Wolverine Ripped The BO A New One

Now, I wish Gavin Hood the best. After all, he’s a South African director (I have been nursing a fondness for that nation since I was in the Peace Corps, in Lesotho, a few years back. The relevance of that is that Lesotho is a kingdom within a country; the country being South Africa) and his first film, Tsotsi, won the Academy Award in 2005 for Best Foreign Film.

His last film, and as far as I am aware his first studio film, Rendition, did not do so well. I cannot speculate on why because I did not see it myself.

Now Mr. Hood’s (it’s apt that he’s directing a film about a superhero because his surname sounds like one. “Look! The Hood is getting away!” I can imagine someone shouting) next studio film, X-Men Origins: Wolverine has opened to the tune of $87 Million.

Now keep in mind, this movie has been getting ‘mixed’ reviews, with the majority of them being, well...bad across the board. Even the hardcore fan sites, like Ain’t It Cool News, weren’t terribly enthusiastic about it. Here’s an example:

Yet it still managed to pull in almost a $100 Million.

During it’s premiere, which was from Friday to Sunday.

$87 Million in three days. Oh, yeah I think that there’s a sequel Wolverine’s future.

Though not to disparage Mr. Hood here, but I think that we might be seeing ‘Ratner Syndrome’ in effect here.

‘Ratner Syndrome’ takes it’s name from the director, Brett Ratner, who also happens to be the director of the third X-Men film, which also went on to make a bundle of dough.

Mr. Ratner, who I have never met and is perhaps a great person, is a hack. He brings everything but vision and passion to a project, yet he was able to bring in a mint directing X-Men: The Last Stand.

Why is this? Probably because the characters themselves have reached such an iconic status that Alfred E. Newman could probably direct a film based upon the X-Men, and if it were not total shite, probably make a bazillion dollars.