‘Wolverine’ vs. ‘Star Trek’
by Tom Tapp
The summer kicks off in earnest on Friday with “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” It’s followed quickly by “Star Trek” the next week.
Both franchises are beloved totems of my youth.
I remember biking down to the 7-11 to get the latest X-Men comic just about as fondly as I do seeing “Star Trek: The Wrath of Kahn” 13 times one summer at the local Edwards theater.
That makes me wonder which I want to see more.
There’s been very little, review-wise, on “Wolverine,” even given the workprint leaked online. But yesterday, Ain’t It Cool News posted a psuedo-review that sheds some light.
It breaks down to good performances, lots of action, good fights, and an incoherent story. Sounds like half the films released last summer.
From AICN:
The finished effects are lackluster, to say the least – some really bad CGI work made me groan numerous times (especially, but not restricted to, Patrick Stewart’s cameo). The scene with Stewart looks so much better in the workprint – trying to digitally de-age him did NOT work this time around…
Good pacing, good lead performances, and some cool comic book fights overcome a non-existing story, horrible dialog (including the classic “I’m so cold…”), and criminally underdeveloped characters. It’s a fun flick, but it will never be considered one of the great comic book movies of our time (like Iron Man, Dark Knight, Watchmen, etc.).
Then there’s “Star Trek.” (I have to note the irony here of Patrick Stewart in “Wolverine” going up against a Star Trek film.)
There has been endless promotion about this project, including a batch of 15 new pictures released today. Here’s one:
And though it opens a week after “Wolverine,” “Trek’s” reviews are already in and they’re generally rapturous (see the story I did on those here.)
Subsequently, I’ve heard from colleagues who’ve seen the film and say Eric Bana is, despite the chatter, good as the villain. They also say Zach Quinto gives great Spock.
In addition, I’ve heard from multiple sources that Simon Pegg, as Scotty, steals every scene he’s in.
All of which means bupkis to the moviegoing public.
Presales on movie ticketing service Fandango have the films in a virtual dead heat, with “Wolverine” accounting for 10% of all tickets sold and “Star Trek” 12%.
I haven’t seen numbers from competing service Movietickets.com but, according to The Business Insider, Movietickets has “Wolverine” outpacing last summer’s champ “Iron Man” by a 3-to-1 ratio at the same point before its release.
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50 Comments
I realize I'm in a distinct minority with this one, but I am so tired of movies based on comic book super heroes. I know. I know. They are huge hits and some are critically successful, but there are just too many of them. As far as Star Trek goes, I hope it's better than the trailers. It looks like Star Wars crossed with Top Gun and for me that's not a good thing.
Great Carolyn! Glad to know that…. but really, that is what is wonderful about the theatres… you do not have to go see what you do not want to go see. I am personally stoked about both movies. I was privileged as a child to have a friend who had an original Wovlerine #1, and from the day I saw it he was my favorite comic book hero. Since growing up, my opinion has changed of who that #1 comic book hero is, however, it does not take away my desire to see it. Star Trek is basically history for anyone under the age of 30, being a huge francise. Even if you never watched it, you knew what it was and what it was about. I hate remakes, but this is obviously not that. Trailers are entertaining and show a lot of drama, action, mystery… Who cares what the critics may think one way or the other. Bring the show on already!
I really want Star Trek to be good. I'm a huge fan of the original show and some of the movies. It's the involvement of J.J. Abrams and those headache inducing trailers that give me pause. I've got my fingers crossed.
Star Wars crossed with Top Gun would have made a better prequel trilogy.
Tom,
Your "(see the story I did on those here.)" link is broken
Still don't care. There's a new Pixar coming out. Everything else pales in the see-in-the-theater ranks.
Why am I not excited about either of these remakes of remakes of remakes that promise something new yet never live up to the promise. I believe it is a mental desease called the 'Rocky Syndrome'. Is there any original thought left in Hollywood? I don't need more nostalga in my movie viewing. Originality seems to have been blitzed out for the fast buck. Like PT Bsrnham said: "A sucker is born every minute." Are we now that desperate for entertainment?
I can't stand Jeanennenene Garofoulo!
Wow, sorry, I'm having flashbacks.
Uh, I hate to rain on anyone's parade, but Trek is the one that comes out first, unless FOX got the heebee-jeebees and decided to jump first.
Trek should be fabulous. I heard Wolverine was okay, but not the best thing that's ever been done.
Twenty years ago I would see every kind of big summertime popcorn movie like these and enjoy the heck out
of them. Now I get inundated with all the hype and wonder…can any movie be as great as they say? Do I want
to pay X number of dollars and sit in a theatre with cretins who talk on cellphones and to each other during the movie? Or can I wait a few months and rent the DVD with all the extra footage and other bells and whistles, for
less money!
Oh hell, if a friend calls, I'll probably go and them both.
