Wolverine Review!

[jitz]

Wow, to all those people that watched the dodgy work print, I reckon some of the scenes would have looked better without the CGI. Everyone needs to see this movie so they can once again appreciate good CGI. This movie features some of the most pathetic excuses at CGI in a blockbuster movie in about the last 5 years. The scene where Gambit is escaping up a ladder, and Wolverine is chopping it down comes to mind. A good idea that looks like it was executed in MS Paint. While I would dare say that 50% of the CGI is pathetic, the other 50% is serviceable. Nothing really shines and blows you away, it just does the action justice.

Now that that's out of the way, I'll try to avoid spoilers, but I want to talk about Deadpool...so I really can't. Read ahead at your own risk.

The story is a good Wolverine tale with the authentic comic lore altered to fit into the existing X-Men trilogy. There's no Yuriko so it doesn't tread on X-Men 2's feet. They tie the replacement into plot nicely that Yuriko isn't missed at all. Sabretooth is well done, and essentially carries the entire plot on his shoulders. The movie just as much serves as X-Men Origins: Sabretooth, as it does Wolverine. He gets a lot of screen time and is well fleshed out. There's no truly epic Wolverine v Sabretooth encounter, and once Wolverine has his adamantium, Sabretooth is portrayed as inferior which shortchanges him as he's just carried the whole preceding hour and half on his shoulders.

Stryker's involvement is great and done perfectly to fit in with X-Men 2. His motives are well explained, and the ground work is laid for what occurs in X-Men 2. Hugh does a great job with Wolverine yet again. If you didn't like the way he played the role in the trilogy, nothing has changed, he still is a fair bit more loving and caring than some would like. Gambit is perfect, they didn't fuck with him and left him exactly how he always has been. While his screen time is limited and he also features in the laughable ladder scene, all besides that he steals every scene he's in. It really makes you question why he wasn't in any of the X-Men movies, and makes you want a Gambit movie focusing on the thieves guild and such. I also really enjoyed The Blob's scene.

Nameless mutants - there's a lot of them. If you have some X-Men knowledge you'll know them, but the movie gives you very little help, often just referring to people by their first name.

Sound wise...well I can't really remember it. So either there's very little music, or it's just serviceable. I can't think of any standout scores, but I can't say it detracted from the movie.

Deadpool....SPOILERS!....Ryan Reynolds makes the most of the little nuggets he's given at the start of the movie, it gives you a look at what everyone knows as classic Deadpool. Then we move forward 6 years and he's gone, only to appear at the end. This will divide fans. You take the merc with the mouth, and you literally sew it shut. You throw a heap of mutant powers into him....Cyclop's and that other guy who either teleported out moved really fast...it was never really explained, and well you don't really have Deadpool anymore. Oh and the only slight reference to his actual name comes from Stryker referring to him as "the pool". I see where they were coming from though. You can't kill anybody, because Marvel might want to use them later on. You can't create a character because the fans won't be happy. You need to use a character you can supercharge, pit against Wolverine, kill, retcon, and use in a future movie. You need someone who can regenerate his entire body - Deadpool.

They fucked him up, but they didn't really want Deadpool to be Deadpool, they just wanted a final boss because they can't kill Sabretooth.

All in all, it's a good movie. It's let down by shoddy special effects, but the actual story driving the movie is worthwhile and portrayed well. So it's not as good as X-Men 2, by a fair bit, but it's better than X-Men 3. It does a good job of kick starting the X-Men franchise again, bringing back old faces, and introducing popular characters like Gambit into the movie storyline. The prodcuers have stated this is the test run, if this performs well then there will be more X-Men to come. I think it's done that job well, where they go from here will be interesting. there's so many X projects, Magneto, First Class, and a New Mutants type one. Personally I think Magneto isn't the right way to go, taking the plot too far away from it's established ground. I'm most excited at a New Mutants, high school type movie. I don't think they will go back to a numbered X-Men movie till they have someone they can trust, I think Brett Ratner really burnt them, they're in no rush to go there again.

In conclusion, a thumbs up from me...but not two thumbs up.

[Aero]

ah but, deadpool will come into his own now i think, rip his stitching.. ignore his cyclops ability (which he can control without glasses) suit him up and give us a deadpool movie.

