Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a 2011 science fiction film directed by Rupert Wyatt. It stars James Franco, Frieda Pinto, and Andy Serkis. It is a great addition to the Planet of the Apes series which actually tells the origin of the intelligent apes. The movie is distributed by 20^th Century Fox.

Plot.  Will Rodman (played by James Franco) is a pharmaceutical scientist who develops a drug to cure Alzheimer’s disease by testing them on chimpanzees. His drug mutates the chimps, giving them human level of intelligence. One of the most successful subjects is the chimp named Bright Eyes. Unknown to the Will and to his them, Bright Eyes has secretly given birth to a male baby. So during a presentation, Bright Eyes goes in a rampage, believing that she and the baby are threatened. Consequently, all the experimental chimps are killed except for the baby whom Will saves and takes home. Will’s father names the baby Caesar and Will raises him in his house. Caesar inherits his mother’s high intelligence and learns things very quickly. After eight years, Caesar has outgrown his environment and has become a highly intelligent ape.

One day, after seeing Will’s father being hurt by a neighbor, Caesar gets suddenly mad and attacks the person. Due to this incidence, Will is forced to surrender Caesar to San Bruno Sanctuary. There, Caesar meets several monkeys, chimps, and orangutan. It has been hard at the beginning but Caesar gently befriends them one by one and gains their respect and trust. However, Caesar is saddened by the fact the staff in the sanctuary are actually treating them bad.

Meanwhile, authorities now believe the efficacy of Will’s drug and so Will is directed to create more powerful drug. Experiments on a bonobo named Koba reveal that it strengthens the intelligence of the apes even further.

Later, Caesar escapes the ape facility and goes home to steal the canisters of drug created by Will. He then returns and releases it through the cage area, enhancing the intelligence of his fellow apes. In a unified decision, the apes break the facility and escape. They also liberated all the other apes in the city. With Caesar leading them all, they aim to cross over the Golden Gate Bridge and go to the redwood forest at Muir Woods National Monument.

After a hard-won battle against humans who desperate attempt to block them, the apes successfully enter the redwood forest. In the final heart-breaking scene, Caesar bids farewell to Will.

Commentary. I instantly love this film on first watch. And when was that moment? Just a week ago while riding a bus home. LOL! Yes, it was almost a three-hour travel and the film’s only one and a half hours. Got no entertainment on the bus and so the driver played the movie on DVD. It was excruciating watching it from my seat but it really got me. When I came home, I looked for a copy of the film and watched it all over again.

The movie is a great variation of the many “The Planet of the Apes” versions. Instead of having supernatural apes or apes from other planets, we see common apes made extraordinary by human technology. And for that, I could say that this is one of the most creative and intelligent movies I have ever seen.

What is special about the film is the sentimentality involved. We have seen countless movies about animal cruelty, but this one has added “voice” and “heart” to the animals in a unique way. The main ape, after having exposed with certain drugs, has adapted the ways of man which he later uses to save his kind. That was the most dramatic part, when the apes rise to defend themselves. Their revolt is not vengeance at all – they simply want to go “home.” Without doubt, the movie succeeds in conveying its message of anti-exploitation of our environment and natural resources.

 

Aside from its beautiful theme, the movie also succeeds in achieving visual and cinematic excellence also.

Reception. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is both financial and critical success. From its budget of roughly $93 million, it grossed to almost $400 million. It also received mostly positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gave it an 82% “Certified Fresh Rating” while Metacritic awards it a score of 68.

Rating. This is a beautiful film. But I could only give it four and a half stars. It is relatively short and much more could have had happened.
 
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Movies about the End of the World: Natural Disasters

Disaster movies almost always become instant blockbuster hits. The suspense and the breathe-taking special effects are some of their impressive elements that audiences love to watch them again and again. Some of these films deal with the extinction of humanity, and one style of ending the world is through the random actions of the universe and of nature. With their unpredictable and unstoppable rage, forces from outside and within Earth break loose. Here are five movies about the destructive force of the universe and nature.

Deep Impact

Deep Impact  was released in May 8, 1998 by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks. It was directed by Mimi Leder and stars Elijah Wood, Morgan Freeman, Téa Leoni and Robert Duvall.

