X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Review:VernonTepes

The first three X-Men movies all had my blood pumping but for regrettably very different reasons. The first movie was extremely well crafted and breathed real life into the genre in the days before these films were two-a-penny. The second film, imaginatively named X-2, was, in my opinion, one of the most interesting, emotionally charged comic book movies of all time and I waited with real anticipation for the third installment, Last Stand, which proceeded to destroy all expectations, hope and will to see another second of this movie franchise.

What I'm trying to say is, I've had the rough and the smooth with these movies over the years but to be honest wasn't expecting much from Wolverine going in. Having said that, there was a lot to like in this movie. Hugh Jackman, let's face it, was pretty much born for this role and is by now so at ease wandering around with CG blades stuck between his knuckles that it's hard to seriously criticize his performance. A rather more pleasant surprise were some of the ancillary characters that made their way into the plot, such as Liev Schreiber's portrayal of Victor Creed, a surprisingly able yin to Hugh Jackman's yang that at some points single-handedly holds the plot together. I was also in no way dissatisfied by Lynn Collin's work as the love-interest Kayla Silverfox, who could easily have slipped through the film like sand without a confident performance.

The plot is pretty much all over the place throughout. For a film largely about the appreciation of difference against the persecution of the Other, there is a surprising willingness to track through an almost freak-show-like pantheon of scenarios, locations, emotional perspectives and characters, but thankfully the film manages to avoid going anywhere near as wrong as Last Stand. Sure, it's like going around the world in 80 days a little, but the plot does at least hold together while hitting some of the sci-fi staples of revenge, man over animal, betrayal and brotherhood for a brand new cutting.

My major criticism, plot cohesion aside, is the CGI, and in an X-Men movie there is precious little excuse for that. Some sequences are breath-taking, but are completely ruined by other truly appalling effects. I don't want to place CGI above plot, but the truth is, as many experts in the field have said often, really good special effects are the effects you don't even realize you're seeing because you are too immersed in the plot. Some of the early visuals of Wolverine's blades are worse than they were in the original X Men movie, which is a failing I really don't understand. In one particularly poor sequence CG soil is shot 6 feet in the air by CG bullets firing from a CG helicopter and the whole thing is so unreal that you are immediately hauled out of the action back into the cinema. My only question is why? Was setting off real charges to make real soil fly around too difficult? The trouble, of course, is that suddenly whatever power the plot had over you is gone, leaving the building as fast as its legs can carry it.

But I can't leave this review on that note, because it would be so terribly unfair to the cast. The plot is off the rails, but it's paradoxically gripping because you have genuine uncertainty as to where it is going. The characters are strange and on the face of things quite archetypal, but the acting really makes it worth a watch even if it will never be "the best comic book movie ever". Plus. with a film like this, chances are you already know if it's the sort of film you are going to want to watch. Even if you haven't seen the first three outings of the X-Men on the big screen it is unlikely you have never seen a comic book movie at all and made some sort of judgement as to the genre as a whole. That's the problem and the great strength of movies like Wolverine: you know pretty much what you'll get going in. It's a loose but inventive plot with some interesting action sequences, some emotional highs and a pantheon of characters, scenarios and combat sequences. And for all it's faults, it is entertaining. So against my better judgement, here's my recommendation: try to find time to see this one before it goes off circuit because if nothing else it is at least a break from all the stresses of the world and it won't be any less (or more) than you anticipate.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Originally published in Shvoong: http://www.shvoong.com/entertainment/movies/1893769-men-origins-wolverine/



 

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Product Details Age Range: 9 and up Grade Level: 4 and up Series: X-Men Hardcover: 392 pages Publisher: Marvel (March 18, 2014) Language: English ISBN-10: 0785184422 ISBN-13: 978-0785184423 Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 7.5 x 1 inches Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews) Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,293 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #9 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Publishers > Marvel #40 in Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Graphic Novels > Superheroes Would you like to update product info, give feedback on images, or tell us about a lower price? Customer Reviews (7) 3.9 out of 5 stars 5 star 3 4 star 1 3 star 2 2 star 1 1 star 0 See all 7 customer reviews Share your thoughts with other customers Write a customer review Most Helpful Customer Reviews 9 of 10 people found the following review helpful GOOD BUT MISSING RELEVANT ISSUES By Grateful Mom on March 20, 2014 Format: Hardcover Not including New Mutants vol. 1 #48-50, seems like a big mistake to me. Also, would have considered some of the Rachel Summers issues from the Uncanny X-Men that further expound on the dystopic future of the X-Men. 2 Comments Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful Classic!!!! By Hector Montemayor Jr. on April 15, 2014 Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase Every X-Men fan should own this collection. Even if you already own issues 141-142 in a Masterworks or Omnibus collection, it is still worth it to have this in your collection. The inclusion of Days of Future Present is vital to the storyline, and the inclusion of the 3 Excalibur issues even moreso! The Excalibur issues in particular are extremely informative and give tons of backstory that really help bring the grandiosity of this classic arc into sharp focus. Then we get Wolverine: Days Of Future Past. This is a nice little bonus tale that covers some of the details that occured leading up to the original story from UXM 141-142. Some people complained that key New Mutants issues were left out, but hey......people will always complain about something. Someone is bound to argue that Weapon X: Days of Future Now isn't included in this collection. Thats all good and well, but sometimes these collections can get bogged down in overkill. I can confidently say that this collection is just right! It gives you all you really need in order to say you have a highly definitive collection of the Days of Future Past arc. The quality of the book is outstanding to boot! Beautiful hardcover art and outstanding reproduction of the stories in terms of art, coloring and paper stock used. I highly recomment this to any X-Men fan new or old. Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Great Book and Service By Michael martinez on May 18, 2014 Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase This is an excellent book to read! A great storyline to the x men universe. Can't wait for the movie Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No 2 of 4 people found the following review helpful This is an amazing collection! By cole m whitecotton on March 31, 2014 Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase What really starts as a two issue story arc with ENDLESS implications is explored here with many more issues helping to fill out almost any gap left by the original two issue story. The quality of this book is amazing. The pages are printed beautifully and unlike most color printed TPBs, the pages don't smudge all over the place or anything of the sort. This is definitely a great hardback to add to any X-men or Marvel collection. 1 Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No See all 7 customer reviews (newest first) Write a customer review Advertisement Customer Images Add an image Most Recent Customer Reviews Mixed The Byrne/Claremont stuff still holds up and is just great. Most of the rest of it is barely readable to fair. Published 10 days ago by Pepelepaul I judged this book by it's cover. If you like comics and you're an avid comic book collector, then this is a sweet book to add to your collection. Read more Published 13 days ago by Abel esquibel This collection is OK...BUT The Good: The two-parter at the heart of the story is from 1981. Fairly early in the run of the "New" X-Men. Read more Published 21 days ago by David Brown Search Customer Reviews Search Search these reviews only What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item? 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