X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

X-Men Origins: Wolverine © 20th Century Fox. All Rights Reserved.

Purchase Blu-ray | Digital HD

Director:	Gavin Hood
Writers:	David Benioff
Cast:	Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Lynn Collins, Ryan Reynolds, Dominic Monaghan
Released:	Friday, May 1, 2009
Length:	107 minutes
Studio:	20th Century Fox
Genre:	Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure
Rating:	Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Synopsis

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is set to star Jackman and will be directed by Gavin Hood (Tsotsi, Rendition). The producers are Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter (who produced all three previous "X-Men" films), along with Jackman and his Seed Prods. producing partner, John Palermo. The film will be executive produced by Marvel Films' Kevin Feige.

Leading up to the events of X-Men, X-Men Origins: Wolverine – written by David Benioff (The Kite Runner, Troy) – tells the story of Wolverine's epically violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, Wolverine encounters many mutants, both familiar and new, including surprise appearances by several legends of the X-Men universe.

Purchase your copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine today at

Download X-Men Origins: Wolverine in Digital HD from the iTunes store.

20th Century Fox Announces X-Men Day Celebration  5/9/2019 1:44 PM EST
On Monday, May 13, 20th Century Fox will kick off X-Men Day - a celebration of the culmination of the X-Men saga, its global fanbase, all the beloved characters, its groundbreaking impact on popular culture and enduring audience appeal for nearly 20 years. The celebration will happen online all over the world and will include the debut of exclusive X-Men content, special events, and unexpected sur...  More>>

Gore Verbinski in Talks to Direct Gambit  10/5/2017 9:45 PM EST
It's being reported that Gore Verbinski is currently making a deal to direct Gambit for Fox. The X-Men spinoff film will star Channing Tatum as mutant Remy LeBeau. Tatum will also be producing the film along with Reid Carolin, Lauren Shuler Donner and Simon Kinberg. The script was written by Josh Zetumer. Taylor Kitsch played the character in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. ...  More>>

Simon Kinberg Set to Direct X-Men: Dark Phoenix  6/14/2017 1:56 PM EST
20th Century Fox has announced the next installment of their X-Men franchise to be Dark Phoenix. Details are limited, but the film will be directed by Simon Kinberg. Reprising their roles will be Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, Alexandra Shipp, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, and Kodi Smit-McPhee , along with Jessica Chastain being in talks to star in the film as...  More>>

Logan Breaks Records and Box Office Earnings Estimates  3/6/2017 11:16 AM EST
Logan has taken the cinematic universe by storm, with people clamoring to get out to see Hugh Jackman's final film as the character, Wolverine. This weekend was the opening weekend for the film, and, as of this morning's reports, it has earned an estimated $88.3 million. An impressive figure that ranks the film as the 4th best R-Rated domestic opening behind Deadpool ($132.4M), The Matrix Reloaded...  More>>

Jennifer Lawrence Speaks About Her Future with X-Men  5/20/2016 10:32 AM EST
Jennifer Lawrence recently discussed the possibility of returning to the big screen as Mystique since her three-film X-Men deal has now expired, and the actress had mixed emotions."I would love to come back. I love the fans and I love the character. But then you realize how important your year is, like how important three months out of your year is. I don't know. I shouldn't be that honest", said...  More>>

Sir Patrick Stewart Confirms Wolverine 3 Role  5/16/2016 11:45 AM EST
Sir Patrick Stewart has confirmed that he will, indeed, be appearing in "Wolverine 3".The project will mark Hugh Jackman's third and final Wolverine film. He has starred as the beloved adamantium clad character since 1999.Stewart announced the "news" Saturday via Facebook and Twitter, saying: "Worst kept secret. ‪#‎ProfessorX‬ ‪#‎Wolverine3‬"Aside from this announcement, Stewart has spoken about t...  More>>

Wolverine 3 Possible Plot and Rating Revealed  2/23/2016 3:43 PM EST
Hugh Jackman will appear one last time as Wolverine in the upcoming Wolverine 3 film, and there have been some reports about the possible plot and rating.According to the reports, the film will be based on the "Old Man Logan" saga, in which we see Wolverine married with two children. The United States has been taken over by various villains after the end of the X-Men, and Logan is in a place wher...  More>>

Hugh Jackman's "Wolverine" Days Coming to an End  5/7/2015 2:57 PM EST
Hugh Jackman, who portrays the Marvel mutant Wolverine, will be saying goodbye to his unbeatable Wolverine character. When Jackman was asked about the upcoming third film, the actor commented, "This will be my last one. It is my last time. It just felt like it was the right time to do it. And let's be honest, 17 years. I never thought in a million years it would last, so I'm so grateful to the fan...  More>>

Olivia Munn Join X-Men Apocalypse Cast  4/13/2015 5:00 PM EST
Bryan Singer announced today, via Instagram, that Olivia Munn will be joining the cast of X-Men: Apocalypse as Betsy Braddock, a.k.a. Psylocke.Psylocke was featured in 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand, but in a small role, as one of the villains who joined Magneto. Munn has been keeping busy; she recently starred alongside Johnny Depp in Mortdecai and will be starring in the upcoming Ride Along 2 with...  More>>

Win A Copy of The Wolverine On Blu-ray  11/29/2013 10:08 AM EST
What does it take to get a woman's attention? The answer, gentlemen: Iron Claws. Logan, played by Hugh Jackman in The Wolverine, knows exactly what we mean. Jackman returns as The Wolverine and faces his ultimate nemesis in an action-packed, life-or-death battle that takes him to modern-day Japan. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his limits, Wolverine confronts not only lethal samurai s...  More>>