The movie follows the effort of humanity to destroy a comet due to strike Earth. It begins with teenage amateur astronomer Leo Biederman, and consequently professional astronomer Marcus Wolf, discovering an unusual object, which is actually a comet, near the stars Mizar and Alcor. A year later, the President of the USA announces that a 7-mile-wide comet named Wolf-Biederman is approaching Earth and it is large and strong enough to end humanity. The USA and Russia launches the spacecraft Messiah with a mission to destroy the comet with a nuclear weapon. The mission failed and the comet is instead split in two smaller rocks – Biederman (1.5 miles wide) and Wolf (6 miles wide). With this failure, governments around the world established building underground shelters.

 

The smaller rock, Biederman, impact Atlantic Ocean, creating megatsunamis and devastating Atlantic coasts of many countries. The bigger rock, Wolf, would impact western Canada and create a cloud of dust that will block out the sun for two years, enough to destroy all remaining life. With their last ounce of courage, crew of the Messiah undertakes a suicide mission and saves the world.

Deep Impact opened with an overwhelming success, grossing at least $349 million overall on a $75 million production budget. In Rotten Tomatoes, 46% of critics enjoyed the film, giving the film a rating of 5.7/10. On the other hand, Metacritic gave it a score of 40 out of 100.

Armageddon

Two and a half months after Deep Impact opened, Armageddon was released in cinemas. It is directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and released by Disney’s Touchstone Pictures. The movie has an amazing casts, featuring Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Owen Wilson, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, and many others.

The movie opens with a meteor shower destroying a space shuttle and parts of New York City. Immediately, NASA finds outs that a huge asteroid will collide with Earth in 18 days. NASA then plans to implant a nuclear device 800 feet inside the asteroid which, when ignited, will divide the asteroid in two that will fly past the Earth. To accomplish this, NASA hires Harry Stamper, the best deep-sea oil driller in the world, and his team. They undergo training and then deployed inside the shuttles Independence and Freedom. After one shuttle fails and an inaccurate landing on the asteroid, they realize they lose their entire driller. Meanwhile on Earth, fragments of the asteroid destroy Shanghai and Paris. The team is left with a backup plan – to ignite a nuclear weapon on the surface of the asteroid. But the triggering mechanism is damaged, and in a heart-breaking ending, team leader Harry Stamper takes a last bold step to detonate the bomb and split the asteroid.

Armageddon is deemed to have more scientific inaccuracies than Deep Impact, just like the idea that NASA can really do something about a major catastrophe like that in a very short time. However, Armageddon bested the other in the box office. With its budget of $140 million, it grossed a total of at least $553 million, making it as the highest-grossing film of 1998. It received a rating of 41% on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 42 on Metacritic.

Knowing

Knowing is a science fiction directed by Alex Proyas and stars Nicolas Cage, Rose Byrne, Chandler Canterbury, and Lara Robinson. It was released in 2009 by Escape Artists and Summit Entertainment.

Knowing blends science fiction and popular religious beliefs. It begins in year 1959 and young Lucinda Emery, a lonely girl who hears whispers, writes a page full of random numbers and places it inside a “time capsule” designed by the school. The capsule is buried underground, to be opened only after fifty years. Later, Lucinda is found in a closet with her hands bloody from scratching the numbers into the door. Fifty years hence, 2009, the time capsule is opened and sketches are given arbitrarily to all students. Professor of astrophysics at MIT Jonathan Koestler is there in the ceremony whose son Caleb happens to receive Lucinda’s page of numbers. Jonathan notices the number sequence 911012996 on the page and realizes it refers to the date and number of deaths from the September 11, 2001 attacks. Jonathan further makes similar discoveries with the other numbers – all reference to major disasters in the world. Jonathan looks for Lucinda and founds out she has died from a drug overdose. Instead, he meets Lucinda’s daughter Diana and granddaughter Abby, who like Lucinda and Caleb, also hears whispers. With the predictions in the page, Jonathan bears witness to two disasters. And what is more shocking is that the world will end by October 19. In his laboratory, Jonathan discovers that a massive solar flare will soon reach Earth and burn everyone else. As the movie ends, the voices that the children hear are actually “angels”. Along with the other “chosen ones” Caleb and Abby are taken into a beautiful and safe new world, while Jonathan and the rest of the world face the final disaster.