I'm really optimistic about the new Trek film. The series has gotten so TIRED over the past few years, this might be the facelift it needs. Let's hope–
Another Carolyn, I'm a comic book geek and I grew up reading X-Men, Spiderman, Wolverine, etc. And let me tell you, even I am getting sick of comic book movies! Hollywood is so scared of new ideas that they beat any trend to death. Don't worry, one a few of these things bomb in a row, you won't see another comic book movie for twenty years.
Please, let us have one topic that doesn't involve (name that sort of rhymes with buffalo)! Have mercy, Andrew.
Hmmm… smokin' hot Wolverine or 90210 in space… Guess which I'm going for?
Sorry, but I can't afford to be merciful right now. I've been identified as being "soft on torture" and "they" are monitoring my posts. Sooooo. . .
Garuffalo, Garuffalo, Garuffalo! Ha ha! Have you had Enuffalo? I hope so, because this is tuffalo to keep up.
I'm only referring to her as GaROFLo now.
Andrew, you're the type of person Napolitano warned us against. This is worse than waterboarding.
I was trained by the best — I grew up watching Sesame Street.
By the way, can I use you as a reference with Lawhawk on this whole "soft on torture" thing?
Can't argue with that.
I didn't care much for Sesame Street. The Electric Company taught me to read. Whether or not that's a good thing is up for debate.
I don't think using me as a reference carries much weight, but knock yourself out.
Melrose Space?
I have been a fan of Wolverine once before Marvel overexposed him & turned him into parody; now, I could care less about Wolverine. Wolverine should also be 5'3" in height; hence his name "Wolverine."
I am looking forward to seeing both movies. I doubt I want to see them enough to drag my sorry butt out of the house to go to the theater.
I'll probably wait till they hit on demand.
My standard Trek complaint; I could never understand why, in the old Trek regime of writers (post "TOS"), they would write in these women with intentionally super-tight outfits on (Seven of Nine, T'Pol), and nary a crew member would give the slightest peek as they would walk past them down the corridor. Add to that the doofus Starfleet "security' that always got it's collective butts kicked in phaser fightes (post "original series" of course), and you've got a boiling cauldron of politically correct, saltpeter-laiden wimp-niks!
Battlestar Galactica, with ALL of it's faults (don't go there), at least tried to show interpersonal relationships, with all hormonal messiness included. I mean, come ON…not even LOOKING at Seven of Nine as she's walking your way? Sheesh.
I hope Abrams will bring some grit to it.
I always wondered if Wolverine had a hard time getting through metal detectors at the airport with those claws of his.
I think it's because Kirk cornered the market on testosterone and he never met Seven of Nine and T'Pol. That guy went after anything female with the possible exception of T'Pau. Yep, I'm a Star Trek geek.
I know, but aside from all the big "Kirk gets the hot alien babe" scenes, at least the writers had him give that "second look" at Yeoman Rand (or whoever brought something for him to sign).
And sorry ladies, I don't remember any male dressing up in some "hot" uniform. I'm talking about PC stuff here (yeah…that's it…).
There…I've thrown one geek card, and topped it off with a nerd card.
OK, so you're not a complete wuss.
So let's shuffle off to Buffalo.
Because Roddenberry turned into a New Age feminist. Female leads could walk down a corridor in a slingshot thong and the male crewmembers weren't supposed to react to it. Quite different from the much more activist men of the NCC-1701.
Old Jimmy Kirk! Why, you could just smell the Hai Karate cologne coming through the TV screen….
By the way, a shame about Jolene Blalock-getting stuck in Starship Troopers: Marauder. I mean, I always wanted Jolene and the twins on her chest to be brought back into the show in some capacity. But the third Troopers flick was so transparently awful that it may have killed her career.
At least Casper Van Diegn has an excuse for having to wait tables. Jolene? Not with that body. Bring back T'Pol!
Star Trek 90210 does not impress me. I agree Star Trek needs a revamp, but not this revamp. It's too self-aware & just ripe for camp. I want Star Trek to be taken seriously by creators.
Jon: Thanks. Link is now fixed.
Height aside, Jackman perfectly channels Wolverine, who is basically Dirty Harry with claws. I'd rate him up there with Christopher Reeve (Superman), Patrick Stewart (Prof. X), Christian Bale (Batman), and Robert Downey, Jr. (Iron Man) as an actor who embodies an iconic superhero.
There are some good signs with Star Trek, including the personal responsibility and stepping up angle from the longer tailer and the cast and crew taking the movie to troops in the Middle East for a preview.
This new Star Trek movie will not sit well with many fans of the original series for the same reason the Star Wars prequels did not sit well with fans of the original Star Wars movies: Not only does it not LOOK like the original series, everything in the movie looks more modern than the original series even though it's supposed to predate the original series. Try watching Star Wars Ep. IV after Ep.s I, II, and III. It's like going backward in time.
