X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Movie Discussion and Grading (SPOILERS)

[CaptainCanada]

So do I understand correctly that Fox has to make an X-Men movie every couple years to keep the movie license?

One every five years, I think is the standard; this one clears them through 2014. Unless they stop making money off these movies, doubtful Marvel will get them back.

Overall, I'd say decent. The plot's a bit ropey/episodic, and hindered by the fact that neither Stryker nor Sabretooth can be disposed of with any kind of permanence.

I did like the reveal with Silverfox; that was a different spin on how this sort of thing usually goes.

Strong performances across the board.

The CGI they used on Patrick Stewart was really bad; in the first movie, I thought it worked quite well, but, here, bad. They'd have done better to just go without it.

 

[Trekker4747]

The CGI they used on Patrick Stewart was really bad; in the first movie, I thought it worked quite well, but, here, bad. They'd have done better to just go without it.

Well, they didn't CGI PS in the first X-Men movie because he was nine years younger then.

Why did they have to CGI him at all? I mean, isn't there like, oh I don't know, 100 hours or so of him on video from nearly every possible angle they could've nicked for reference in making the CGI model?



Again, as I said in my review up thread I liked this movie. It wasn't great for me, it wasn't terrible it just "was." It'll likely not end up in my DVD Collection (right now to be a movie in my collection it has to be either really specail or make it onto a Rifftrax... Which means XMOW will probably end up in my collection. )

And I still really like Hugh Jackman's Wolverine -though someone up thread mentioned Kurt Russel which, OK that'd be awesome- even if he's a bit softer than the comic version.

CGI, yeah, was hit and miss but it really didn't stand out as either terrible or great to me just "obvious" at times. (Mostly in the battle atop the cooling tower.)

I wonder if the final battle took place on March 28, 1979 (the date of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant partial meltdown/accident) and that the "meltdown" was used as a coverup for the destruction of the cooling tower and the events that took place there? I was waiting for that plot point to be introduced.

Though, this would make Cyclops, what, in his late 30s by the time of X1? Which I guess isn't "impossible" or it's "possible" Cyclops in this universe simply ages slower than what is normal. But he really probably should've been a child. Around 10 years old.

Someone above mentioned some anachronisms in this movie, seeing plasma screens in one scene. This isn't too much out of line. It's possible that in this fantastical universe with these bizzare genetic mutations that either we achieved plasma screens earlier or they're only used in secret areas of the government. And, really, did we need late-70s winks to the audience? Like Wolverine going into a disco-club or something? It's a comic book universe. Time isn't supposed to make a great ammount of sense.

Others have also mentioned the use of the name of the Canadian area the movie starts off in. IIRC it's only "mentioned" in a sub/establishing title which could've simply been done just the orient the audience on where "we" are not to say that's the actual, current, name of the place.

It's like in X-Files Fight the Future, the movie begins sometime around the peak of the last ice age with a subtitle that says something like "Southern Texas 25,000 years ago" which is silly because there WAS no Texas 25,000 years ago. So obviously we're not supposed to take the subtitle litteraly "in universe" just use it for reference on where we are.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Someone above mentioned some anachronisms in this movie, seeing plasma screens in one scene. This isn't too much out of line. It's possible that in this fantastical universe with these bizzare genetic mutations that either we achieved plasma screens earlier or they're only used in secret areas of the government. And, really, did we need late-70s winks to the audience? Like Wolverine going into a disco-club or something? It's a comic book universe. Time isn't supposed to make a great ammount of sense.

If it would've meant a Dazzler cameo they abolutely should have.

 

[Trekker4747]

Someone above mentioned some anachronisms in this movie, seeing plasma screens in one scene. This isn't too much out of line. It's possible that in this fantastical universe with these bizzare genetic mutations that either we achieved plasma screens earlier or they're only used in secret areas of the government. And, really, did we need late-70s winks to the audience? Like Wolverine going into a disco-club or something? It's a comic book universe. Time isn't supposed to make a great ammount of sense.

If it would've meant a Dazzler cameo they abolutely should have.

Mmmm. Dazzler.

Actually, it would've been cool to get a Saturday Night Fever-inspired scene with Wolverine and Sabertooth (during their "more brotherly" times.)

And, yeah, it's obvious Sabertooth goes under some-kind-of experiment in the intervening time that leaves him lobotomized.

And, say what you will to me, but I kind of like bone claws. I agree with what T'Baio said in WHY they were "invented" into his mythos, but they work for me. (Still impressed in how the adamanitum formed to the claws perfectly sharpened and honed.) I do wonder how Wolverine felt the "pain" of them being broken. That'd be like a bull roaring out in pain over a borken horn or a deer a broken antler. It's just bone. It has no nerves in/on it.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Wolverine and Sabretooth fighting in polyester flares on one of those dance floors with the lighted squares...priceless.