The movie received mixed to negative reviews. 33% of critics in Rotten Tomatoes gave a positive review with an average score of 4.7 out of 10. Similarly, Metacritic gave it a score of 41 out of 100. Though the movie is not a critical success, it was a huge box office hit as it opens #1 in March, 2009. (See full review)

The Day After Tomorrow

The Day After Tomorrow is a 2004 science fiction disaster film. It stars Dennis Quaid, Emmy Rossum, Iam Holm, Jake Gyllenhaal, and many more. The movie explores the deadly effects of global warming which will consequently lead to a new ice age.

While drilling for ice core samples on an expedition in Antarctica, paleoclimatologist Jack Hall and his colleagues Frank and Jason makes a startling discovery. Later, he presents his findings on global warming at a United Nations conference, but several diplomats are unconvinced with this. However, Professor Terry Rapson of the Hedland Climate Research Center in Scotland believes in Jack’s theories after he observes a massive drop in the ocean temperatures. He contacts Jack whose weather model show climate changes caused the first Ice Age and can predict what will happen. Sadly, their model shows global freezing in seven to ten days. In the following days across the world, violent weather cause mass destruction, including a massive snowstorm in New Delhi, a hailstorm destroying Tokyo, Japan, and a series of devastating tornadoes in Los Angeles. Worse, a huge system spanning the northern hemisphere develops into three massive hurricane-like superstorms, with their eyes holding super-cooled air that instantly freezes anything it comes in contact with. Knee-deep floods in a mix of rainwater, saltwater, and sewage drowned many urban cities in the northern hemisphere, including New York City. It is a deep freeze and lead characters survived by taking shelters in abandoned spots. In the end, most of the northern hemisphere is covered in ice and snow.

The Day After Tomorrow is a huge blockbuster hit, becoming the sixth highest grossing movie not to be #1 in the US box office. However, Rotten Tomatoes rated the movie only at 45%, with an average rating of 5.3/10. Moreover, Yahoo! Movies listed the film as one of the Top 10 Scientifically Inaccurate Movies in 2008. It was criticized for its idea of a series of catastrophic atmospheric occurring over a course of hours, instead of several decades or centuries.

2012

2012 is a 2009 science fiction disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It stars John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, and many others.

The movie starts in 2009 with some scientists discovering that neutrinos from a massive solar flare are causing the temperature of the Earth’s core to increase. In 2010, international leaders begin a secret project to guarantee humanity’s survival. Approximately 400,000 people are chosen to board “arks” constructed at Cho Ming, Tibet, in the Himalayas. In 2012, Jackson Curtis, a science fiction writer in Los Angeles, takes his children Noah and Lilly camping in Yellowstone National Park. There Jackson meets a radio show host who tells him that the theory of polar shifts and the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar predict that the 2012 phenomenon will occur. He also learns about the ark project. The family returns home as seismic activity increases along the west coast of the United States. After surviving the earthquakes and eruption of the Yellowstone Caldera, the family, along with some friends and people they meet along the way, manages to arrive at the arks in Tibet. They stow away on the ark, and soon, megatsunamis approach the site. There is chaos as the ark’s gate fails to close up, rendering the ship unable to start its engines. Some of them are killed, while others emerge as heroes. In the end, as the floodwaters from the tsunami recede, the arks journey to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.

The movie is a great financial success. In 2009, it became the 5^th highest grossing film in that year and the 35^th highest grossing film of all time worldwide. However, Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie an average rating of 6.1/10 with 39% of its critics giving positive review. In Metacritic, it only received a score of 49 out of 100.

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Knowing

Knowing is a 2009 American science fiction-disaster film directed by Alex Proyas. It stars Nicolas Cage, Chandler Canterbury, Lara Robinson, and Rose Byrne. It was originally written by novelist Ryne Douglas Pearson, and released by Escape Artists and Summit Entertainment.

