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Bookmark this pageX-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Director: Gavin Hood
Movie review
From Time Out London
The first in a planned series of ‘X-Men’ prequels, ‘Wolverine’ arrives dogged by a lengthy production process (including a series of extensive and very public reshoots) and by the fact that an early version was leaked online some weeks before the official release. That version – dubbed a ‘workprint’ by the studio, but reportedly similar to the completed cut, barring a few effects shots – has already received a drubbing from those brave enough to admit to having watched it. So how does the finished film stand up?The plot is thin and largely culled from an established backstory that anyone who's seen 'X2' will be familiar with. After unwittingly murdering his father, young Logan runs away to a life of war and turmoil: deathless and indestructible, Wolverine and his brother Victor, aka Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber), are eventually recruited by Danny Huston’s black-ops expert General Stryker for a series of covert missions. But surveillance quickly turns to slaughter, and Logan turns his back on the military. Unfortunately – and predictably – it turns out the military isn’t close to finished with him.
On the plus side, Hugh Jackman is hugely likeable in a role he was born to play, slicing and dicing his way through a series of competent action sequences devised by ‘Rendition’ and ‘Tsotsi’ director Gavin Hood. The opening mapping Wolverine’s journey through a century of warfare, is epic, breathless and brilliant.
But the script is simply disastrous. Overloaded with murky, forgettable characters familiar only to fans of the comics, it’s shot through with both narrative inconsistencies and laughably functional dialogue.
A host of talented supporting players, including Liev Schreiber and Ryan Reynolds, are unforgivably wasted, while crude visual references to both ‘Watchmen’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ only highlight the film’s failed ambitions. With some dire blue-screen effects, dizzying tonal instability and a total absence of suspense or originality, ‘Wolverine’ is something of a disaster.
Author: Tom Huddleston
Time Out London Issue 2019, May 1-7 2009
User reviews of this film
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- Nao said...
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Posted on May 12 2009 09:14
Terrible. TERRIBLE. But this is coming from a huge Marvel fan.
If you have no idea how this movie SHOULD have been made, you'll love it, but if you know how the stories and characters should be, you'll hate it to hell.
Some characters they made powers up for and then gave them the name of known heroes - Especially Deadpool. What the hell Fox. What the hell. - Report as inappropriate
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- frank said...
- Posted on May 11 2009 21:39 Spider man 2 sucked too, this movie murders that one so dont even go there
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- The Hawk said...
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Posted on May 11 2009 08:40
Such a major disappointment... Forgive the pun, but to give credit where it's due, the opening title sequence is great! It really gives you the sense that a troublesome relationship with some real emotional investment is developing between 2 brothers (who aren't brothers really in the comics!)
Why does Stan Lee continuously allow his universe to be pillaged? Another very disappointing Marvel adaptation - I never really liked any of the XMEN films as they all lack intelligent stories and are too pop. I enjoyed Spiderman 2. Wolverine is possibly among the worst of a bad bunch, right down there with Elektra and Dare Devil. The last half hour is laughable. The film is generally upsetting - I was really looking forward to this one. Oh well, maybe next time... - Report as inappropriate
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- Missy said...
- Posted on May 10 2009 18:25 the film was amazing! love wolverine! best x-men film!! enough said!
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- Storm said...
- Posted on May 10 2009 14:07 What is wrong with some of you people? This movie was terrible. It has nothing to do with any connection to the comic; it was just a bad movie. The dialogue was weak. The acting talent was completely wasted. Where was Ryan Reynolds? What was that ridiculous action sequence at the end? None of the characters were really explored except for Wolverine. The film had no depth and suffered from a bad script.
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- Holly said...
- Posted on May 09 2009 18:22 For somebody who really hates films like X-Men I really loved X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It was honestly amazing, I would go and see it again any day. I loved it and I have picked up some great quotes from it, 'Ooh shiny'.
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- ray said...
- Posted on May 09 2009 12:07 ur all wrong it is a sick film
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- wolfy said...
- Posted on May 09 2009 06:43 OK Well as for someone who knows tons of people who read the comic books and I personally haven't... I loved this movie. My friends did too. If you didn't enjoy it well then you are more than likely not a big fan of this type of movie quit wasting your money and everyone elses time. Honestly its a Wolverine fans' dream with a little bit of Gambit and Deadpool thrown in. It is much much better than X-3, quit pretending its not.
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- roge said...
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Posted on May 06 2009 12:40
someone said
"Listen this film was good if not better than the other X men movies"
he must be on drugs,... worst movie of all the x men. - Report as inappropriate
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- sexy said...
- Posted on May 06 2009 12:38 ok i never read a comic book in my life. bit i do have to say that it was a bad movie. it has nothhing to do with peps that read comics. its just a vere bad move, (remember i never read a comics) i think that there get offfend, and trying to say its a good move, when its not so get a life movie likers of this bad movie.
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- steve said...
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Posted on May 06 2009 12:30
Some comments on here just astound me with their stupidity sometimes like this movie was great, OMFG.
the story of the movie suck. - Report as inappropriate
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- frank said...
- Posted on May 06 2009 10:27 You don't need to be a fan of the comics to know that this movie sucks.
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- Bob said...
- Posted on May 05 2009 21:09 Heres an idea put down the comic books get out of your parents basement, and good see a good movie like this one with some friends or a cute girl.
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- ethan said...
- Posted on May 05 2009 21:07 Listen this film was good if not better than the other X men movies. If you don't like it, its because your a die hard comic book fan who is throwing a fit that its not following the comic step by step. WHO CARES the point is it a good action movie which you don't see anymore, originality is the one of the most important aspects to film, theres nothing wrong with recreating something.
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- jousha said...
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Posted on May 05 2009 21:01
There's an implicit threat in the title 'X-Men-Origins: Wolverine.' It's the suggestion that there are lots of X-Men, and each one has an origin, and that this is just the first of a potentially endless series of X-Men movies — each one doing what this one does: boring audiences with go-nowhere action sequences, while dazzling the mind with zingy repartee, such as, 'Well, well, well! Look what the cat dragged in!'" omfg
DAM MOVIE SUCKS. NUFF SAID - Report as inappropriate
Cast & crew
Director: Gavin Hood
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Lynn Collins, Will.i.am, Ryan Reynolds, Dominic Monaghan, Kevin Durand, Taylor Kitsch, Scott Adkins, Tim Pocock, Julia Blake, Max Cullen full cast
Genre(s): Action/Adventure
Rated: 12A
Duration: 107 mins
UK Release: Apr 29 2009
US Release: May 8 2009
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