X-Men Origins: Wolverine Blu-ray delivers great video and superb audio in this fan-pleasing Blu-ray release
'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' 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.
No matter how great Wolverine could've/should've been, it would've inevitably come as a
disappointment to both the blockbuster-loving public and the veritable legion of more discerning
comic book connoisseurs. Why? Because 2008 was something of a banner year for superheroes.
Batman seethed and growled though the epic arc of The Dark Knight—the Godfather:
Part II of comic book movies—and Heath Ledger's tragic presence, not to mention his brilliant
A Clockwork Orange-inspired performance, gave the film a gravity not usually associated
with the crowded capes 'n underoos genre. Then there was Iron Man, which upped the
intelligence quotient of big, dumb fun with an injection of snarky smart-juice, courtesy of Robert
Downey, Jr, whose resurrected career was skyrocketing just as high as his metal-clad character.
Toss Watchmen into the mix in early '09, and you can see how Wolverine simply
couldn't compete. I was one of those guys who totally avoided the film in theaters—too many
friends and critics told me not to bother—so I was anxious to review Wolverine once it hit
Blu-ray.
And while I found that the film is not quite as bad as I had expected it to be, it offers little new to
both the character of Wolverine and the comic book film genre in general.
Seriously, don't flush the toilet while Wolverine is taking a shower.
As Marvel's first in a planned line of "origin" stories, Wolverine appropriately starts back
in 1845, when our hero is but a sickly pup in the wilds of Canada. Young James Howlett—get it,
Howlett—unexpectedly sprouts spiny, bone-like claws in rage when the man he
thinks is his father is killed by the man who actually is his father. It makes
sense on screen, I promise. After murdering his real dad with a fist-first bum-rush, James runs off
with his similarly mutated half-brother Victor Creed. The credit sequence shows the two taking
part in one hundred years of conflict, from the regimented lines of the Civil War, all the way
through to the horrors of Vietnam. The purpose of this is two-fold; we realize that the brothers
have stuck together for over a century, but we also see them subtly growing apart. Played by
Hugh Jackman for the fourth time now, James—now known as Logan—tries to rein in his animal
nature, while his bro Victor (Liev Schreiber) lets loose with his primal instincts. The story begins
in earnest when the two face the firing squad and, not unexpectedly, live to tell the
tale.
In hindsight, there's more character development in this opening sequence than there is in the
rest of the film, and I found myself wanting a movie that was solely about Wolverine facing down
Confederates at Gettysburg, slogging through the trenches of WWI, or storming the beaches of
Normandy. Instead, what follows is a fairly bland storyline that hits all the expected plot points.
After being recruited by Major William Stryker (Danny Huston, taking over for X2's Brian
Cox), Logan and Victor join Team X, a mutant paramilitary unit that includes sharpshooter Agent
Zero (Daniel Henney), "Merc with a Mouth" Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), teleporter John Wraith
(will.i.am), hefty brawler Fred Dukes (Kevin Duran), and technopath Chris Bradley (Dominic
Monaghan). When things get a little too heavy in a Nigerian village, Logan splits for Canada,
where he takes up with Kayla Silverfox (Lynn Collins) and begins a stress-free life as a
lumberjack. The peace is short-lived, of course, and when Victor murders Kayla to get his
brother's attention, Logan agrees to become a test subject for now-Colonel Stryker's
experimental weapon's program. Infused with indestructible adamantium, Logan is reborn as
Wolverine and goes questing for his half-brother's blood. Naturally, loyalties flip flop like newly
caught fish on a dock, and after some help from fan-favorite Gambit (Taylor Kitsch), a betrayal or
two, and a stand-off with mutant-killer Deadpool, we arrive at a somewhat clumsily executed
segue into the first X-Men movie.
While a marketing blitz hyped up Wolverine as the first big blockbuster of the summer,
rumors simultaneously circulated about conflicts between director Gavin Hood (Tsotsi)
and Fox
execs. The word is that Hood wanted to explore Logan's post-traumatic stress disorder—an
understandable side-effect of a century at war—but the suits upstairs thought broad audiences
might be bored. Hence, a story that is about, well, nothing really. The character offers so many
thematic possibilities, but the film's cluttered narrative never allows Jackman the opportunity to
really explore the beast within. Aside from a thinly developed thread about sibling loyalty and
rivalry, there's really nothing holding the film together on a conceptual level. All we get are big
explosions and little character development, tangles of mutants slicing and dicing one another
over the 107-minute span of a strait-shot plot. Yet, even the action is uninspired. Aside from a
thrilling helicopter showdown—the film's carefully crafted centerpiece—the action sequences are
empty displays of wire-fu wizardry and overly choreographed claw-blocking. Certainly nothing we
haven't seen before.
