Critics' Reviews: Discussion

[protocida]

X-men Origins: Wolverine opens on April 30. So, early reviews are expected for the next weeks and, since i haven't found a official thread for them, let's make this one the one. There's only one (fan) review by now, and it sounds quite believable, despite certain Spoilers everyone's hoping to be false:

Super Early ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ Review! Updated with Spoilers
Submitted by Scott on Monday, 9 March 200927 Comments

I got an email from someone claiming to have seen ‘Wolverine’ already, and I had my doubts but after reading this, I was convinced. Enjoy!

OK, so I’m not a movie reviewer, so forgive me if this is not as concise as a professional review might be. Having said that, I also don’t know how much of the plot and “ohhhh, holy ****!!!” moments you want to know, possibly spoiling it. But feel free to edit and take out anything you don’t want to have spoiled.

The movie itself looks amazing. Lots of cool sets and special effects, it’s edited very well, the pacing is perfect and the running time is right on. It actually leaves you wanting more, and really, isn’t that the “nirvana” that most action movies hope to arrive at for the audience?

Spoiler!!! Click to Read!:

The back story of Logan (aka Wolverine) is set up pretty good. It’s not too much and it explains Logan’s motivation from childhood. As a young boy, something terrible happens, his “mutant” power is revealed, and he and his brother must flee.

Fast forward to 1970-something Viet Nam. Logan and his brother Victor (aka Sabretooth) are soldiers and Victor has become an irrational bully who has no problem killing anyone that gets in his way. This leads to both of them being locked up in the brig for a very long time. Enter a higher up military officer (Stryker) who offers to get them out of there if they agree to join his special ops team. This elite team is made up of other mutants, all with various different, really cool “powers.” Mission after mission goes by, with Victor really taking a liking to the violence and developing an appetite for killing. Logan, on the other hand, draws the line at being ordered to kill innocent people and decides to walk away. Off he goes to live a quiet life in the Canadian wilderness with his girlfriend/wife/whoever

Cut to various former members of the special ops team being killed. No reason is apparent. The former leader of the group (Stryker) finds Logan in his now lumberjack career and tells him about this. Logan says thanks for the warning but I can take care of myself. As he returns to his work, he senses something is not right and then notices bloody claw marks on a tree. He runs to find his girlfriend/wife/whoever lying dead with gashes across her throat. Victor has killed her. Now its personal and Logan flies into a rage. He finds Victor and a battle ensues. But they basically have the same “powers” so it’s impossible for one to beat the other. Victor flees and Logan agrees to let Stryker help him become more powerful, and therefore able to go kill Victor. Cut to the “lab” scene from the trailer, new steel blades ready to do some serious damage. I don’t want to give it away, but one of my favorite parts of the movie is when we find out where the name “Wolverine” comes from… oooh I just got goosebumps thinking about it… haha. HUGE SPOILER: “the crazy mad scientist, Stryker, is kidnapping them all (mutants) and keeping them prisoners because he is takin their DNA to make a Super Mutant…one guy with ALL the powers…IT’S RYAN REYNOLD’S CHARACTER, Wade Wilson / Deadpool….its so creepy when you see him at the end!!”

This is where I will just say that the movie gets more awesome than it already is. The fight sequences are great, the story takes twists and turns, and the “holy ****!” moments make you want to cheer. I will see this movie again on opening weekend with a full audience of fans. It is THAT kind of movie. Loved it, loved it, loved it.

And one more thing…there are things after the credits..so stick around, for those of you who jump up right at the fade out.

SOURCE: http://wearemoviegeeks.com/2009/03/super-early-x-men-origins-wolverine -review/

[icelemt38]

Someone from another board that I go to said that in a German magazine, it was reported that there was a screening for the rough cut of the movie and the general consensus was that they all gave it very good reviews.

[protocida]

*Twirling fingers ala Mr. Burns* Exceleeeent...

[chaseter]

Another review that was put together from the trailers....k.

[Spider-ManHero12]

Tbh, I can't wait to see mroe reviews. Hopefully they are good.

[protocida]

Answer me thins: Do you think the movie will be well-receveid by the critics?

[Juggernaut33]

Originally Posted by protocida

Answer me thins: Do you think the movie will be well-receveid by the critics?

If it's good, yes.

If it's bad, no.

Wow, I went deeper than I'd expected.

[King of Kings]

Originally Posted by Juggernaut33

If it's good, yes.

If it's bad, no.

Wow, I went deeper than I'd expected.

Back to the shallow end of the pool.

But yeah, you pretty much sum it up.

[squeekness]

I can't take seriously any review this early.

[Goodfellas]

No offense but this movie probably wont get alot of great reviews

But have a feeling this movie is going to make a killing at the box office and i feel like its going to be a pretty good summer popcorn flick and hopefully better than x3

[Stretch2643]

Originally Posted by protocida

Answer me thins: Do you think the movie will be well-receveid by the critics?

Honestly, no. Outside of Dark Knight it's hard for the movie industry to take comic books movies seriously. Still, I think it'll still be a film worth seeing...

