X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Wolverine had a lot of potential but unfortunately it remained almost untapped. As I feared, most of Wolvie's fascinating life was shown in the opening titles (World War I and II, Vietnam), and then we go straight back to when he served under Stryker. Which means those who wanted to know more about Wolverine's past are out of luck. But when you accept the game started by the screenplay, you'll have fun. Hugh Jackman was born for this role, and he certainly doesn't have to be ashamed of what he's doing here. The charming killer will hopefully win the heart of every viewer. The story is otherwise devoted to the creation of the X and XI programs, so there will be eye-pleasing showdowns, wisecracks, and also fateful moments when we will find out what actually happened. It could have been done better but I still had fun. Thanks to Ryan Reynolds, I'm really looking forward to Deadpool's solo. Oh yes, I almost forgot, Victor Creed is Schreiber's role of a lifetime. (26/06/2009)

Wolverine alone has earned two films over a period of four years purely about him. I didn’t understand why they did it, and overall I don’t even understand the meaning of the whole X-Men movies, where they return from the present to the past only to gradually jump into the future. I don’t understand the narrative line of all the movies, and I’ll probably never understand it. But what I admit is that this movie, unlike the Wolverine film itself, is perhaps even better. This is mainly due to the atmosphere of the 1970s, which seems absurd to me whenever I’m reminded of it. However, so be it. Three stars for not being completely bad at filmmaking. But everything else in this series is meaningless, and I think I will never find any meaning in other films from this series. (26/10/2015)

The first half an hour of Wolverine is very promising, with its spectacular action, very nice work with mountain locations, a likable Hugh Jackman, a believable relationship with a hot girl, cool catchphrases (“I’m Canadian”) and Liev Schreiber’s badass super villain (he’ll have to fight off offers to play more villains with a stick). Wolverine starts off as a tastefully balanced mix of dynamic action and pleasant family adventure with some romance thrown in for a good measure... That’s why it’s a pity that the talented Gavin Hood must gradually submit to more and more stupid screenplay twists, which want to astonish the action-craving audience at any cost. The movie thus ends up being something between Doom and X-Men: The Last Stand. I’m neither angry nor disappointed, as this was to be expected already from the trailer. I’m just saying it’s a pity. These characters and the hard-working actors playing them deserve something more clever. Something like Bryan Singer. (27/04/2009)

Adrenaline, excitement, fascinating action, and Jackman. Although Gavin Hood doesn't go through complicated storylines or delve into deep psychological exploration, it's beyond me how the creator of the desperately average Rendition could create such an amazing tribute to Logan. I simply rejoiced in everything, from the warrior Wolverine, to the lone Wolverine, to the expectedly raging Wolverine. Nevertheless, I acknowledge that this five-star review is probably highly personal. (24/05/2009)

I have only seen the first two films of the X-Men series so far and they made a very solid impression on me. Wolverine takes a completely different direction and is not what I am looking for. It is more action-packed and visually impressive, but somehow immature in a teenage way. Even Liev Schreiber, one of my favorite actors, in the role of the main antagonist, did not improve my feelings. It is likely a generational matter because as a teenager I would give it at least one more star. Overall impression: 45%. (16/12/2009)