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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-10-19
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Danish, Finnish, German, Norwegian, Swedish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 103 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Wolverine, fan favourite of the X-Men universe in both comic books and film, gets his own movie vehicle with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a tale that reaches way, way back into the hairy mutant's story. Somewhere in the wilds of northwest Canada in the early 1800s, two boys grow up amid violence: half-brothers with very special powers. Eventually they will become the near-indestructible warriors (and victims of a super-secret government program) known as Wolverine and Sabretooth, played respectively by Hugh Jackman (returning to his role) and Liev Schreiber (new to the scene). It helps enormously to have Schreiber, an actor of brawny skills, as the showiest villain; the guy can put genuine menace into a vocal inflection or a shift of the eyes. Danny Huston is the sinister government operative whose experiments keep pulling Wolverine back in, Lynn Collins is the woman who shares a peaceful Canadian co-existence with our hero when he tries to drop out of the program, and Ryan Reynolds adds needed humour, at least for a while.

The fast-paced early reels give an entertaining kick-off to the Wolverine saga, only to slow down when a proper plot must be put together--but isn't that perpetually the problem with origin stories? And despite a cool setting, the grand finale is a little hemmed in by certain plot essentials that must be in place for the sequels, which may be why characters do nonsensical things. So, this one is fun while it lasts, if you're not looking for a masterpiece, or an explanation for Wolverine's facial grooming. --Robert Horton, Amazon.com

Stills from X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Click for larger image)

Synopsis
As the title implies, X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE is the back story of the fiery and conflicted Wolverine (né James Logan), whose mutant powers include killer claws that shoot from his knuckles and a regenerative ability that allows him to live seemingly forever. Taking a few mild liberties but staying relatively faithful to the comic-book source material, ORIGINS follows Logan from his first recognition of his mutant powers as a young child up through his infamous adamantium rebirth and the total memory loss that would subsequently fuel his angry quest. Wolverine’s story has enough intriguing details to allow for a grown-up psychodrama in the mold of THE DARK KNIGHT, and the actors on hand--including Danny Huston as Stryker and Liev Schreiber as Logan’s half-brother, Victor (aka Sabretooth)--have the chops to deliver. Director Gavin Hood, however, opts in favor of cinematic razzle-dazzle heavy on John Woo-style action-ballet and CGI glitz. From Deadpool’s eye-popping swordplay (the action-adventure equivalent of Riverdance) to the tightrope-walk of a fight scene in the film’s finale, WOLVERINE is a blockbuster action film in the most fundamental sense of the word.

From the Back Cover
Sub-titles are Danish, Finnish, German, Norwegian, Swedish, and in English for the Hearing Imapired.

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Customer Reviews

Yes, yes, yes! Oh...
Writing a review for this is terribly difficult, as the film will be hugely divisive, and there is much to both like and loathe. Truth is, it doesn't stay terribly close to its roots, being largely based, instead, on the Weapon X story arc.

Marvel - and Wolverine, in particular - have a mammoth following, and they are revered. So to see it altered must be genuinely unpleasantand, actually, I feel bad for people who care a lot about this character and wanted the film to stay true to the comics.

On the other hand, the film in and of itself is very good and people who aren't emotionally attached to the genesis of the character will be able to appreciate it fairly superficially... I think that probably makes us quite lucky. It starts in the 1800s, with a young boy sick in bed, being looked after by his slightly unsettling older brother. When the young boy's father is shot dead, spikes made of bone shoot out of his knuckles, and a young Wolverine takes his first life.

We follow him through many wars; always him and his brother, looking out for one another: from the civil war through the 2 World Wars and ending with Vietnam. And this only takes us to the end of the opening credits. They are soon enlisted by Stryker and teamed with some other mutants, including Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson, and later Deadpool (apparently). There's also The Blob, John Wraith, Bolt, Agent Zero, Kayla Silver Fox and, of course, Sabretooth, before he becomes Sabretooth. That may give the impression that this is an ensemble film - it very isn't. Much of it takes place in the middle of Wyoming or someplace with a cast of just 1, 2 or 3, and it feels really quite empty and bereft at times... to be honest, the rest of the X-Men were conspicuous in their absence.

I expected Reynolds's Wade to be the highlight and, yes, his delivery is funny and, doubtless, ad libbed (am possibly biased, though, as a bit of a fan of his) however Wade - as Wade - is only in a few scenes and all within the first 15 minutes. So, as it turns out, the star of the show is Gambit who *finally* comes out to play. Why they neglected to include him in the trilogy is still a mystery, and it's a real joy seeing him come to life, even though the character is a little under-used. They've somewhat shoe-horned him in as opposed to making him integral, however what there is of him is excellent and it will finally dispel the false idea that Gambit is the "lamest" of all the X-Men.

The twist at the end is a little unnecessary, as what you're really waiting for is the battle with "Deadpool" and while it delivers visually, they've *totally* changed who he is and turned him into "Weapon 11" (?); he is horrifically realised, but he certainly isn't Deadpool. This was the biggest disappointment of the film. Another issue for me was Stryker - they've done themselves a great disservice in changing actors as this one just didn't work... there was something almost camp (lots of exaggerated curved, raised eyebrows and pantomime smiles) about him, and given Stryker is meant to be a cold, heartless barsteward, it really didn't work, at all.