The thing is the bone claws were hinted at a lot in the comics before their revealed. I don't remember the exact issues to cite but I remember suggestions that they'd been there all along.

 

[archeryguy1701]

One other minor complaint I had was the adimantium bullets and knowing the effect. I think that whole thing would have been more effective if Stryker was operating under the assumption that he was going to be killing Wolverine (I mean, the bullet's going to scrammble the man's brain. What else would you expect?), Stryker shot him "dead", and then Logan woke up not knowing who he was. The whole bit about Logan healing, but his mind not was too much of a, "You guy's probably won't catch this, so here it comes!!!" moment.

 

[Star Wolf]

CGI, yeah, was hit and miss but it really didn't stand out as either terrible or great to me just "obvious" at times. (Mostly in the battle atop the cooling tower.)

I wonder if the final battle took place on March 28, 1979 (the date of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant partial meltdown/accident) and that the "meltdown" was used as a coverup for the destruction of the cooling tower and the events that took place there? I was waiting for that plot point to be introduced.

Though, this would make Cyclops, what, in his late 30s by the time of X1? Which I guess isn't "impossible" or it's "possible" Cyclops in this universe simply ages slower than what is normal. But he really probably should've been a child. Around 10 years old.

Someone above mentioned some anachronisms in this movie, seeing plasma screens in one scene. This isn't too much out of line. It's possible that in this fantastical universe with these bizzare genetic mutations that either we achieved plasma screens earlier or they're only used in secret areas of the government. And, really, did we need late-70s winks to the audience? Like Wolverine going into a disco-club or something? It's a comic book universe. Time isn't supposed to make a great ammount of sense.

Another problem is that Humvees were not made until the mid 1980s

 

[Trekker4747]

CGI, yeah, was hit and miss but it really didn't stand out as either terrible or great to me just "obvious" at times. (Mostly in the battle atop the cooling tower.)

I wonder if the final battle took place on March 28, 1979 (the date of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant partial meltdown/accident) and that the "meltdown" was used as a cover up for the destruction of the cooling tower and the events that took place there? I was waiting for that plot point to be introduced.

Though, this would make Cyclops, what, in his late 30s by the time of X1? Which I guess isn't "impossible" or it's "possible" Cyclops in this universe simply ages slower than what is normal. But he really probably should've been a child. Around 10 years old.

Someone above mentioned some anachronisms in this movie, seeing plasma screens in one scene. This isn't too much out of line. It's possible that in this fantastical universe with these bizarre genetic mutations that either we achieved plasma screens earlier or they're only used in secret areas of the government. And, really, did we need late-70s winks to the audience? Like Wolverine going into a disco-club or something? It's a comic book universe. Time isn't supposed to make a great amount of sense.

Another problem is that Humvees were not made until the mid 1980s

Yeah, well I guess they simply "do" in this movie's universe.

It might be worth noting that the adamantium bullets seemed to have a "special" tip to them. Almost like they were darts. It could be this design "more easily bored" into his skull whereas a normally-shaped adamantium bullet would've simply just bounced off his skull.

I guess the theory being that a "drill shaped" adamantium bullet can "drill through" an adamamntium skull but a "more blunt" bullet has nothing to "cut through" the adamantium with. Some mentioned not liking it because of the "werewolf-like" essence of it, but I liked the idea that only and adamanitum bullet (specially tipped) could've cut through his adamanitum bone.

It does make one wonder, though, about his fight with Lady Deathstrike in X2, though.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Bryan Singer subtlety suggests in the first two films that they take place in the future. Hi-Def TVs are everywhere. Even in the shithole bar that we first see Wolverine in. Maybe 10 or 20 years from when the first one was made. Which would place this film within the last decade. Of course that's just my theory!

 

[Trekker4747]

Bryan Singer subtlety suggests in the first two films that they take place in the future. Hi-Def TVs are everywhere. Even in the shithole bar that we first see Wolverine in. Maybe 10 or 20 years from when the first one was made. Which would place this film within the last decade. Of course that's just my theory!

That would make sense, it would put this movie in around the late 90s or 2000.

But I still can't shake the feeling we're supposed to assume that everything that happens at TMI is supposed to be "TMI Incident" in 1979.

 

[Dark Gilligan]

This is maybe minor, but... Cyclops never mentioning anything about his abduction in the earlier films. True, we only spent a few days of time with him total, so the chances of him mentioning this incident were slim.

