Discuss the post X-Men Origins: Wolverine Review made within our Movie News forum; Post Snippet: OK first up is a review that doesn't reveal any spoilers but gives the general ...
OK first up is a review that doesn't reveal any spoilers but gives the general consensus I had on the film. The second half goes into details I took issue with that includes spoilers (warning given before reaching that point). So on with the review:
Let me start by giving my general thoughts on the film based on what you could classify it as. First up as an Action Movie this film was great and I would definitely recommend it as such. As a Marvel Comic book movie in general it was OK. It showed classic characters, followed basic story plots of characters from X-Men, and generally showed Wolverines past. Now as a Origins film this falls into the utter crap category as apart from general story plots of Wolverine being part of Weapons X, in wars, falling in love, and getting an Adamantium Skeleton this doesn't show with any accuracy what his origins truly were nor for any other character for that matter. Dead Pool was completely done wrong and Gambit was a very small character but does offer a glimmer of hope that Hollywood can show a characters poise and power quite accurately.
Now onto acting. Acting was great, and while some characters like Gambit and Dead Pool could have been played by people better suited for their role, overall they did an amazing job. None of it sounded dry or forced and everything flowed at a decent pace.
Graphics were great but some points in the film it was so obvious they were using a mat screen or CGI effects. There is a point where Wolverines claws are so noticeably not there that it is almost laughable. The mat screen is a bit harder to tell but if you are used to seeing fake backgrounds in movies it will stand out like a sore thumb. Other than those few points the graphics are amazing and were blended into the film well.
Music is an area I am not very qualified to talk about but overall I found that it did help set the moods the film was going for and fit the scenes nicely.
Story as stated above is less and less desirable the more of a fan of Wolverine you are. However if you go in expecting good action with loose ties to true Marvel story lines and a decent tie in with the X-Men films then this story will play out very nicely. The story also introduces several different characters for the fans through small cameos of high action scenes such as the Blob, White Queen (Emma Frost), Cannonball and the Morlocks.
One other quick note is if you do see this you must stay through the entire credits. A small scene plays out about half way through and another scene plays out at the very end of them. Different theaters and different city's will actually get different after credit scenes so stay after.
OK from here on out expect spoilers so if you don't want any take then stop reading here.
OK now apart from what has already been mentioned this will cover certain details I took issue with and do involve spoilers so once again don't read if you don't want to know.
Most characters were done right except for Dead Pool (known as Wade at the beginning of the film). Dead Pool's character begins with him already a part of Weapon X which he never was until after they gave him the super healing ability by curing his cancer. From the start it seems they are trying to set him up as the annoying guy who never stops talking but rather than the comical effects the comic uses he just comes off as a guy who can't stop talking and his idea of sarcastic humor falls on deaf ears as it is not delivered well. This does not say that his acting was bad but rather the character lacked that poised deliverance that made Dead Pool work. This could be that this kind of humor doesn't translate well from one medium to another but to me the movie threw it in there just to show that was in his personality but seemed to be trying to not go that route. Dead Pool by comic standards had no real powers until he joined Weapons X and became unable to die after having his cancer treated. This makes his first battle really out of place as he is shown knocking bullets out of the air with two swords or deflecting said bullets into bad guys having some sort of super human speed/reaction time. While the movie is not specific with its time period the major events that the movie revolves around are key indications that Dead Pool shouldn't have been there or been able to do that kind of thing yet. Though I can excuse this change as that scene is utterly bad ass in nature and really shows how good Dead Pool really is.
The film successfully take you through Wolverine's past that leads to his current state in the beginning of X-Men and show very well his troubled childhood, his time through the wars, his small time of happiness with a wife, and his utter pissed off stage when he finds her dead, followed by his normal angry self when he loses his memories though not due to the procedure but rather Adamantium bullets that shot him in the head. This never happened in the comics and within all other mediums that have used Wolverine this is a new way to lose his memory. Also it makes utterly no sense in the fact the bullets supposedly pierce the Adamantium covering his skull which is completely outrageous as his endoskeleton would now have to show small holes that they never will again. They had a line where they were just wanting to wipe his memory which they should have taken that route instead.
His brother Victor Creed's (Sabertooth) decent into madness and the love of killing is shown through the montage of the wars they fought in and are brought into full light during a mission for Stryker when he orders an entire village of innocents killed. While the rivalry is shown at its most extreme through most of the film it is suddenly dulled back a bit at the end when both have to fight Weapon XI (AKA Dead Pool). While the film overall is great it is this fight that really takes the movie for a flat spin into utter crap as Dead Pool is given multiple Mutant Powers he never had. His Teleportation and Healing powers are shown but he is also shown to have been infused with Adamantium which allows him to pull out two swords from his hands like Wolverine which didn't and shouldn't have happened. Wolverine's claws are bone claws covered in Adamantium and the procedure did not create random weapons that could extend from within a body. Besides the Adamantium Dead Pool also has Cyclops's power which he has full control over and favors for around half the fight.