Plot. The movie opens with a 1959 scene where a school makes a time capsule to be opened fifty years hence. Lucinda Embry, a girl who hears mysterious whispers, writes a page full of numbers and places it inside the time capsule. Later, Lucinda is found in a closet, her hands bloody from scratching the numbers into the door. The movie moves forward to 2009, and the time capsule is opened for the school’s eager students. Caleb, son of astrophysics professor Jonathan Koestler (played by Nicolas Cage), receives Lucinda’s page of number. Caleb is dismayed but Jonathan is intrigued, more when he notices the number sequence 911012996. He realizes that is a reference to the date and number of deaths from the September 11, 2001 attacks. Then he makes similar discoveries with the other numbers – major tragedies that struck the world for a long while. With what he learns, Jonathan finds Lucinda’s daughter, Diana, and granddaughter Abby, and reveals them his interest in Lucinda. But there are more revelations to come as Jonathan becomes witness to some disasters as predicted by the numbers. And the final tragedy will come by October 19 with the letters “EE”, meaning Everyone Else. In the MIT laboratory, Jonathan discovers that a massive solar flare will soon reach Earth – the final disaster. The voices that Caleb and Abby previously hear now have faces, being the deliverers of the “chosen one”. Both kids, along with the other chosen ones, are brought to a new world, while Jonathan and the rest of humanity face the final end.

Review. For me,  Knowing is a beautiful disaster film. It combines elements of a science fiction, family drama, and suspense thriller. The storyline is clear and just like the title indicates, audience would know why and how things happen. There are mysteries but they are unambiguously answered. The film is very exciting and scenes after scenes will leave audience breathless and amazed. The film also effectively mixed science and religious ideas. In the movie, the end of the world is portrayed as a result of a huge solar flare that will burn the Earth. Yet, not everyone will die since “angels” will come and take the “chosen ones” to a new world – fresh, beautiful, and unharmed. The “vessels” somewhat represents Noah’s ark that will take pairs of humans and even animals to a safer world. The revelation in the film about the new world is sudden and unexpected that audience will find it somewhat absurd and incredulous. It is really kind of funny and the scene where children are running in the new world is quite cheesy. However, the movie still succeeds in being entertaining, engaging, and convincing.

Actor. Nicolas Cage always manages to be great and brilliant in all his films and Knowing is not an exception. The movie is actually over serious and his character as a deep, humorless “nerd” father  is very far from his jolly, energetic and tough personas in other movies. Still, Cage is plausible for his performance here.

Unforgettable Scenes. The tragedies in the subway and the airplane are really the most haunting and mesmerizing part of the movie. In particular, the train disaster is very well-created that anyone will really feel the horror and drama in that scene. The end part is also really cool where the “chosen ones” are embark inside the “vessels”. This is one of the most creative things I have seen in movies.

Reception. Knowing received mixed-to-negative reviews. 33% of the critics in Rotten Tomatoes gave positive views with an average score of 4.7 out of 10; however, in the site’s community, it received a rating of 48%. At Metacritic, the film received only a score of 41 out of 100. Yet, the movie performed so well in the box office. In opened as #1 in March 20, 2009 and has then grossed tremendously.

Rating. I actually love the movie so four and half stars for it. I feel it did not fail in bringing out something new to the table, in being visually engaging, in being fresh and original, and in being provoking and entertaining. Plus, the idea of combining science and religion, though very ambitious and seems impossible, is executed very well by the movie.

WALL-E

 

I watched this film only in Disney Channel. Right away I loved it. It has been shown several times but I couldn’t keep myself from watching it whenever I catch it on TV. “WALL-E” is an animated science fiction film. It is certainly very funny, as well as heart-breaking. Here is its story.....

The film takes place in the year 2805, seven hundred years after mass consumerism on Earth. In an attempt to resolve the situation, humanity had been evacuated into space on fully automated starliners. Left behind was an army of trash compactor robots called "WALL-E" to clean the planet. After five years, however, the plan failed when the planet was deemed too toxic to sustain life, forcing humanity to remain in space. Only one WALL-E unit remains active on Earth and has developed sentience, as shown by his habit of collecting various knickknacks from the mountains of trash.

One day, WALL-E discovers a seedling plant growing among the trash and brings it to his home inside a truck. Later, a spaceship lands and deploys EVE, an advanced probe robot sent from the starliner Axiom with the directive of searching for signs of plant life on Earth. WALL-E immediately falls in love with the initially cold and hostile EVE, who gradually softens and befriends him. When WALL-E brings EVE to his home and shows her the plant he found, her primary programming overrides her personality; she automatically stores it inside herself and shuts down. EVE's ship later returns to collect her, with WALL-E desperately clinging to its hull as it takes off into space.

