X-Men Origins: Wolverine was touted as the movie that would begin the summer season of blockbusters. The film had a line of fans waiting to get inside the 12:01 a.m. show and see what they’ve been waiting for. Some fans wore t-shirts with their beloved character on them. One fan even come dressed in full costume, and ran in front of the screen before the opening trailers rolled and roared like his idol Wolverine, to the delight of the sold-out theatre. Just to anger people I wore a t-shirt with a picture of the Joker, who is a character from DC Comics’ Batman franchise, rival of Marvel Comics’ X-Men, and got many stares in the process.This film tells the story of Wolverine, who is by far the most beloved of all of the X-Men. In the previous trilogy of X-Men films, we see the rage behind Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman, as he tries to uncover the mystery of who he is. Jackman returns to reprise his role as the clawed Wolverine for a fourth time. This film explains were and when Wolverine came from, where his powers originated from, and how he became who he is in the present.
In the second film in the X-Men trilogy, X2: X-Men united, we were introduced to the character of William Stryker played by Brian Cox. Stryker’s character was in charge of the government program that took Logan (Wolverine's real name) and turned him into the animal he is today. In the experiment, code named Weapon X; a fictional metal called Adamantium is liquefied and injected over Wolverines skeleton, which couple with Wolverines ability to rapidly heal wounds to his body makes him nearly indestructible.
In this film we’re introduced to the younger version of Stryker, played this time by Danny Huston. We’re shown how Stryker recruits Wolverine, and betrays him, which is the center of the plot in the movie as Wolverine tries to vindicate his past. In this film, Wolverine still knows everything about his past and it isn’t until the end of the film where he loses his memory due to a series of events. The film finally brings to the screen the character of Gambit, who is also a favorite of fans, but never appeared in the previous three X-Men films. Gambit plays a roll in helping Wolverine get his vengeance in the film.
The film made $87 million in its first weekend at the box office, however many of the die hard fans are upset with the films continuity to the comics, and for some of story line which was falsely rendered in order for the film to make sense. The film also hasn’t received great reviews from critics either. I bet that won’t bother anyone from the Marvel camp, as this film was guaranteed to be a hit at the box office and bring in plenty of money.
Yes this film was a good start to the summer season of blockbusters, however there is nothing else underneath its surface. It’s your generic “popcorn flick” filled with big explosions, special effects, and lacking a gripping storyline. The film lacks much substance in comparison to other films of its genre. Personally I did enjoy the film; however it was not as good as other superhero films of the past year such as The Dark Knight, Watchmen, and Iron Man and If I was a film critic I would give the film three out of five stars. This summer is going to be filled with great films such as Star Trek, Angels & Demons, Terminator Salvation, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and Inglorious Basterds (yes that’s how it’s spelled). If you’re a fan of any of these franchises, then you will be at least reasonably happy with what you see on the big screen this summer movie season.
Photo Credit:
No comments:
Post a Comment