The fight scene at the end leaves much to be desired as it seems to move very quickly and doesn't build like the rest of the film. It instead seems to try and bring some resolve to Sabertooth and Wolverine's rivalry and revolves around that rather than an actual fight to the death. Dead Pool says nothing throughout the final fight as his mouth is sown shut which takes away from a fight that was ripe with potential for Dead Pool's sense of humor.
Another little beef I had was most powers of the main characters were taken to extremes beyond that which they were capable of. Wolverine takes many hits that would have normally knocked him out for a short period but he kept getting up until that critical moment when the guy he was fighting had to run away. This was shown a lot and yet Wolverine could beat down others and until that cliche time in the fight he wouldn't be able to knock out a character. Also Wolverine was considered an unstoppable force and his only weak points were his joints which could still be dislocated. In this film throwing him into walls and hitting his face seems to stun him every time and he tried to avoid getting hit far more often that he normally would. On top of that any and all connections between Sabertooth (Victor) and Wolverine were left out of the X-Men film and their rivalry in this one leaves you wondering where that went especially with Sabertooth's character.
The ending ties everything together nicely with Cyclops and Emma Frost leading all mutant prisoners to safety guided by Professor X and Wolverine losing his memory and starting his loner path which sets up the X-Men movie but then leaves plot holes open on many things that don't match up now. Most other mutants introduced are revealed through one liners, showing their powers, or through visual references such as the Morlock being highly deformed and pale. This helped appease fan boys while maintaining the central focus on Wolverine.
Each after credit sequence may or may not be different from viewing to viewing and as such I have only heard of two so far. The first, and the one I saw, is Wolverine sitting in a bar drinking and talking to a Japanese Woman (who I could possibly assume is the future Lady Deathstrike) and she asks him if he is drinking to forget something which he replies he is drinking to remember. The other is one that my friend had the chance of seeing in which you are taken back to the Island where the final fight scene with Weapon XI occurred and shows an arm moving on its own toward Dead Pool's head where it grabs it and then focuses on his face where he just says "Shhhh".
Again as an Action film this is a great film, as a comic film it is ok as it loosely follows the history of a character and an already established plot the movie tries to build up to. But as an origin film this falls right off the edge of my chart for utter crap so if you want a stay true comic book film do not see this but if you just want a good action film that generally follows the Marvel Universe you will definitely like this.
Then you and I were on the same wavelength, sir. However, I thought that Ryan Reynolds could have actually been great to play Wade Wilson/Deadpool, just from his role as Hannibal King in Blade: Trinity. The writers just did not utilize or fully understand the character enough to include him in the film. He's a great character and Reynolds is a great character actor, but with the way the writers wrote with the story, he just didn't fit into the film the way Marvel fans would have expected and appreciated. IMO, if you can't do it right, don't do it at all and they should have just left him out of the film entirely.
I also concur that it is one of the worst Marvel comics films yet, but for starting off the summer blockbuster madness, it plays its role. However, if you are just going into it for the action, I recommend just waiting to see a film until next week, when Star Trek starts.
__________________ All right, look, there's only one "Return," okay, and it ain't "of the King," it's "of the Jedi." - Randal Graves, Clerks 2
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I do agree with your opinion on the writers not using Dead Pool properly Disturbed. As stated I don't know if this was due to the medium transfer, if the writers/directors didn't want him to go that path, or what but he definitely left you not wanting to see him again. Gambit though really impressed me and I actually wanted to see more of him and less of Dead Pool.
Excellent review fade, not seen it yet but will still give it a go (the wife will see it just for Hugh Jackman anyway)
She will love it then as it will giver her a glimpse of his ass. Just be sure to blink a lot when he runs out of the lab after getting his endoskeleton and you will be blessed by missing it and if you want to make her really happy just tell her to stare.
I would point out that the film fits in pretty good with the three X Men films which also didn't hold true to the Comics story all that much. Why would they change their tune and stick with the origin we already know here.
I had a lot of hope for Wolverine, but I agree with fadeout. I think the final fight scene ruined the movie for me. But also annoying was the pacing of the first one-third to one-half of the film; it ran like a trailer with no scene taking longer than a minute or two. I know they had a lot of ground to cover, but maybe they could have hinted at James' and Victor's war history in flashbacks.
Over all, like fadeout said, good as an action movie, but still not as good as either X-Men I or II.
I think the actor who played Sabertooth (don't remember his name) did an excellent job. He was my favorite character, as far as the movie went.
So far that has been the general consensus of who everyone that I have talked to and I agree as well. He did the best acting out of the whole cast and was actually to me the most believable character in the film.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine Review 
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