Trek being taken to the troops first guaranteed my opening weekend ticket purchase. I hope more studios do that.
The atrocious script for the Phantom Menace had more to do with my disappointment as a long time SW fan than the look of the movie. Midichlorians?! Lucas, you suck.
I've been a comic book fan since the 60's, Silver Age Comics were great the Commies were the villain the American Military was the good guys. Today, the comics are over priced,mostly written by British and American leftists with the US Military and Govt as Villian, PC nonsense has crept into everything from Spiderman, Superman to X-Men and Ironman. The X-men were always a metaphor of over coming differences, but, it wasn't just the humans who were depicted as 'evil', it was also Mutants like Magneto.
The second X-men movie with the 'right-wing' thinly vieled 'Mike Savage' lookalike, made me walk out of the theater, the 3rd movie was better, with Kelsey Grammar as 'Beast' and Homeland Security in Ironman was depicted well, but, overall these movies have succumbed to Lefty/PC nonsense. Fantastic Four 2 with the Silver Surfer being 'tortured' by the military comes to mind. So, I have low-hopes for Wolvie. Star Trek was always a pro-military show, at least the original series, and certainly did not preach pacifism as the solution, ":City On the Edge Of Forever" episode comes to mind, with the death of Edith Keeler. I'm not too optimistic about this Trek, first, they disrespected 'Kirk/Shatner', Spock/Nimoy is OK, but, they should have included at least two other originals, at least they are still around. In the end, I end up watching these movies on DVD, who wants to pay twice today for movies that aren't worth even one viewing.
I remember when Jeneane Gara FOOLo used to make fun of the persone she has become in HollyCr@p.
Hmmm, someone named Sebastian Shaw critical of the overexposed Wolverine and defending his "midget" status? Though possibly deserved, I hope the water levels in your nearby sewer never reach the exposed power cables.
Now how did I get a smokin' hot wife again? Really wonder sometimes…
"You, have you ever kissed a girl?"
W. SHATNER
Read Uncanny X-Men #158 when Wolverine–with Storm & Carol Danvers–is stopped by a metal detector in the Pentagon; he says he has shrapnel embedded in him as a result of Vietnam War. They allow him to pass.
Totally with ya. As someone old enough to recall when the rumors of an 80s X-Men movie involved hypothetical castings of either DeNiro or Michael J. Fox (hmm, Teen Wolf now makes more sense
), I remember being skeptical with the casting of someone not-so-vertically challenged. Jackman more than shut me up the second he uttered the much-loved "(Hurts) Every time." line. One of the best casting decisions of any movie and one of the few times I loved being wrong.
[...] at Big Hollywood, Tom Tapp assesses pre-release buzz on two summer movies, Wolverine and Star [...]
I don't excited by movies anymore. I have seen all this stuff. I saw every Star Trek. I saw all three X-Men. I saw T2 when came out, loved it and got the Ultimate edition. I wouldn't turn it down if someone wanted to go see it with me, but the excitement's just not there anymore. I saw a clip of Wolverine origins with the Deadpool character in it. It looked neat and I realized that I don't know much about deadpool, so I thought I'd look for some old X-Force issues he was in or look for the old mini-series drawn by a young Joe Mad or Ed McGuiness. Comic books! Marvel's putting out some lousy stuff these days, but I still get excited about their older stuff and DC is putting out some good material lately. For some reason, I still love comic books a lot.
I know the Hellfire Club very well.
Capt. America,
How exactly is the Iron Man comic PC and leftist? Tony Stark's chief opponent is a government official, Norman Osborn, who is hailed by the media as "heroic" despite his supervillian past (Green Goblin) and deep criminal ties. Also, Osborn often tries to silence or destroy any true heroes (e.g., Stark) who reveal the ex-Goblin's true nature and goals.
Doesn't Osborn sound like a lot like some chief executive occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?
Just something to think about.
After that bit about Simon Pegg stealing scenes as Scottie, I looked him up on IMDB and found I've seen NOTHING with him in it. In fact, I'd never even seen his face until the promo pics there. The only thing I've even heard OF is Shaun of the Dead, and I don't even know the plot of that. Huh.
I'll probably get the Trek on DVD but wait for Wolverine to hit the premium channels.
BTW: I had X-Men #1 and Robot Fighter #1 when I was a kid. Mom threw them out. Arrrrrgh!
I'll be happy if I make it through either movie without being preached too about global warming, the evils of the Bush Administrations and how much America sucks.
Man, I miss the days of my youth when good guys where good and bad guys where bad. Now we get a Superman movie where "truth" and "justice" can be said but not "and the American Way".
Man, i knew I would have to grow up one day but I didn't think it would be because of my politics and personal beliefs. Where can I go when SyFy, Comics and Games suck just as much as reality life?
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