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

Originally Posted by Stretch2643

Honestly, no. Outside of Dark Knight it's hard for the movie industry to take comic books movies seriously. Still, I think it'll still be a film worth seeing...

Honestly though, the comic book movie industry has been taken seriously since X-Men.

X-Men and Spider-Man really brought legitimacy to comic book movies.

Obviously Batman Begins and The Dark Knight took it to another level. But I'd argue there'd be no Dark Knight without X-Men.

[danoyse]

Iron Man also got great reviews, as did X2.

Honestly, if it's a good movie you'll see good reviews. I rarely see the majority of critics bash a movie in recent years just because it's comic book film.

[icelemt38]

I've actually noticed that comic books movies, the good ones get the pass when they deserve it. X1, X2, Spiderman 1 & 2, Iron Man, Hellboy 1 & 2, Batman Begins, TDK, the list goes on for comic book movies that got really great reviews, all over 80% on RT I think. So if its a movie of quality then it will get good reviews, heck even X3 was almost fresh on RT and given the pass by a lot of critics when I honestly didn't like it very much at all.

[squeekness]

yeah, but I thought X3 was decent so it only goes to show that reviews are subjective. Go and see the movie because you want to, not because someone says it's good or bad.

[King of Kings]

Originally Posted by squeekness

yeah, but I thought X3 was decent so it only goes to show that reviews are subjective. Go and see the movie because you want to, not because someone says it's good or bad.

Totally agreed, the best person to judge a film is yourself.

[Hugh'sMrs]

Originally Posted by icelemt38

Someone from another board that I go to said that in a German magazine, it was reported that there was a screening for the rough cut of the movie and the general consensus was that they all gave it very good reviews.

I call ********. The rough cut is seen by a very limited number of people. It certainly wouldn't have been shown to anyone so they could give a public review.

[Peter McCabe]

Originally Posted by Hugh'sMrs

I call ********. The rough cut is seen by a very limited number of people. It certainly wouldn't have been shown to anyone so they could give a public review.

not true.

if you attend a screening of a film that's still in post production, meaning the cut you're watching has no score or no completed cgi, you are in no way contractually obligated to keep your mouth shut about it.

i've seen rough cuts of two big hollywood films in the presence of the film's cinematographer and director.

one of them was terrible and I coulda written about it all night and day if I wanted to.

[[A]]

heheh.. another thingy after the credits, huh? ok, I'll stay

[def28]

The reviewer said it was not a screening. Mentioned something about there being alot of people who worked on the film who have seen it, and later said that hes in the industry.

Which is another reason I dont fully believe it. There is no way someone who worked on the film could give out all that info. But...alot of it is turning out true.

Edit: He works in the industry but has no affiliation with Fox. But did sign a confidentiality agreement.

[Superhero 101]

i expect it to do decent and maybe gross around 200 million domestically and 200 internationaly

[AmazSpiderman1]

Im not sure if I believe this review just yet. For one thing it's written very childish, with lots of Omg! It was sooooo awesomeeee!" Takes away from the legitemacy. And even if it is true, it sounds like he is easily pleased.

What happened to the WWII footage also? Or the Revolutionary War? The reviewer makes it seem like they jump cut from childhood to Vietnam.

I'm pleased that they kept his origin from the comic "Origin", but I think it sucks that they had Wolvie and Sabretooth basically hang out together for 100 years or so before splitting up to be enemies. Even if they dont explicitely tell us that Wolverine travelled, I would still like to think he did - going to Japan and such, but I highly doubt that happened, now that he's joined at the hip with Creed. When did Silver Fox get killed in the comics?

[Hugh'sMrs]

Originally Posted by Peter McCabe

not true.

if you attend a screening of a film that's still in post production, meaning the cut you're watching has no score or no completed cgi, you are in no way contractually obligated to keep your mouth shut about it.

i've seen rough cuts of two big hollywood films in the presence of the film's cinematographer and director.

one of them was terrible and I coulda written about it all night and day if I wanted to.

I know about those kinds of test screenings. I just don't believe it about Wolverine because Tom Rothman threw a b*tchfit when a review of X3's rough cut hit the web. I don't believe they'd allow random people to see this film and let them blab about it all over the internet.

[wobbly]

Always thought the name Wolverine came from his likeness in nature (and stature in the books) that he has to the animal...

Anyways...Is it possible a rough cut has been screened? Yes.

Do I believe the above reviewer has seen it (as well as the other similar one that was doing the rounds).

No: Not mentioning the 3 war scenes (we have shots from the Civil War, WW1 and WW2 to account for) and just stating 'fast forward to Viet Nam', just like the other review, seems like no small oversight. Would also say the confrontation with Logan and Creed in the garage (when he still has the bone claws) might be earlier than Viet-Nam. The cars in that clip look like something from the 40's.

[Peter McCabe]

Originally Posted by wobbly

Would also say the confrontation with Logan and Creed in the garage (when he still has the bone claws) might be earlier than Viet-Nam. The cars in that clip look like something from the 40's.

the confrontation takes place in a bar/barn after 'Nam.

Logan finds Creed in the bar (ala Wolverine #10) a few hours after finding Kayla's corpse by the cabin.