys.
Director Gavin Hood previously helmed 2007's Rendition as well as Tsotsi (which won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Feature in 2006). Hood's inability to direct a genuinely enjoyable and resonant motion picture surfaces here again. Wolverine is a concatenation of action movie clichés, not just from the hackneyed screenplay but also the selection of shots. Like a shot of the protagonist setting off an explosion and walking in slow motion towards the camera, as well as the customary situation of the hero walking away from the bad guy he's decided not to kill, only to turn back slowly as said bad guy dramatically reveals something.
The action sequences are frequently marred by slo-mo shots, whereas other action sequences can't be enjoyed because of the invincibility of the characters, and as for the others...there's no context. An action scene involving Wolverine taking down a helicopter is admittedly awesome to watch, but within the story it makes no sense. Stryker is trying to kill the creature he just created at great expense, and sends his right-hand man to do the job...knowing fully well that bullets made of Adamantium are the only thing that can take down Wolverine. That's just the first of many irreverent action sequences. Others include a boxing match between Wolverine and The Blob that happens for no reason, and even a large-scale battle against Gambit - a mutant who's actually on the same side! For the climax, an unfinished genetically enhanced weapon is unleashed upon Wolverine, when once again Stryker has a full gun of Adamantium bullets at his disposal...and nothing else can kill the (anti)hero. Nothing in this film deals with the immortal characters in a meaningful or interesting way, and no amount of impressive fight choreography can provide the action with genuine tension. The special effects are also quite shonky, and an appearance of a CGI Patrick Stewart is absurdly unconvincing. The pacing, as well, is awful, as spaces between the action sequences are unforgivably sluggish, and this is due to Hood's incompetent direction. Bring back Bryan Singer!
Hugh Jackman has endless charisma as an actor, but his performance here is hamstrung by the badly drawn character. Wolverine is meant to be a badass anti-hero, but he's toned down for the sake of toy sales and the target audience. All Jackman does is strike poses and deliver dismal dialogue. Meanwhile, Liev Schreiber just alternates between sassy one-liners and open-mouthed rage. Luckily, Schreiber is actually a brooding villain, even if his motivations are never explored.
Ryan Reynolds is good as swordsman Wade Wilson (a.k.a. Deadpool), but he's lost far too early into the movie. His screen-time is exasperatingly brief, as is that of Dominic Monaghan whose character of Bolt has an appealing sadness. Taylor Kitsch is a soulless Gambit with a terrible, false accent. Perhaps Lost's Josh Holloway would've made a better Gambit (he was offered the chance to briefly appear in X-Men: The Last Stand as the character, but declined). Not worth mentioning anyone else, as they're all forgettable, especially Danny Huston who isn't at all sinister as Stryker.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine eventually turns into a confusing hodgepodge of uninspired, clichéd fight scenes and loud explosions. The other X-Men films focused on Wolverine at certain times, and he was more or less the central character. You'd think this "origins" tale would, ya know, reveal his origins...but it doesn't! It's just an action film with Wolverine at its core and mutants surrounding him, not unlike the other X-Men flicks. As a whole the film feels very rushed - it's too short to be considered an epic Marvel feature. The action is occasionally impressive, granted, but the whole falls below the sum of its parts. Good action does not mean an excellent movie.
All superhero films are advertisements for their merchandising departments, but Wolverine is more obvious than most, with product placement substituting compelling characters and an engaging storyline. Combined with limp direction and unimaginative special effects, and there's little to recommend. Even Jackman's natural charisma can't rise above the material...but he sure can strike a pose, doing so in every action sequence to ensure the toy department have a field day. No longer will people have to refer to the Spider-Man 3 fiasco - now Wolverine will be the target of conversations concerning bad Marvel movies. Even Brett Ratner's X-Men: The Last Stand is more enjoyable.
2.6/10
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