Wolverine's past! (X-Men Origins: Wolverine (DVD))

Member Name: linzeelou

Product:	X-Men Origins: Wolverine (DVD)
Date:	11/10/09 (53 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great action

Disadvantages: Nothing huge

X Men Origins: Wolverine is a superhero action film that was released in 2009 and the DVD was released in October of the same year. Wolverine is the fourth film to be released in the X Men series. It is rated 12A due to strong violence and action as well as some mild nudity. The film is 107 minutes long.

Plot
In 1845, we meet a young boy, James Hewlett (Logan), who appears to be very ill. After a very traumatic experience, James's special ability becomes apparent and he finds out who his real father was and learns that his best friend, Victor, is actually his half brother. Even at a very young age, the brothers run away and end up fighting in every single war for 100 years, making the most of their talents.

In the Vietnam War, Logan ends up killing a superior officer and has to stop Victor from raping a local. As punishment, the pair are sentenced to death by a firing squad but due to their powers, they both survive and end up in prison. While being left to do their time, the brothers are approached by William Striker, who offers them a deal in order to get them out of prison. Striker wants them to join a special team called Team X, a group full of other mutants just like them. Team X don't seem to go by the rules that Logan believes in and he decides to leave them and try to live a quiet life.

Logan ends up living in the Canadian mountains with his girlfriend, Kayla Silverfox, trying to have a normal life but things soon start to go wrong. Just when Logan thinks he can be happy, Striker wants him back in the programme, and at first he refuses, but something happens that will change Logan forever.

Cast
Hugh Jackman - Logan / Wolverine
Liev Schreiber - Victor Creed
Danny Huston - William Stryker
Will i Am - John Wraith
Lynn Collins - Kayla Silverfox
Kevin Durand - Fred Dukes / Blob
Dominic Monaghan - Chris Bradley / Bolt
Taylor Kitsch - Remy LeBeau / Gambit
Daniel Henney - David North / Agent Zero
Ryan Reynolds - Wade Wilson / Deadpool

My Opinion
I wasn't really sure what to expect when I finally got around to watching this film. I absolutely loved the X Men trilogy, so I was a little bit wary about a great series being ruined. Luckily, I had nothing to worry about.

While Wolverine wasn't my favourite character in the previous films, I was looking forward to learning more about his past. I find these kind of films very interesting to watch and find they give me a better insight into the characters when I get around to watching the other films again.

Hugh Jackman was always fantastic in his role as Wolverine but I thought he managed to bring that extra something to his character this time around. He managed to bring so much action and excitement to the role but at the same time, he also brought a lot of emotion. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him for a lot of the film because all he wanted was a simple life but never managed to have one for very long. I think Jackman was born for this role and the 4 X Men films wouldn't have been the same without him.

From seeing the previous films, we know that Wolverine's metal weapons came from an experiment carried out by William Striker so as soon as we see the pair together in the film, it does get a little predictable at times. That being said, I don't think they could have done much else with his background and I was happy to learn about what made him the way he was in the other films.

Two of my favourite minor characters in Wolverine were Gambit and Deadpool although I would have liked to have seen both of them have more screen time.

I'm sure most of us know by now that there will be a film dedicated to Deadpool sometime in the near future and Ryan Reynolds will take up this role again. For the small amount of time he had, Reynolds was fantastic and certainly made an impact and I'm really looking forward to seeing his film. Reynolds proved himself an adequate action film actor in Blade Trinity but he was so much better in this film. I know his character has had a lot of negative reviews due to changes from the comics but I haven't read them so it isn't a big deal to me at all.

Gambit, played by Taylor Kitsch (from The Covenant) was extremely interesting. I've just read on IMDB that a Gambit film is also in production, to be released in 2012 which is fantastic news. I'm really excited to see what they can do with this character, especially as he hasn't been in any of the three main X Men films. Taylor Kitsch isn't that well known really but he has some big films coming up over the next couple of years. I loved him in The Covenant and he has stood out for me ever since then. Like I said, he didn't get too much screen time, but what he did with what he was given was amazing.

The film is visually amazing with some great special effects, especially in the way of the superpowers. There are some fantastic views of the Canadian wilderness and the mountains, and having been there myself, it was beautiful to watch. As well as the pretty locations, some of them are also really dark and a bit creepy. The part of the story where Logan goes to find Gambit was great, and one of my favourite parts. The whole setting gives the film a bit of a different feel to it, making it seem more creepy and for lack of a better word, seedy.

The story moves along at a great pace and I thought it pretty much covered everything I would have wanted to know about Wolverine's past. Like most action films, there is a love story too, but it isn't overdone at all and it certainly isn't too mushy so I don't think the male audience will mind this aspect too much. There really wasn't anything major that I disliked about this film, and considering I thought I wasn't going to like it very much, I absolutely loved it!! I thought Transformers was going to be my favourite film of the year but Wolverine definitely gets my vote...for now.

Summary: A great addition to the x men series