X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Note: This review contains spoilers X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Despite X-Men: The Last Stand’s mixed reception among fans and critics, the X-Men property still proved lucrative enough for Fox that they greenlit the film series’ first prequel and spin-off, X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Origins). The final film, which came out in 2009 during the earliest stages of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, went through a rather troubled production and received the lowest critic scores in the series up to that point, with most criticism aimed at the lackluster script. While Origins does have its fans, I can’t say I disagree with the criticisms, especially with one contentious aspect in particular. I’ll also freely admit that while aspects of a film’s production shouldn’t necessarily factor into a review, it’s difficult in this case to ignore just how much of a negative impact an out-of-touch executive can have on the finished product.

In 1845, James Howlett (Troye Sivan) witnesses his father being killed. The anxiety triggers his mutation and he impales the assailant with bone claws that protrude from his knuckles, only to learn that he has just killed his real father. James flees with his half-brother, Victor Creed (Michael-James Olson), whose own mutation gives him claw-like nails and a healing factor like James. Over the next decade, the brothers fight as soldiers until they survive a death by firing squad in the Vietnam War. They accept an offer from Major William Stryker (Danny Huston) to join Team X, but James (Hugh Jackman), who works under the alias Logan, leaves after a few missions. Six years later, while working as a logger in Canada, Stryker finds Logan and informs him that someone is targeting the former members of Team X. Logan initially refuses to rejoin Stryker, but changes his mind and seeks revenge after finding his girlfriend Kayla Fox’s (Lynn Collins) bloodied body in the woods and realizing that Victor (Liev Schreiber) is responsible.

For a film like Origins, I would first like to talk about what I thought it did right. The opening sequence, while not adequately explained, does a good job at establishing the relationship between Wolverine and Sabretooth and the war montage is well-edited. In general, the first half of the film shows some promise in the idea of Wolverine getting roped back into a life he thought he had left behind and, in a vacuum, the Weapon X test was well-shot. Team X has a few interesting characters in it, especially Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), and the mystery of Team X’s disappearances is intriguing, at least at first. I also liked Wolverine’s attempts at finding some semblance of peace when he escapes from the lab that created him through his interactions with the farmers. Although Gambit/Remy LeBeau (Taylor Kitsch) doesn’t have much screentime, his personality and mutant ability feel spot on in their depiction. Are some of the story’s ideas cliché? Perhaps, but using well-worn ideas isn’t inherently bad as long as you execute them well.

The Weapon X scene is at least well-shot.

There’s also some solid acting all around. Naturally, Hugh Jackman turns in a good performance as Wolverine, but Liev Schreiber has some great chemistry with him as Sabretooth. Of all the other mutants in the film, Ryan Reynolds demonstrates that he’s perfect for the role of Wade Wilson and would further blossom in the role of Deadpool in the character’s later spin-off films. Although will.i.am feels like a bit of stunt casting as the teleporter John Wraith aka Kestral since his group The Black Eyed Peas were at the height of their popularity at the time, he does a surprisingly decent job. Brian Cox couldn’t reprise his role as Stryker from X2, but Danny Huston does a good job as a younger version of the character. Harry Gregson-Williams also did a decent job with the score.

 

The film has some solid acting; L-R: Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds),
John Wraith/Kestral (will.i.am), Agent Zero (Daniel Henney),
Chris Bradley (Dominic Monaghan), Major William Stryker (Danny Huston),
Fred Dukes/Blob (Kevin Durand), Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman),
Victor Creed/Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber)

Beyond this praise, however, the film has plenty of issues, mostly in the story. While the first half showed promise, the script really unravels in the second half due to its clumsy attempts at filling in story gaps from the original X-Men trilogy. This includes introducing a young Scott Summers (Tim Pocock), which leads to a reveal that Stryker had kidnapped mutants that happen to be younger versions of mutants from the previous films and, subsequently, the sudden appearance of Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) to rescue them following the kidnapped mutants’ escape. The depiction of Scott Summers and the depiction of the Weapon X test (and the adamantium tank) also muddy the timeline a bit, as they feel inconsistent with prior explanations. Among the film’s plot holes and contrivances, like why Stryker went through a convoluted process to get Wolverine to consent to the Weapon X experiment, is the silly and clumsy explanation for how Wolverine gained amnesia. Stryker shoots him with an adamantium bullet, which the film explains is the only thing that could kill Wolverine, yet later we’re told it would only erase his memory and not outright kill him. Although Gambit is an enjoyable addition to the cast, he doesn’t contribute much to the plot outside of showing off his powers and getting Wolverine on and off the island where the final battle takes place.

By far one of the biggest issues with the film, however, is its treatment of Deadpool (one of my favorite Marvel characters), who is botched so poorly that Deadpool and Deadpool 2 actively mock it. Wade Wilson himself is a fun character, and has one of the best action scenes in the film, but when he’s brought back during the climax, he’s almost unrecognizable apart from gaining facial markings like Deadpool’s mask. Indeed, we don’t get to see “The Merc With a Mouth”, but rather Weapon XI, a so-called “ultimate soldier” whose abilities are a “dead pool” of those from other mutants, including Cyclops’ laser eyes and adamantium swords that grow out of his arms like Wolverine’s claws. As a callback to a single line from earlier in the film, Stryker even had Weapon XI’s mouth sewn shut. What makes this interpretation of Deadpool more contentious, however, is that the film’s plot, including the disappearances of Team X members, revolves around it, which only highlights the other scripting issues. The post-credits scene even teases a potential return of Weapon XI, though this never came to pass.

"Deadpool" in name only.

Although the visual effects look decent for the most part, especially the explosions, Wolverine’s claws look more obviously CG in this film for some reason. Most of the fight scenes also look pretty good, despite some silly elements, but the final battle on top of a cooling tower stretches the viewer’s suspension of disbelief due to the rather thin surface, where Wolverine takes a few hits but somehow no one falls down. On a more minor note, while the film’s PG-13 rating explains this, I still found it odd how despite all the stabbing, edged weapons and Wolverine’s claws don’t draw blood.

As for what exactly went wrong during the film’s production, my research has led me to a number of factors. The first is that although a draft of the script was finished before the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America Strike, filming went underway with an incomplete script that received rewrites throughout. The second is the two writers specifically, one of whom gained fame (and later infamy) as one of the showrunners for Game of Thrones while the other wrote such films as Hitman (2007) and A Good Day to Die Hard. The third and final factor is the frequent meddling from Tom Rothman, the chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment at the time, whose actions during production include repainting an entire set behind director Gavin Hood’s back (thus changing the intended tone of a scene) and making the decision to sew Deadpool’s mouth shut, the latter of which tracks considering he rejected the idea of a Deadpool film under the idea it wouldn’t be successful. While these factors aren’t necessarily a critique of the film itself, they do help explain the inconsistencies within the final film, including the noticeable clash of light and dark tones.

Although people looking for a mindless action movie may get more enjoyment out of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it’s harder to recommend to existing fans of the films, as its fuzzy and muddy insertion within the timeline makes it feel completely skippable. That is, unless you want context for the jabs the Deadpool films take at it.