..and a gambit movie..

i think a magneto movie could be awesome and, where you say origins wolverine was as much "origins: sabretooth" the same could be said for "origins:magneto" being "origins: Xavier"... hunting down numerous future x:men etc for their own side... huge potential.

i still think origins was better than the entire trilogy!

[jitz]

I don't know if we need another X-Men movie with Magneto in it. If they make his origin movie that will make it 4 major appearances in 5 movies. There's so many other characters, and other places to take the X-Men. Yes Wolverine has been in all 4 movies, but that only equals the raping Marvel Comics give him on a weekly basis.

I would also argue that Professor X going around picking up mutants for a school, does not make for a good movie. It would also tread on the feet of the proposed X-Men First Class movie.

As for Deadpool...

ah but, deadpool will come into his own now i think, rip his stitching.. ignore his cyclops ability (which he can control without glasses) suit him up and give us a deadpool movie.

Well they made sure to state that the operation wasn't completed, but Stryker still choose to activate him prematurely, they can just say that this early activation means the powers were only short term, the only that will stick ofcourse would be the healing factor.

[Aero]

deadpool also has the strength, fighting ability of wade you fool and did he not gain the ability to teleport through dna transferel from cable in the comics? so really, its just the needless addition of cyclopse that was uneccesary?

and i look at it another way, yes, prof X goin around doesnt sound that exciting, but its got the bonus of throwing in a pile of un-named and lesser known mutants or set-ups for another origins movie if needs be. but the main part of the story would obviously then be the friendship turned sour of the 2 of them. perhaps not as actiony but potentially great imo. i didnt dislike magneto in the movies.

also, surely magneto had his hand in with mr. sinister and appocolipse to some extent so keeping him active in the movies would be a great way to bridge storylines (or cut corners) if they want to do more movies involving either of these 2.

[Jonny]

I also watched the workprint version and got a good giggle out of the rough CGI scenes.

This is surely the weakest X-Men movie out of the 4. I noticed that it didn't fully tie in with the previous 3 movies. Seeing flashbacks in the other movies relating to Origins Wolverine that were different than the scenes shown in the movie. Yes, sure, this isn't a big deal, but it's the little things that can sway the decision.

I'd give it 6/10

[Aero]

3 was the biggest pile of shit ever, theres no WAY this is worse jonny... ur opinion on this movie no longer matters

[phil]

that other guy who either teleported out moved really fast...it was never really explained

It's teleportation, though it doesn't leave behind a whispy, shadowy haze like Nightcrawler's version. John fuckin' Wraith / Kestrel FTW.

[jitz]

deadpool also has the strength, fighting ability of wade you fool and did he not gain the ability to teleport through dna transferel from cable in the comics? so really, its just the needless addition of cyclopse that was uneccesary?

No, the movie broke away from the comics here. Wade Wilson in the movie already had the strength and agilty which led to the fighting ability. In the comics that comes about as a by-product of the healing factor, from the Weapon X program. Wade Wilson's skills are not a natural mutant abilty. Plus Deadpolol does not have the abilty to teleport in the comics, he has a teleportation device created by his friend Weasel. I'm also pretty sure that Cable's abilty to teleport wasn't a mutant power either, but I missed the issues that was explained in.

I also watched the workprint version and got a good giggle out of the rough CGI scenes.

Oh, I didn't watch a work print, I went and saw the proper movie...

[Aero]

i googled it there and im right, in some comic book, deadpool did gain teleportation from dna transfer from cable. but then all you have to do is google image search of deadpool and you can see how many different versions or "marvel universe" of deadpool there are.... none of him having lazer eyes tho lmao.

[jitz]

I could be wrong, but when Deadpool shared Cable's teleportation in the comic Cable & Deadpool, it was because their DNA had come into contact with each other's so when Cable teleported, Deadpool did too, often much to his dislike. For a short time there Deadpool was using bodyslide too, but he can't do it anymore.

EDIT - My point though is that with the Deadpool character they can and will retcon it for a Deadpool movie if it goes ahead. He will not be teleporting around the place, and he won't be shooting lasers out of his eyes. Chances are though they'll keep the adamantium skeleton and blades, as they're harder to explain away. I'd like to see them go though...

[Aero]

and ofcourse his fighting ability... and also let him speak again.. yes, me like-y !

[jitz]

Well in the movie he has the fighting ability from the very start, as far as you can tell, in the movie they portray that as his mutant ability. So he couldn't lose that.

[Aero]

yeah, i know, just stating it, not questioning it