X-Men Origins: Wolverine Review

By: Michael Lee

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, Will.I.Am
Year: 2009

To be honest with you, I wasn't really that excited about this movie. I'm pretty sure this would just be another film I would've Netflixed had Chris not wanted to go see it. Upon leaving the movie I wasn't completely fixated on it either, like I am with "Transformers" or "Zombieland", talking about it days on end. I actually wound up seeing it twice in theaters, once more with my brother-n-law as it was the only way I was going to get to see Star Trek. I must say I did like it more on the second romp. However, I recently rewatched this on DVD and it has totally failed to capture my interest once more.

X-men has never been a favorite comic of mine. I don't know why exactly. After seeing "X2" I tried to get into it but I just didn't. Always been a Spider-man and Batman kind of comic guy myself. So maybe that's why I wasn't exactly thrilled to see this. That's not to say I didn't like all of it. I was very fond of the opening credits featuring Sabretooth and Wolverine duking it out in various wars. I was surprisingly entertained by Will.I.Am's character, who was essentially a not-as-blue nor European Nightcrawler. The Patrick Stewart cameo was pretty neat too.

If I had to pick one thing that I loved (and at the same time hated) about this movie, it would be Deadpool. I loved Ryan Reynolds portrayal of the Merc with the Mouth. He essentially captivated everything there was to love about the character in the comics. He was badass, funny, and just down right entertaining. The thing I hated most was also Weapon XI (I refuse to call this besmirchment Deadpool) featured as the main antagonist toward the end. This was no Deadpool. This is Deadpool. This is sh*t. It's honestly so upsetting enough to me, the huge Deadpool fan I am, that I should give this movie a rating of one, but I'll try to keep my fanboy motives to a minimum and rate the movie upon how good it was. However, the optic-visioned, katana-retracting, teleporting with out his special belted Deadpool is not doing much for me.

Other things that pissed me off were little, but annoying. There were at least thirty (read: three) scenes where Wolverine held a dying person in his arms and cried/screamed at the Heavens. Liev Schreiber was a good villian but I was constantly distracted by the fact he does have the same powers as Meg in that one episode of "Family Guy". But that's his character and at least they didn't f*ck him up too badly. Some scenes I found pointless, such as the blob boxing Wolverine for no more of a reason than to show off the effects, which were also sub par and I would like to especially point this out in the bathroom scene where Wolverine is checking out his new metallic claws.

Cyclops could've really been taken out of the story and the only real differences would be that a) Patrick Stewart would not have a point to his cameo and b) Weapon XI wouldn't have had f*cking optic blasts! It's as if they decided there wasn't enough Cyclops in the third movie (which there wasn't) and they could make it up to the fans by including him I this one, plus to make up for all the lack of optic blasts in "X3" they'd just give two characters that power. F*ck that noise.

They're was also a couple of plot holes here and there. Don't you think Wolverine would've given his girlfriend a funeral once he found he "dead" in the woods? What type of douche would just leave her out there go get devoured by raccoons? If he would've tried to bury her he would've seen he wasn't really dead an this whole movies plot would've fell to pieces (I guess that's why he didn't give her a funeral; every movie needs a plot). Also, wasn't this movie supposed to be set like twenty years before the first "X-men"? This movie does nothing to prove that.

In all, I'd give this movie a 6. It was entertaining at times, but it's nothing I'd brag about too much. I suppose I wouldn't mind seeing another Wolverine sequel. There are many, many stories to tell about Wolverine's past. Also, I better get that mother f*cking Deadpool spin-off movie! F*ck Green Lantern, it can get a new star. As far as I'm concerned Ryan Reynolds is Deadpool! 2011 can come any sooner.

 

6 out of 10 Nerdism Nerds.