Blu-ray Review - X-Men Origins: Wolverine

When Bryan Singer brought X-Men to life in 2000, I thought, “This is a good movie. Not great, but definitely entertaining.” Yes, we had to suffer through Cyclops’ lack of personality and poor dialogue from both Toad and Storm. However, Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen brought Wolverine, Professor Xavier and Magneto to life in a way most comic fans thought was unimaginable.

When “X2” was released, I was overwhelmed by how far Bryan Singer had brought the X-Men. Except for Storm, not only was the dialogue a step above X-Men, but also the story arc and newly introduced characters were both rich and compelling. X2 incorporated Wolverine’s mysterious Weapon X past. William Stryker felt like a real threat and we feared for the lives of our beloved X-Men. Singer also hinted at Jean Grey’s transformation into the Phoenix.

Unfortunately, when Brett Ratner took the helm for the third X-feature, “X-Men: The Last Stand,” all of our hopes and faith in X-feature films were quickly squashed. The film overdosed on mutey characters, most of which fans didn’t care about. Instead of focusing on one story arc from the X-comics, the film was a convoluted mish mosh of the Phoenix and the search for a mutant “cure.” Professor X died, and the film culminated in just way too many special effects. The highlight of the movie was hearing the Juggernaut say, “I’m the Juggernaut bitch.” But, you could have both heard and seen a better version of that scene on YouTube.

So, it goes without saying that when “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” was announced for theatrical release - fans had their doubts.

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” focuses on the history of Wolverine from when he first discovered his mutant powers through his work in the Weapon X program. Sabertooth (Live Schreiber) is introduced as Wolverine’s half brother early on in the film, to create a relationship that will inevitably be broken. The two join a mutant team lead by William Stryker, as they search Africa for adamantium. After Wolverine decides to quit the team, he takes up a normal life in Canada. When Sabertooth kills Wolverine’s girlfriend, Wolverine decides to partner with Stryker in the Weapon X program.

It’s hard to watch a film about a man who can’t die because you most certainly know he won’t. So, already the threat of death is almost intangible. The film has several potential build ups, but somehow never reaches a climax. The thunder from Wolverine’s feud with Sabertooth, Victor Creed, is stolen by a poorly concocted team-up against Weapon XI. Plus the final battle is reminiscent of X-Men: The Last Stand – filled with special effects and green screen.

Live Schreiber does an excellent job as Victor Creed, however we never get the final showdown we’d hope for between Wolverine and Creed. Ryan Reynolds delivers a spot-on performance as Deadpool. Although, I’m still conflicted as to seeing him play Hal Jordan in The Green Lantern.

The Blu-ray release is packed with several special features. It’s got “making-of” featurettes in abundance, as well as a few character monologues. There is also a sitd down with X-Men and Wolverine creators Stan Lee and Len Wein. 20th Century Fox definitely invested a lot of time in making sure that this was the “definitive” blu-ray release.

If you’re aiming to complete your X-Men film collection then you’ll want to check out “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” The movie as a whole is far from stellar, but there are enough fan tidbits inside to make it worth watching – even if only through Netflix.

Special Features:
- The Roots of Wolverine: A Conversation with Stan Lee and Len Wein Featurette
- Wolverine Unleashed: The Complete Origins Featurette
- Weapon X Mutant Files
- The Thrill of the Chase: The Helicopter Sequence
- Ultimate X-Mode BONUSVIEW: X Connect, The Director’s Chair, Pre-Visualizing Wolverine and X Facts Trivia Track
- Deleted & Alternate Scenes with Commentary by Gavin Hood
- Fox Movie Channel presents World Premiere
- Audio Commentary by Director Gavin Hood
- Audio Commentary by Producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter
- BD-Live: Live Lookup powered by IMDb

Disc Two
- Digital Copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine for Portable Media Players