All of South West Screen’s projects and activities have now been fully transferred into Creative England, the new agency providing creative industries support in the English regions outside London.
This website is no longer being updated, but will remain here for you to view details of South West Screen’s work over the last decade.
In 15 seconds, you will be automatically redirected to the Creative England website. If you would rather stay on this site, then click “stay here”.
Welcome to SWS | Login |
Last night the Film Club went to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine. What did you think of the film?
X-Men Origins: Wolverine review by midnightmovies
The sensational trepidation that is part and parcel of going to see something so long and so eagerly anticipated was certainly present as we sat down in the rather comfortable seats at the Showcase Cinema De Lux down Cabot Circus way. Aside from a little ketchup spilt in the aisles, the Showcase did a decent job preparing the auditorium- selecting theatre number ten was clearly no coincidence and its playful nature did not go unnoticed or unappreciated.
Then, the film began… True to the frenzied rumours X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) does fail on several counts; 1) it is not true to the original text, 2) its use of green screen is poor and thinly veiled, 3) the use of CGI is at times somewhat cringe worthy and 4) it just doesn’t hang together all that well. But of course, there are also moments of joy; watching Hugh Jackman growl in a tight vest top is certainly a visual pleasure for the female contingency in the audience, and yes some of the scenes are actually very well done – for example, where Wolverine has the Adamantium bonded to his skeleton – this does live up to what is promised in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).
Upon our journey home, following both epic visual experience and epic popcorn eating (those buckets really are the size of one’s head) – there was talk of a Freudian reading of the film whereby Sabretooth represents the id, Wolverine the ego and Kayla Silverfox the superego, well supported by a certain scene in the film – but I’ll let you work that one out for yourselves! So between other minor discussions of Sabretooth being far superior in this film to the first, and some timely questioning of Gambit’s true “powers” (surely it’s not really down to some meagre card tricks?) there was one thing we all agreed upon: it had been far too long since we’d seen the first three in the series and it is certainly time for a review.
And if this film manages nothing more than the instigation of more visual viewing pleasure, well then, it can’t be that bad can it?
Not Quite A Howler review by nortonia
Poor Dougray Scott. Had it not been
for the Mission: Impossible II shoot overrunning by two months, he
would have been Wolverine, not Hugh Jackman. Superstardom would have
beckoned. He could have trousered four hefty paycheques, had the pick
of Hollywood's top scripts, and generally been lauded and applauded as
an actor of his generation. Most importantly, he would have avoided a
prolonged stint on Wisteria Lane with all those underfed housewives of
the desperate variety.
Instead, ladies' favourite Huge Jackman got the gig. Nine year
later, here he is getting a fourth stab (geddit?) at running around in
a dirty vest, sporting intimidating sideburns and making prouncements
in a gruff voice.
Now, I've always been wary of movies that need a colon in their
title, so it was some trepidation that i approached X-Men Origins:
Wolverine.
But, for all my colonic fears, it was alright. Though it pads in
places, it's also got claws. Plus plenty of action. A whole kitbox of
special effects. A galaxy of stars. And an alright-ish plot. Of
course, the most impressive feature of the film was Hugh's bulging
muscles. Ripped like a phone book in Geoff Capes hands, he is.
Apparently, he was loading his guns between takes to maintain their
buffness.
We learnt many things. For example, Three Mile Island. You thought it was a nuclear meltdown? Think again.
On the other hand, other questions remain unanswered. Where exactly does Wolverine get his Gulo Gulo qualities
from? Perhaps we'll find out when they make Wolverine Origins: All
About His Dad. And, of course, where was Stan Lee's obligatory cameo?
One other thing: considering 20th Century Fox have spent $150
million making this superhero romp, how come the lighting budget seems
to have been $5? I guess it added a certain brooding menace. However,
without illumination from the screen, the cinema was not unlike a
sensory deprivation chamber for vast portions of the film. Finding
one's popcorn became a proper palaver.
Not as cool as last year's Ironman, significantly better than the
sticky mess that was Spiderman 3, Wolverine still gets the freedom of
the forest. I'm giving it a solid 7 out 10 (even though no-one asked
for a mark).
I wonder what Dougray Scott's up to?
The next meeting of the Film Club will be on Monday 18th May. Use the comments below to tell us the two films you would like to nominate.
Please login or register to comment
You can reach over 5,100 creatives across the South West by posting your vacancy on our e-bulletin?
We can help your business attend major industry events from Barcelona to Singapore
We offer a script critique service which is available to all writers based in the South West
The feed is unavailable. This could be caused by the server being down, an incorrect feed address, all your events are in the past, or if you have no events in your feed.
South West Screen | St Bartholomews Court
Lewins Mead | Bristol | BS1 5BT
(t) 0117 952 9977 (f) 0117 952 9988
(e) info@swscreen.co.uk
Comments on this blog entry...