X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

 

After the success and conclusion of the original X-Men movie trilogy, the most natural next step would be to make a spin off film starring the franchise's most popular character. 

This film tells the story of Wolverine's (Hugh Jackman) early years and how he became the character we know today. The movie especially focuses on his rivalry with his brother Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber). 

The storyline here is that of a simple revenge flick and it offers no surprises along the way. As such this is one of those movies that is enjoyable to watch, but not long after you watch it, you can easily forget everything that actually happened. There is quite a bit here to enjoy. The action scenes are excellent and a lot of fun. While not especially deep, the rivalry between Wolverine and his brother is handled quite well and Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber work very well together. Wolverine is just as likable and relatable here as he was in the original X-Men trilogy and Hugh Jackman is once again wonderful in the role. The movie also has a strong ending scene that perfectly leads into the previous X-Men trilogy. 

This movie does suffer from bland and forgettable supporting characters, even those who are quite interesting in the comics and other movies. Many of the new mutants introduced here are barely developed beyond their powers. The movie is also full of cliché dialogue and humor that falls flat. 

Still the biggest problem with this movie remains, that it is so similar to other films that it simply blends in with them. Among the other X-men films (and action movies in general) this one fails to stand out. That does not mean it is a bad movie (there are definitely weaker X-men movies) at all though, as it is enjoyable for what it is.  

This movie also introduced a new director for the franchise, Gavin Hood. This would not only be his only X-Men film but his only superhero movie. This South African director had already won an Oscar for directing Tsotsi (2005), which would win for Best International Feature Film. X-Men Origins: Wolverine marks the second English-language movie that Hood directed (the first being Rendition (2007)). Though Hood was admittedly not a comic book fan, he admitted that he grew a fondness for the character while working on this film. 


This film's writers would be David Benioff and Skip Woods. Benioff is best known for being the co-creator of the TV version of Game of Thrones. His film work includes 25th Hour (2002), Troy (2004), The Kite Runner (2007), Brothers (2009) and Gemini Man (2019). Skip Woods' filmography includes Swordfish (2001), Hitman (2007), The A-Team (2010) and A Good Day to Die Hard (2013). This is the only superhero film for both writers and the only time these two would work together. 

Probably the most notable part of this film is that it introduced Ryan Renyolds as Wade Wilson (also known as Deadpool). Renyolds and David S. Goyer (best known as a writer on Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and Man of Steel (2013)) had been working on a Deadpool movie. Yet the two were too busy working on Blade: Trinity (which Goyer directed, and Renyolds acted in) and that film fell by the wayside. Of course, a trilogy of Deadpool movies starring Ryan Renyolds would later be made but Goyer would not be involved with those. However, with this in mind, Benioff decided to write the character into this film. The take on the character here is quite different than the one used in the later trilogy. Though he talks a lot when he first appears here, he does not break the fourth wall or have his trademark meta-humor. Many believe that his character is completely wasted in this movie, and I personally have to agree. This film robs the character of anything that makes him stand out or feel unique. 

This film was a critical failure, with most critics viewing it as the weakest X-Men movie up to this time. The critical reception has not improved over time and the film only receives a 37% on Rotton Tomatoes. Hugh Jackman remains unhappy with the final project feeling that it did not delve enough into who this character is. The movie was a finical success grossing $373,062,864. Upon its release to home video the movie sold over 3,000,000 copies.