The 3rd installment of the X-Men trilogy was a dreadful, dreadful disappointment, and "Wolverine" goes some way to undoing some of the damage. But, again, I'm not sure hardcore fans will be pleased. A couple of other points of note: there is some swearing in there, and there is a little Jackman nudity so that'll keep some people happy. It's interesting seeing a teenaged Cyclops, and there's a wonderful, *wonderful* cameo at the end... an old friend whose very presence will make you smile. It's a lovely surprise.

All in all, it really is an entertaining film, but its dismissal of the Wolverine mythology is an undeniable issue and, somehow, the more I think about it, the less enthused I become. Ultimately, it doesn't deserve 5 stars. That alone would indicate something's gone a little wrong as, by rights, a film about Wolverine ought to be spit-on-yer-neck perfect.

Oooh, Shiny!
Short Attention Span Summary (SASS):

1. Young man in a vengeful moment discovers that he's got bones to pick with everyone.
2. His half brother's all for clawing and scratching.
3. Regenerative benefits see them through the Civil War, the World Wars and Vietnam
4. Things get interesting when they get recruited for a select mutant group and sent to recover a valuable object.
5. Brotherly feud intensifies.
6. Young man, now named James Logan (Hugh Jackman) undergoes major surgery and becomes Wolverine.
7. Oooh, Shiny!
8. Rather convoluted story follows, involving lots of CGI, stunts and of course several (mostly underutilized) mutants.
9. Anticlimactic ending is quite unmemorable.

Hugh Jackman will forever be Wolverine, but Liev Schreiber holds his own as the scene-stealing Sabretooth. Throughout their love/hate relationship it's Sabretooth who carries the movie, and if not for Wolverine having nicer claws, it would probably be Sabretooth you'd remember.

See this one for Jackman, Schreiber and the action sequences, not for the plot. (3.5 stars)



Amanda Richards

Sound and fury
After three movies of amnesia and claw-slashing, Wolverine is actually getting his own movie, all for his own. Sure, some familiar characters appear, but the stage is for him alone.

And it's neither a horrendous movie nor a good one -- just a popcorn collection of explosions and Matrixian fight scenes, linked together by a rather loosely-strung plot that doesn't have any twists or unexpected events. Hugh Jackman does a simply stellar job as the beclawed titular character and it has some funny moments, but the part of the movie that galvanized me the most was the trailer for "District 9."

After a century of fighting, James Logan (Jackman) and his savage half-brother Victor (Liev Schreiber) are recruited by a mysterious army officer, William Stryker (Danny Huston), to join his elite mutant squad. Logan is sick of killing, so he tries to have the quiet life with his girlfriend Kayla (Lynn Collins) as a humble logger... until Victor reappears and murders Kayla, as part of a vendetta against his old teammates. Intent on revenge, Logan accepts the offer Stryker gives him -- he will accept a horrible and painful procedure that will make him invincible, so he can kill Victor.

With an adamantium skeleton and an instantly-healing body, the newly-renamed Wolverine is invincible -- but he soon finds himself on the run not only from his older brother, but from Stryker's ruthless military forces. Now he must uncover a mysterious "island" that only one mutant has ever escaped from... except there are some other nasty surprises waiting for him there, courtesy of Stryker's experiments.

By all rights, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" should have been a far better movie than it is. But the story itself is only so-so -- it's rather straightforward in its narrative without many twists, and the Sabretooth/Wolverine backstory is handled pretty confusingly. It's only in the last quarter that the movie really acquires that epic comic-book feeling -- up until then, it's a rather bland you-killed-my-master/relative/truelove-REVENGE! tale.

So with a bland plot, they slather on the action -- it feels like at least 75% of the movie was written to allow maximum explosions, motorcycle chases, Matrixian wire-fu, and endless claw fights. In fact, the movie is at its best when it has either some really tightly-wound fight scenes (such as the boxing match with The Blob), or a sense of humour (Wolverine accidentally destroys a nice little elderly couple's bathroom, and walks out repentantly holding their sink).

And then there's Wolverine himself -- he can heal from anything, and his metal skeleton means he can't even be chopped up. In other words, he's indestructible. It's really hard to worry about the guy physically, and "Origins" never gets around to making us fear that he'll lose anything else.

So it's a credit to Jackman's talent that he actually makes us care about Wolverine -- roaring, confused, grief-stricken, and slowly being hardened by all the betrayals and lies. And Schreiber does an excellent job as well, especially considering that Sabretooth is as likable as an ingrown nail -- he actually almost makes us feel sorry for his character now and then. Too bad we never, uh, really figure out why he wants to kill his brother.

And there's a lot of great lesser roles as well -- Collins does a decent job considering her total lack of chemistry with Jackman, while the coldly contemptuous Daniel Henney, kindly will.i.am, charming gambler Kitsch and puckish Dominic Monaghan all do great jobs with their smaller-scale roles. Huston is okay, but he never quite seems scary or fanatical enough.

"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" has enough explosions, stunts and elaborate aerial fight scenes to shame most blockbusters, but it's lacking heart and plot. The only thing that makes it worth watching: the actors.