The performances are much better, but with a more focused script these characters could have
had a lot more dramatic heft. Though it would be tempting to slip lazily back into the role like a
comfy old shoe, Hugh Jackman keeps his ferocity up as Wolverine, putting more growl into it than
ever. Having bulked up significantly from 2006's The Last Stand, Jackman is a staggering
physical presence here, and it's impressive to see him go from the song 'n dance showmanship of
a night at the Oscars to a burly, barroom brawler who isn't afraid to fight dirty. The man definitely
has versatility. Liev Schreiber is the perfect foil as the nascent Sabretooth, and the two men have
a genuine brotherly chemistry. As an older brother myself, I totally empathized when Sabretooth
pulls Deadpool off of Wolverine and says, "No one kills you but me." And, of course, I'm interested
in seeing what Ryan Reynolds does with the in-development Deadpool spin-off. I hesitate to give
Wolverine too brutal a thrashing—it's entertaining, if never inventive—but not even a
hulking Hugh Jackman can heave the film out of the shadow of the previous year's cinematic
comic book accomplishments.
Wolverine goes into berserker rage on Blu-ray with an impressive 1080p/AVC-encoded
transfer. I'm not going to lie—the issues that so many people mentioned during the theatrical
release are still here, clearly defined in high definition. Of course, I'm talking about the
occasionally all-too-obvious CGI. There are a handful of phony-baloney CG inserts—most involving
Wolverine's claws—and some of the green screen work is painfully obvious. That said, this is a
review of the film's transfer, not the special effects, and as such, I just have to say that the film
looks great on Blu-ray. The color palette is rich and vibrant, with a good sense of contrast overall
and skin tones that are pleasingly warm. The picture can also be exceptionally sharp at times.
Just check out Jackman's face as he sits in military prison—each pore, crease, and drop of sweat
is rendered clearly. There are a few soft moments, specifically some of the long landscapes and
the occasional medium shot, but most of the film is crisp and detailed, with fine textures
apparent throughout. The title doesn't really exhibit the sense of depth that the best Blu-ray
discs can offer, though, as the CGI can make the image look flat at times. But really, I have few
complaints here. Black levels are well tuned throughout the film, and though there's no overt
crush or grey soupiness, a few shots could stand to be tweaked darker or lighter. The opening
scene did seem a little dim to me, but hey, it's lit mostly by candlelight. I also noticed a strange
scratch on the left side of the screen at about the 18:40 mark, but it disappears in a blink. I'm
giving the film a solid 8/10—I do feel I have to take the CGI into account for the overall visual
experience—but feel free to mentally slide the score up to 9 if need be, as Wolverine's
quite a looker.
No question about it, Wolverine deserves high marks for its hefty and engaging DTS-HD
Master Audio 5.1 track. Expect your home theater set-up to be put through the paces with plenty of
subwoofer engagement and surround use. Helicopters swoop through the rear channels with
precision tracking, glass shatters and skitters across the floor with convincing directionality, and
gunshots rip holes through the soundfield with pinpoint accuracy. There's some great sound design
during the big helicopter chase sequence, and you'll also be drawn in by the audio during the
adamantium injection scene. Of course, none of this would mean anything if the track had a tinny,
tiny dynamic range, but that's fortunately not the case here. Wolverine's claws provide plenty of
shimmer and metal-on-metal schwing, and the track is filled with high-end detail. Likewise,
the LFE channel puts out some serious ambient throb and adds extra kick to blasts of all kinds.
Dialogue is mostly clean, full-bodied, and intelligible throughout, but I did miss a few lines during the
sonic chaos of battle. It's not like you're watching Wolverine for the dialogue though, right?
Commentary by Director Gavin Hood
Hood is full of insight and information, but this is one of those somewhat dry tracks that would
benefit from the presence of an actor or two. Hugh Jackman has such a vocal passion about his
character, so it's too bad they couldn't have recruited him for two hours of
conversation.
Commentary by Producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winters
This track's a bit more engaging, if only because the two producers are foils for one another and
are more frequent in their comments. Still, not exactly the most exciting or informative track I've
ever heard. Seriously, where's Hugh?
The Roots of Wolverine: A Conversation with Stan Lee & Len Wein (1080i, 16:18)
Marvel legend Stan Lee and Wolverine co-creator Len Wein sit down for a little chat about the
origins of the X-Men and, more specifically, Wolverine. The two basically take turns interviewing
one another, patting each other on the back, and having a few laughs. I enjoy any chance to
listen to Stan Lee talk about his creations, but hardcore X-men fans may be surprised by how
little the indomitable Mr. Lee knows about Wolverine.
Wolverine Unleashed: The Complete Origins (1080i, 12:05)
Producer Lauren Schuler Donner starts this behind-the-scenes featurette off by discussing how
they initially wanted to tell Wolverine's Japan arc, but how the studio insisted that they give
audiences an origins story first. What follows is a short, Hugh Jackman-centric look at the film's
production, focusing on the character of Wolverine. The film's stunt coordinator discusses
Jackman's commitment to bulking up—drinking a dozen egg whites a day and going on an
intense fitness regime—and director Gavin Hood explains Wolverine's degree of self-loathing
about his own nature. We also see some of the design work that went into the film, including the
sculpting of young Logan's bone claws and the re-invention of the adamantium tank. Jackman
comes off personable as always, and it's clear that he really loves this role.