James McAvoy Speaks About X-Men: Days of Future Past  10/4/2013 10:13 AM EST
James McAvoy (speaking to IGN) has declared the new X-Men: Days of Future Past will "potentially" be the biggest X-Men movie to date. Countdown to the release of X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), with the iPhone Movie Countdown Clock App.The British actor, who plays a young Charles Xavier, has just finished filming, and says "There's an army of brilliant actors in that film. Bryan Singer is back ...  More>>

Halle Berry to Reprise Role as Storm for X-Men Days Of Future Past  3/5/2013 3:53 PM EST
Director Bryan Singer has ended a few days of speculation that Halle Berry will return for the new 2014 X-Men movie "Days Of Future Past" by tweeting "Couldn't be more excited that #HalleBerry has joined the cast of #XMen #DaysofFuturePast Hopefully she can improve the weather in Montreal."Halle Berry will return as Ororo Munroe, better known as Storm who has the ability to manipulate and control ...  More>>

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Theatrical Review

Wolverine takes the most popular character from the three successful X-Men movies, and explores his origins before the first movie began; wherein we saw him amnesiac and doing unsanctioned prize fights in a Canadian bar. Wolverine, in case you don't know, is the guy with the metal claws that come out of his knuckles, unbreakable bones, and the ability to heal from almost any wound.

Where the rest of the X-Men were fairly civilized and sophisticated, Wolverine is rough, brutally honest, and ready to kill. His mysterious past involved a government project where his bones were fused with the unbreakable alloy adamantium; and he wound up at lethal odds with his former chain of command.

Hugh Jackman reprises his role making the character come alive with his signature charisma and physique. A lot of what is good about Wolverine is Jackman's doing; but there is other good stuff there too, and it deserves to be discussed.

Wolverine takes place in the X-universe. It is one of the vanishingly few super-universes inhabited by multiple super-powered characters beyond the "one hero and their villains". The franchise has given us what the other Marvel franchise -- the component elements of which are owned by a different company, the Avengers only teases us with.

You will see some welcome familiar faces in Wolverine and the full title: X-Men Origins hints that we'll see the back-story of some of the others too (we may also get a second Wolverine origin story judging from some of the chatter and the post-credits end scene). The special effects are first rate and the character introductions (most notably the explosive playing-card slinging Gambit) are worth watching for if you care about that.

My experience with Wolverine, though, was uneven--and I can't give it an unadulterated recommendation. The beginning acts give us Wolverine's origin (his history in many wars wisely condensed into the opening credits) and then take us to a Special Forces strike team composed of mutants. This really shines; watching it, I was impressed with the slickness and the interesting cast. There could be entire suites of movies made around the concept and I'd watch them.

The middle act of Wolverine settles down into more familiar territory: there is a love interest, there is a threat to it, there is a revenge story; it is centered on Liev Schreiber playing the character Sabertooth. Sabertooth was played by Tyler Mane in the first movie, and was probably a different character in the first movie. Wolverine agrees to undergo the adamantium treatment to be strong enough to take on adversaries that he cannot otherwise beat. Of course, the government is not to be trusted, and he winds up with numerous foes and a few fellow-mutant allies.

By the third act we are totally in familiar territory with Wolverine confronting his chief antagonists and entering his "final battles". Here I am no longer able to give the movie a pass. The movie goes so far out of its way to make Wolverine into a super hero that we get this exchange.

Gambit (to Wolverine): "When you said you were going to kill everyone, I thought you were exaggerating."
Wolverine: "Do I look like the kind of guy who exaggerates?"
Me, viewing: "He has killed, by this point, exactly no one he came there to kill, and at most, one person who had no speaking lines; he was totally exaggerating."

It goes further to give us a character who when confronted with a betrayer has imprisoned and experimented on her sister, controlled her for almost a decade, and ultimately done what he can to abuse and kill her, when she is dying because of his troop's bullets, and he is going to execute her -- when she temporarily gets the upper hand, and when she refuses to do anything to him because that would make her as bad as him.

I remember reading a blurb by author Daniel Keys Moran. He said he was still waiting for Revenge of the Jedi to come out. I did a double-take because that came out years ago, didn't it? But then I realized what he was saying. We got to watch Return of the Jedi, after Lucas decided revenge wasn't an appropriate motivator for a Jedi knight. I'm not going to go into second-guessing about Lucas here, but I do know that I felt cheated out of a far more adult and somewhat darker movie than the Ewok-bearing film we got to watch. If we had seen Skywalker, fully trained and out for blood carving his way through the empire to "return the favor" for dominating the galaxy and hunting and killing the noble Jedi, we might have been spared the sequels we actually got.

Wolverine's reluctance to kill in Wolverine is somewhat in keeping with the comics. Very often writers make a point of him not-killing important people to highlight that he does have a human side; but here, in context, after all of the build-up and the vows of vengeance and the innocent people who get killed along the way? It seems like it is just playing to its PG-13 requirements rather than following the story to the natural end.

Ultimately, Wolverine is a good opening for the 2009 summer-movie season. It is big enough, loud enough, has sufficient star power, and shows you a few things that are well worth sitting up and watching. I'm thinking of the paranormal strike team in the beginning, mostly. It follows this up by not being stupid, so that is a plus. But there was a point in the beginning when I thought "this is – hey -- this is really cool--" and by the ending, I was firmly back in my seat watching a by-the-numbers film.

-- Marco Chacon

For more reviews please visit our film/television review section.