X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Ryan Reynolds, Will i Am, Lynn Collins, Kevin Durand, Dominic Monaghan, Taylor Kitsch, Tim Pocock, Patrick Stewart (uncredited)
Directed by: Gavin Hood
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Thriller
2009

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Logan (Hugh Jackman) and his brother, Victor grow up together and fight through a number of wars, relying on their mutant ability to quickly heal to see them through. When they join a military group led by William Stryker (Danny Huston), this causes a rift between them. Logan leaves the group and lives a peaceful life with his lover (Lynn Collins) in Canada. However, when Stryker returns, Logan finds that he has lost everything important to him, which persuades him to enlist in the Weapon X program to become nearly indestructible in order to track down Victor and kill him.

Review:
Tim: I feel a little bit bad that this wasn't a great movie. I truly believe that Hugh Jackman, director Gavin Hood, and the producers involved truly wanted to make a great movie that would be beloved by the die-hard comic book fans and newbies alike. Yet, despite the best intentions (and I honestly believe they were there- this is not a cheap attempt to make some money), this movie just doesn't live up to its heightened expectations. Make no mistake, this is a very good movie and I thoroughly enjoyed it- however, it is not a great movie, and the origin story of Wolverine needed to be a great movie.

The biggest problem with this film is that there are just too many mutants. The X-Men movies have always had to deal with these big ensemble casts, but director Bryan Singer successfully navigated these waters in the first two films. This movie focused on one of the future X-Men: Wolverine. This was the opportunity to cut out some of the less important mutants and focus on a handful of characters. Unfortunately, this film features an extensive cast, including some cameos of mutants we're already familiar with. I just wish they excluded a few of these mutants, whom never got enough screen time anyway.

Let's look at the cast. Hugh Jackman should be applauded for his total commitment to the role. He loves Wolverine and really worked hard to bring him to life on screen- he truly looks like Wolverine, but an almost frightening, muscle-bound, animalistic Wolverine. He is excellent in this film and I have nothing but praise for his performance. I also liked the casting of Liev Schreiber as Victor Creed. Schreiber is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood and he does very good work here. He is menacing and chillingly immoral. I loved his performance and thought he worked very well with Jackman. He was a terrific addition to the cast.

Danny Huston was a great replacement for the younger version of Brian Cox's original character. Huston is exactly what we expect from William Stryker. Ryan Reynolds was perfectly cast as Wade Wilson, although his presence here was a bit unnecessary. I do like how Wade was weaved throughout the story, although I was not very happy with his portrayal near the end of the movie. Regardless of how necessary his presence was, Reynolds is the perfect choice to play Wilson, and has some hilarious lines. Being a fan of Lost, I was glad to see Kevin Durand and Dominic Monaghan as the Blob and Bolt, but both were completely unnecessary and added very little to the film. Both characters should have been cut from the film. Will i Am is actually really good as John Wraith, so I didn't mind his weak character or unnecessary presence as much as I otherwise would have. Lynn Collins is pretty believable, and I thought she did add something to this film. She works well with Jackman.

I also wanted to mention the performance of Taylor Kitsch as Gambit. Gambit is one of the most beloved X-Men characters (he was always one of my favorites), and the producers knew this. I had waited years for his appearance on the big screen, and I have to say I am a bit disappointed. He does have a few very good moments, but again, he feels like a bit of a throwaway role in this film. I wanted him to have some more meat. Kitsch wouldn't have been my first choice for the role, but he does a fairly good job. This movie would have been better had they made Gambit cooler or just saved him for a future film.

The best aspect of this movie is that it convincingly and entertainingly tells the origin story of Wolverine. Wolverine has always been the standout mutant among the X-Men, and one of the most complex, fascinating characters in all comic books. His story is remarkable and interesting, and it comes to life on screen here. I really appreciated the respect for the character everyone involved in this film had. That comes through on screen, and makes this movie work. I already mentioned the didn't like the inclusion of every mutant possible. I had similar reservations about how this movie would fit into the greater X-Men universe established in the first three X-Men movies. I have to say that I was pleasantly shocked at how well it fits into that universe. There was very little contradictory or confusing with the already established world we know. In fact, this movie improved upon, explained, and created an even better understanding of that X-Men world. I was really pleased with how this movie informed and explained the past. In that regard, this prequel does exactly what it needed to do.

This film also does have some terrific action scenes. The adamantium-infusion process is just remarkable. That is such an iconic moment in the history of Wolverine, and this film does it justice. When Jackman emerges from that tank- that is one of the best scenes of the films and one of the most memorable movie moments I have seen in years. The helicopter/motorcycle chase is pretty amazing, and the three-way battle on top of a nuclear cooling tower is one of the coolest, most impressive battle sequences in years (full disclosure- I wasn't as impressed with this scene when I saw it in theatres, but the second time around, I appreciated the difficulty and the beauty of this fight scene).

I already mentioned some of the flaws this movie has. It obviously had higher expectations, and it doesn't quite live up to them. Because of that, this movie doesn't reach the heights of the original X-Men or the highlight of the franchise, X2: X-Men United. While I'd give it the same score as X-Men: The Last Stand, I can clarify that this movie is better than that troubled production. This is a very good movie, and I sincerely hope for the sequel, and for many more X-Men movies to come.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Superman, Swordfish, X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand, The Hulk, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Fantastic Four