No real need for Cyclops to mention it. As an X-Man he would have faced any number of past dangers that were never spoken of in the films. I did like how they handled his rescue by Wolverine. Since Scott was blinded by Stryker's visor, he never saw the man who freed him and thus had no reason to recognize Logan when they met again years later.

 

[T'Baio]

I figured the climax at Three Mile Island was supposed to be March '79, as well. They don't beat you over the head with it, but there were subtle clues throughout the film that suggested it was the 70's. However, in the X-Men films they start off with the subtitle "The not too distant future." Arguably, that's a couple to several years ahead of us. Then, in X-2, Stryker says to Wolverine; "What's it been? 15 years?" So their timeline in Wolverine sucks. But then again, why would they put a whole lot of thought into that when they obviously didn't into anything else?

Speaking of adamantium bullets...why would they send the mutant with the sharp shooting, dextrous gun handling abilities out to kill Wolverine...WITHOUT THE ADAMANTIUM BULLETS!?! The next scene after his fail is the army general and Stryker talking about how he can't be killed, except with the adamantium bullets. If you had them all along, why not GIVE THEM TO THE SHARPSHOOTER YOU JUST SENT TO TAKE WOLVERINE OUT!?!

 

[CaptainCanada]

That wasn't the army general, it was the chief scientist.

All the same, my friend and I laughed at that:

"...Only adamantium bullets stand a chance."
"It'd have been nice to have known that earlier."

 

[Trekker4747]

If you had them all along, why not GIVE THEM TO THE SHARPSHOOTER YOU JUST SENT TO TAKE WOLVERINE OUT!?!

Good one.

And the "not too distant future" subtitle from the first movie(s) I guess I never took it "seriously." I mean it could just easily have been months as opposed to years. I think I just took it as a wink saying "this isn't real."

Afterall, the opening scenes of that very movie takes place in Auschwitz with Magneto is a young boy and the flashes to "now" so obviously it's within a time period for Magneto to grow from a adolescent to an older man of not greatly advanced age.

It's already got fantastic elements to it in both technology and biology there's no need for it to be in the future at all.

 

[WeAreTheBorg]

I liked this movie more than I thought I would. I'm just a casual fan of the movies though I never read the comic books.

I've heard there were multiple post credit endings, the one I saw was boring and sort of made me wonder why it was there... Striker being arrested. I've heard theres one of Logan in Japan at a bar, and one of Deadpool coming back to life with his mouth open again? are there any others?

Random tidbit I loved: Daniel Negreanu cameo. He's my fave player!

 

[Trekker4747]

I liked this movie more than I thought I would. I'm just a casual fan of the movies though I never read the comic books.

I've heard there were multiple post credit endings, the one I saw was boring and sort of made me wonder why it was there... Striker being arrested. I've heard theres one of Logan in Japan at a bar, and one of Deadpool coming back to life with his mouth open again? are there any others?

Random tidbit I loved: Daniel Negreanu cameo. He's my fave player!

You saw the during-credits sequence. There was one after all of the credits had ran. At the very end of them.

 

[Mr Light]

Well the movie wasn't the train wreck I was expecting. It was good but not great. Still, it's not nearly as good as the three main movies. Somethings they adapted well, somethings not. It was cool to get so many mutant characters tossed in willy nilly (the same reason I liked X-Men 3). The only thing that seriously pissed me off was the treatment of Deadpool, one of my favorite characters. In the end he just looks like an idiot and HE CAN'T TALK. The entire point of Deadpool is his dialogue!!! Plus it was just a little silly with all his multiple mutant powers, particularly the eye beams. Why couldn't he have just been the usual unkillable Deadpool? I could even grant the teleporting since he uses it technologically in the comics left and right. The Xavier cameo was cool, I had no idea he was in the movie!

 

[WeAreTheBorg]

Well the movie wasn't the train wreck I was expecting. It was good but not great. Still, it's not nearly as good as the three main movies. Somethings they adapted well, somethings not. It was cool to get so many mutant characters tossed in willy nilly (the same reason I liked X-Men 3).

Pretty shocking that you like X-men 3 more than this. That was a catastrophe of a movie.

 

[RoJoHen]

Well the movie wasn't the train wreck I was expecting. It was good but not great. Still, it's not nearly as good as the three main movies. Somethings they adapted well, somethings not. It was cool to get so many mutant characters tossed in willy nilly (the same reason I liked X-Men 3).

Pretty shocking that you like X-men 3 more than this. That was a catastrophe of a movie.

Even though X3 was terrible, I have to say I liked it more than Wolverine. At least X3 didn't bore the shit out of me.

 

[archeryguy1701]

Why am I such a freak? Why can't I be normal? How is it that I like both X3 and Star Trek Nemesis?