Weapon X Mutant Files (1080i, 53:57 total)
The nine main mutants in the film—plus William Stryker—are each given the behind-the-scenes
treatment in Mutant Files. Each segment starts with a character giving a straight-up
cheesy monologue before we're treated to plenty of on-set footage and interviews with the
actors, producer Lauren Shuler Donner, director Gavin Hood, stunt coordinator JJ Perry, and
visual effects supervisors Patrick McClung and Craig Lyn. Highlights include Kevin Duran's
makeup-intensive transformation into Blob, and Jackman talking about how he and Liev
Schreiber egged each other on to do their own stunts. You can watch each segment individually,
but I'd suggest grabbing a choice beverage, hitting "play all," and settling in for an hour of on-set
exploration.
The Thrill of the Chase: The Helicopter Sequence (1080i, 5:53)
Apparently it took eight or nine weeks to film the massive helicopter chase scene, which included
the explosion of an actual, full-sized barn, a Humvee flipping end over end, and the inevitable
crash of the helicopter. Definitely worth watching, as this is probably the film's best action
sequence.
Deleted and Alternate Scenes (1080p, 9:32)
Included are four deleted scenes: an excised segment that includes a young Storm, Victor at
Wraith's boxing ring, an alternate memory erase sequence, and the alternate ending that
features Logan drinking "to remember" at a bar in Japan. All are available with optional
commentary by director Gavin Hood.
Fox Movie Channel Presents: World Premiere (SD, 6:22)
Tempe, Arizona won a contest to host the world premiere of Wolverine, and here we see
the local fans go wild as Hugh Jackman and company do interviews on the red carpet.
Ultimate X-Mode BONUSVIEW Ultimate X-Mode offers three different picture-in-picture options and one trivia track to
encourage multiple viewings of Wolverine. With "X-Connect" turned on, director Gavin
Hood and
producer Lauren Shuler Donner chime in periodically in the lower right corner of the screen to
reveal connections between the three previous X-Men movies and this origin story. "The
Director's Chair" is hosted by Gavin Hood, and shows many of the collaborative, behind-the-
scenes processes that go into making a film of this scale come to life, along with some thematic
discussion about character and story. "Pre-Visualization" includes storyboards and rough CGI
animations of select scenes, and "X-Facts" provides a steady steam of pop-up style trivia. "Pre-
Visualization" is a bit dull, but the other offerings are entertaining, even if they don't hold a
candle to the innovative features on, say, Warner's stellar Watchmen release.
Live Lookup
This BD-Live feature allows you to access up-to-date actor filmographies and information related
to X-Men Origins: Wolverine via IMDB, the Internet Movie Database. For each chapter in
the film, you'll see photo avatars of every actor that appears in the sequence, and you can click
on them individually to get some rudimentary biography material and a complete filmography. I
wasn't over-wowed by this feature—it just gives a list of credits, after all—but it is implemented
well and intuitive to use.
Fox on Blu-Ray (1080p, 3:23)
Includes HD trailers for the X-Men trilogy and Night at the Museum. Where are
the trailers for Wolverine?
I'll be the first to admit that Wolverine got a tough break. Between studio interventions and
a not-quite-finished work print being leaked online a month before release, the film got a thorough
critical lambasting before it even arrived in theaters. Hopefully, the inevitable sequel—reportedly set
during Logan's time in Japan—will learn from the movie's mistakes, and maybe even take a few
lessons from The Dark Knight and Iron Man about how to tell a riveting comic book
story. Until then, Wolverine is a flawed but occasionally fun watch that looks fantastic in
high definition, sounds great with lossless audio, and fills out a 50-GB Blu-ray disc with enough
special features to keep fans occupied for several hours, at least. The overall quality of the total
package definitely warrants a recommendation.
At the beginning of Black Friday week, one of the lightning deals announced at Amazon offered the Blu-ray of 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' for the special price of $9.99. It sold out within five minutes. Those who missed out on that deal now have a second chance to ...
20th Century Fox has revealed that for their recent home video release of 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine', over 20% of all units sold were on the Blu-ray format, with some retailers reporting up to 25%. This not only beats the industry standard average of 12.5%, but ...
After the conclusion of the ‘X-Men Trilogy', 20th Century Fox looked for a new way to capitalize on the extremely popular superhero property. Eventually word leaked that they would pursue a series of “origins” films which would detail the lives of the X-Men before ...
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has announced that it is introducing new BD Live technology tied to popular movie database IMDB.com with the Blu-ray release of 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine'. Dubbed "Live Lookup," the IMDB feature will let allow viewers to hook ...
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has announced the technical specs and special features for the upcoming Blu-ray release of 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine', which is scheduled to be released on September 15th, day-and-date with the DVD release. This latest X-Men ...
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has revealed that they will bring 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' to Blu-ray on September 15th, day-and-date with the DVD release. No technical specs have been announced at this time, though you can expect the typical 1080p AVC and ...
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