On the Axiom, it becomes apparent that the ship's human passengers have become morbidly obese after centuries of living in microgravity and relying on the ship's automated systems. The captain himself does little, leaving control of the ship to its robotic autopilot, Auto. WALL-E follows EVE to the bridge of the ship where the captain learns that by scanning EVE's plant sample with the ship's holo-detector as a sign of Earth being habitable again, the ship will make a hyperjump to Earth and allow its passengers to recolonize the planet. However, Auto secretly has the plant stolen as part of a final directive given to keep humanity in space when life on Earth was wrongly deemed unsustainable seven hundred years ago.

With the plant now missing, EVE is considered defective and taken to the robot repair ward along with WALL-E for inspection. Mistaking EVE's inspection for torture, WALL-E breaks free and tries to save her.

The plant is brought to the captain, who surveys EVE's recordings of the devastated Earth and realizes humanity must return to restore their home. Unable to reconcile his directive with the captain's epiphany, Auto stages a mutiny and tasers WALL-E while he tries to protect the plant. Realizing the only parts capable of repairing WALL-E are in his truck on Earth, EVE brings him and the plant to the holo-detector to activate the ship's hyperjump back to Earth, rallying the help of the malfunctioning robots on the ship. The captain opens the holo-detector while trying to wrestle control of the Axiom from Auto, who closes it on WALL-E and crushes him as he tries to hold it open. The captain deactivates Auto and EVE places the plant in the holo-detector, releasing WALL-E and sending the ship back to Earth.

EVE brings WALL-E's body back to his home where she successfully repairs and reactivates him. WALL-E and EVE happily reunite and join the humans and robots in restoring Earth's environment.

“WALL-E”, though an animated film, reaches out to most audience. The theme is universal. Unlike others which only serve to entertain, this movie has deep meaning, symbolic, and relatable.

“WALL-E” is such a big wonder for me. The film has almost no dialogs all throughout since WALL-E and the other robots are not designed to “talk”; yet, the messages are successfully conveyed to the audience. The “emotions” of the robots are effectively portrayed; their simple gestures are clear enough. I particularly remember WALL-E’ loneliness in Earth and his compassion to his pet cockroach, his love for EVE, and his heroism for the humanity. WALL-E being the old and dirty robot and EVE being the highly advanced one have a relationship similar to poor-boy-rich-girl love story.

Accordingly, the film resembles many Biblical figures and episodes. WALL-E is Adam with EVE as Eve. The starliner Axiom is the Noah’s Ark, and the EVE is the dove sent to explore the barren Earth and came back with a plant (in a shoe!).

As a whole, the movie is very original for me, imaginative, exciting though boring at times, and most importantly, is something we can learn from. “WALL-E” has instantly become a classic movie and WALL-E the robot a lovable and memorable character.

Amazingly, “WALL-E” is one of the top-grossing films in recent history. It has positive reviews and great ratings. In fact, it ranked first in Times’ “Best Movies of the Decade”. Many critics as well named it as one of the most romantic films as it depicts love between two robots in an extraordinary way. Moreover, it received numerous awards including the coveted Golden Globe and the Academy. It may be a silent movie, yet it has spoken enough to gain overall approval. Including mine. LOL!

2012

I regret not seeing this movie on the wide screen. It was shown in all cinemas last year for several weeks but I had not found the time to watch it. Instead, I just copied a download from my sister and watched it in my computer summer this year. Too bad, the movie is really good. Wide screen would have made it much exciting. Well, here is how the movie goes…..

In 2009, Dr. Adrian Helmsley, an American geologist, visits astrophysicist Dr. Satnam Tsurutani in India and learns that neutrinos from a massive solar flare are causing the temperature of the Earth's core to increase. Adrian informs White House Chief of Staff Carl Anheuser and United States President Thomas Wilson this will trigger a catastrophic chain of natural disasters. In 2010, Wilson, along with other international leaders, begins a secret project intended to ensure humanity's survival. Approximately 400,000 people are chosen to board ships called "arks" that are constructed at Cho Ming, Tibet, in the Himalayas.

