X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

The early years of James Logan, featuring his rivalry with his brother Victor Creed, his service in the special forces team Weapon X, and his experimentation into the metal-lined mutant Wolverine.

Director:

Gavin Hood

Writers:

David Benioff (screenplay), Skip Woods (screenplay)

Stars:

Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds

3 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hugh Jackman	...	Logan / Wolverine
Liev Schreiber	...	Victor Creed
Danny Huston	...	Stryker
Will.i.am	...	John Wraith
Lynn Collins	...	Kayla Silverfox
Kevin Durand	...	Fred Dukes
Dominic Monaghan	...	Chris Bradley / Bolt
Taylor Kitsch	...	Remy LeBeau
Daniel Henney	...	Agent Zero
Ryan Reynolds	...	Wade Wilson
Tim Pocock	...	Scott Summers
Julia Blake	...	Heather Hudson
Max Cullen	...	Travis Hudson
Troye Sivan	...	James
Michael-James Olsen	...	Young Victor

Storyline

Two mutant brothers, Logan and Victor, born two hundred years ago, suffer childhood trauma and have only each other to depend on. Basically, they're fighters and killers, living from war to war throughout U.S. history. In modern times, a U.S. Colonel, Stryker, recruits them and other mutants as commandos. Logan quits and becomes a logger, falling in love with a local teacher. When Logan refuses to rejoin Stryker's crew, the Colonel sends the murderous Victor. Logan now wants revenge.

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Plot Keywords:

good versus evil | self healing | commando | civil war | claw fight | 

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Taglines:

Witness the Origin.

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, and some partial nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Will.i.am accidentally punched the camera while filming a fight scene and scarred his knuckles.

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Goofs

(at around 11 mins) In Nigeria, Zero throws his guns in the air with the slides shown locked open. In the next shot they are closed as he catches them with new magazines, and begins firing immediately without chambering the first round (which is necessary in order for all semi-automatic pistols to fire).

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Quotes

[first lines]
Young Victor Creed: You're always sick.
Young James Logan: You were sick when you were my age.

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Crazy Credits

SPOILER: There is a scene in the closing credits: William Stryker is arrested and taken into custody for the murder of General Munson).

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Alternate Versions

German theatrical version was cut by the distributor before submission to the FSK to secure a "Not under 16" rating (the killing of the old couple is shortened, you don't see Wolverine igniting the gasoline). Ironically, the uncut version, submitted for the home video release, was rated "Not under 16" as well, thus rendering the cut theatrical version completely unnecessary.

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Connections

Featured in Bad Movie Beatdown: The Riddle (2010)

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Soundtracks

Hávamál
Traditional
Arranged by Harry Gregson-Williams (uncredited)

User Reviews

Better than expected

Wolverine is a decent movie. It is worth the price of admission and the 2 hours of screen time. The movie works well as a prequel of the events of the X-Men movies. However, to enjoy the movie, one must suspend knowledge of the comic book material. The movie was made for the average movie-goer and a little for the ultra hardcore X-Men comic book reader. The story has everything anyone could want: family, a little romance, love, comedy, revenge and plenty of action.

I was pleased with most of the acting. I will admit that some dialogue seems forced from the minor cast, but the main characters - Wolverine, Sabretooth, etc. - all work well together. The story did seem a little rushed and choppy at times, however. The 1:45 time goes by quickly enough to feel like maybe the movie could have - and should have - been closer to 2:00.

The movie is as good as the first X-Men movie, and better than X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand. I am actually looking forward to seeing how they handle the Magneto origins movie that's being made. And I am really hoping that all of this work brings it together for a possible X-Men 4. I know you agree with me because after all, I know everyone is dying to see Apocalypse as the bad guy.

My only real complaint of the movie is that Gambit (my favorite X-Men character) did not have as much screen time as I'd hoped. He better either get his own movie, or make an appearance in a later Marvel movie.

Ignore the syndicated critics and the negativity surrounding this movie. I'm glad I did. Go see it. Don't let people scare you away from spending your money on this movie. Form your own opinions. Oh, and if you go, stay after the credits.

Details

Official Sites:

20th Century Fox [France] 20th Century Fox [Japan]

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wolverine

Filming Locations:

Auburn, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$85,058,003, 3 May 2009

Gross USA:

$179,883,157

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$373,062,864

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Marvel Enterprises, Dune Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min 119 min (extended cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1