X-Men Origins: Wolverine

How does a leaked copy of a highly anticipated movie affect box office ratings? Apparently not at all as Fox’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine ranked in a nice $35 million on opening day.

Wolverine follows Logan, aka “Wolverine,” through the events that eventually lead to his involvement with the X-Men and has something its predecessors did not; a captivating plot line with a focus on individual character development and personal relationships. This dramatic turn makes it less about special effects and fight scenes and more about they motivations of the characters. But don’t fret action fans, there is plenty of CGI and fight scenes to keep you happy too! The addition of fan favorite, Remy LeBeau, aka “Gambit,” played by Taylor Kitsch, adds a lot of explosive fight scenes and great visuals with his iconic card throwing.

The further exploration into Wolverine’s past left much inconsistencies with the previous three films, the most notable being the seeming de-evolution of the character Sabertooth. Yes, Sabertooth made his big screen debut in 2000’s X-Men. Chronologically, Wolverine is set before any of the events in the previous films take place, yet Sabertooth has no recollection of Wolverine. Furthermore, Wolverine’s Liev Schreiber’s Sabertooth is cunning, witty, and articulate. Tyler Mayne’s 2000 portrayal is of an animal with limited verbal communication skills who is no more than muscle for hire.

The single biggest victory of the film was gaining insight into the long running inner struggle of Wolverine’s desire to embrace his mutant side yet suppress it all at the same time. Jackman was able to show the character has much more to him than insults, sarcasm and pretty sweet set of claws. Wolverine provided much needed insight into what really happened with Stryker all those years ago before his memories were taken.

Casting was somewhat hit or miss with Wolverine. Schreiber and Jackman play off one another so well you almost believe they truly are brothers. Though the dynamic between the main two characters is near flawless, some other members of the cast left much to be desired. Ryan Reynolds’ portrayal of Wade Wilson, aka “Deadpool,” contributed little more than mediocre comic relief. The decision to cast Will.I.Am as the teleporting John Wraith added little to the character dynamic furthering the belief that musicians should not act. However, in addition to Schreiber and Jackman, expect stand out performances by Danny Huston as William Stryker and Lynn Collins as Silverfox.


Perhaps the only potential threat to the film is the amount of liberties taken in comparison to the comic book origin story. Long time fans of the comic will be disappointed in the blatant rewrite of the fictions history, especially pertaining to Wolverine and Sabertooth’s relationship and Deadpool’s origin and powers.

Inconsistencies and mediocre acting from some aside, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a must see for fans of the movie and those new to the series alike. For what it’s worth, I give Wolverine a 4.5 out of 5.

P.S. Stick around until the end of the credits for a sweet surprise!