In 2012, Jackson Curtis is a science fiction writer in Los Angeles who works part-time as a limousine driver for billionaire Yuri Karpov. Jackson's ex-wife Kate and their children Noah and Lily live with Kate's boyfriend, plastic surgeon and amateur pilot Gordon Silberman. Jackson takes Noah and Lily camping in Yellowstone National Park, where they meet Charlie Frost, who hosts a radio show from the park. Charlie references a theory that suggests the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar predicts that the 2012 phenomenon is going to occur. He has a map of the ark project. The family returns home as seismic activity increases along the west coast of the United States. Jackson grows suspicious and rents a plane to rescue his family. He collects his family and Gordon as the Earth crust displacement begins, and they escape Los Angeles using a Cessna 340 as the city slides into the Pacific Ocean.

As millions die in catastrophic earthquakes worldwide, the group flies to Yellowstone to retrieve Charlie's map, escaping as the Yellowstone Caldera erupts. Learning the arks are in China, the group lands in Las Vegas. They meet Yuri, his twin sons Alec and Oleg, girlfriend Tamara and pilot Sasha. The group secures an Antonov 500 aircraft and departs for China.

Arriving in China in a crash landing, the group is spotted by the People's Liberation Army. Yuri and his sons, possessing tickets, are taken to the arks. The Curtis family, Gordon and Tamara are picked up by Nima, a Buddhist monk on his way to the arks. They stow away with the help of Nima's brother Tenzin. As a megatsunami approaches the site, an impact driver becomes lodged between the gears of the ark's hydraulics chamber, preventing a boarding gate from closing and rendering the ship unable to start its engines. In the ensuing chaos, Yuri, Gordon and Tamara are killed, Tenzin is wounded and the flooding ark is set adrift. Jackson and Noah dislodge the impact driver and the crew regains control of the ark, preventing a collision with Mount Everest.

After flood waters from the tsunamis recede, the arks set sail for the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa where the Drakensberg Mountains have risen in relation to sea level and become the tallest mountains in the world. Jackson is reconciled with his family. The Earth is shown from space, revealing a drastically changed landscape.

According to what I have read, the movie is based on a non-fiction book which is based on the prophecy of the ancient Mayan civilization that the end of the world will be by 2012. It is really confusing; so many disaster films have been released about the destruction of the earth – Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, Armageddon, Deep Impact, War of the Worlds, and The Day The Earth Stood Still, to name a few. So how will the world end? By alien attacks? By astronomical catastrophe? Or by man’s negligence? There are really several ways “to kill a cat”. LOL!

One movie critic said that 2012 is “the mother of all disaster movies”, which I totally agree. 2012 is an epic masterpiece. It is a two-and-a-half-hour heart-stopping drama. There are scenes of disaster one after another. I was amazed and shocked when the US west coast cracked and plunged into the sea, like biscuit broken and dipped in coffee (LOL, forgive me if you think the analogy is bad). The special effects are excellent, making me admire how Hollywood invest so much resource and labor to realize the film. Too real that it gives you goose bumps.

Despite the magnificence of creation, the movie has no emotional depth for me. Except for the part that only the rich were the chosen passengers for the ark, the rest of the movie has no drama and somewhat shallow. Even the reconciliation of the characters as one family is not touching at all. Yes, there were exciting and suspenseful moments; yet, they were not due to the storyline but mainly because of the destruction scenes. 2012 is a very entertaining film, enjoyable and satisfying, but not something everyone can relate to.

But I truly love the film. It is better than all the other disaster films I enumerated. In fact, this is the best for me in that particular genre. Still, two thumbs up for the movie.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

I watched this movie summer last year while boarding a passenger ship bound for Bohol. My family was staying in economy cabin, and the television set was shared by all. It was night, a storm was coming to the country, the wind was terribly cold, and I could hear waves violently slapping the hull of the ship. The player was not working properly, but hell, I still watched the movie along with the other boarders. I could not miss the film; I loved the X-Men. Well, here is the movie plot.

In 1845 Canada, young James Howlett sees his father killed by Thomas Logan. The trauma activates the boy's mutation: bone claws protrude from James' hands, and he kills his father's murderer. With his dying breath, Thomas Logan reveals that he, not John Howlett, is James' real father. James flees with Victor Creed, the abused son of their father who is thus James' brother. They spend the next century as soldiers, fighting in the American Civil War. Later, Major William Stryker approaches them and offers them membership in Team X, a group of mutants including marksman Agent Zero, swordsman Wade Wilson, teleporter John Wraith, invincible Fred Dukes and electropathic Chris Bradley. They join the team, but the group's questionable actions and disregard for human life cause James to leave.

Six years later, James, now going by the name Logan, lives in Canada with his girlfriend, Kayla Silverfox. Colonel Stryker locates Logan and warns him that someone is killing members of the team; both Wilson and Bradley are dead. Shortly afterward, Victor murders Kayla and attacks Logan. Stryker offers Logan a way to beat Victor; Logan undergoes an operation to reinforce his skeleton with adamantium, a virtually indestructible metal. Before the procedure, Logan asks for new dog tags inscribed with "Wolverine". Once the procedure is complete, Stryker orders Logan's memory erased, but Logan overhears and fights his way out.

Logan locates Wraith and Dukes and asks them about the location of Stryker's new laboratory, referred to as "The Island". They tell him to find Gambit, who escaped and knows the location of The Island. Logan locates Gambit in New Orleans. Victor manages to find Logan, and after killing Wraith, he attacks him. When Logan is about to kill Victor, Gambit interrupts, giving Victor the chance to escape. Logan and Gambit fight before Logan convinces him he is not working for Stryker. Gambit takes him to Stryker's facility on Three Mile Island. Logan learns that Kayla is alive and conspired with Stryker in exchange for her sister's safety.

Logan leaves, enraging Victor. When Victor demands the adamantium bonding promised for his service, Stryker refuses. Victor attempts to kill Kayla when she tries to persuade him Stryker betrayed them both, but Logan hears her screams and returns. Logan defeats and nearly kills Victor, but stops when Kayla reminds him of his humanity.

Stryker activates Weapon XI, originally Wade Wilson, but now a "mutant killer" with the abilities of other mutants, which Stryker refers to as "The Deadpool". Logan holds Weapon XI off while the other mutants flee. The party is greeted by Professor Charles Xavier, who offers them shelter at his school.

Logan lures Weapon XI to the top of one of the plant's cooling towers. Logan is almost killed until Victor intervenes. Logan decapitates Weapon XI and kicks him into the base of the cooling tower. Victor departs and Logan is saved from the collapsing tower by Gambit. As Logan carries Kayla to safety, Stryker shoots him in the forehead with adamantium bullets, rendering him unconscious. Kayla uses her persuasion powers to make Stryker drop the gun and commands him to walk away before dying from her wounds. Gambit returns as Logan regains consciousness, but the bullets that were shot at his brain have triggered amnesia. Gambit tries convincing Logan to come with him, but he declines, wanting to go his own way.

I was in my third grade when the X-Men action series was shown on TV. It really fascinated me. It was somewhat different than the series today – the composition of the team, the costumes, and even the characters (I remember that Storm was Japanese and not Black). There was no Internet back then and the local stores contained no Marvel comics. So I had to content myself with the TV.

It’s good that Hollywood came up with the movies. I loved the X-Men movie series but it is more exciting to focus on a single character than showcase the whole team. And X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a big success. I got to finally understand the hero.

As expected with superhero movies, this one is packed with heart-stopping actions. The stunts are flawless (for me!), and the special effects are great. There is no dull moment. There is action after action after action. And it’s wonderful! It is almost a two-hour action drama with a little love story, sparing corny attempts for humor. Particularly, I love the fight scene in the farm where Wolverine defeated the battalion of trucks and helicopter. I was amazed how was such moment was shot in good details. It made me jump off my seat. LOL!

Wolverine has become more human with the movie. In the previous films, more than being a rival to Cyclops, he has been portrayed as unkind, impulsive, and ill-tempered. With the “Origins”, we got to see more of his humanitarian side – that he is capable of loving and being loved. There is more depth to his character. His bitterness has been well explained and described. And in the end, we admire the guy not from his being just fierce and strong, but more of who he really is.

I heard there will be a sequel to the film. I’ll await that. And hopefully, the other X-Men would get their own “Origin” movie as well. I really want to understand the characters behind the heroes.

More readings:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458525/

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wolverine/