Review: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Managed to get out to see Wolverine on opening weekend, an auspicious start to this season’s blockbuster frenzy. Some of the hyperbole around the film touted it as the best X-Men film ever. While I won’t agree with that statement, it still is a fun, decent origin story for my favorite berserker. I’m not as up to date on the current comic version of Logan’s origin, but I believe the opening of the film comes pretty close to my memories of the comic. The one twist they put on it is Logan ending up being the younger half brother of Victor Creed, who is never called Sabertooth in the film that I recall.

After both of Logan’s fathers are dead, the pair go on the run right into a montage of the pair fighting through various wars starting with the US Civil War. The slow motion bits worn a bit thin, but this was still a great way to quickly introduce the pair and how their lives have developed. Victor has embraced his mutation and revels in bloodshed. Logan appears to follow out of the bond of brotherhood. However, Logan severs this bond after the secret military unit of mutants led by William Stryker are on a mission in Africa. Stryker wants Victor to slaughter villagers, and Logan decides he’s had enough of bloodshed.

The rest of the film centers around the manipulation of Logan by Stryker and Victor for their own purposes. There is a decent amount of action and plenty of comedic touches at just the right moments. The fight sequences are good, but the film falls a bit flat in its pacing. Numerous characters are introduced giving a patchwork feel to the scenes; we have this character in the film, so we need to have a scene with them. Now, a scene with this character… It just did not flow smoothly.

Overall, I enjoyed watching this version of Wolverine’s beginning; glad I saw it on the big screen though I don’t think I would have missed much if I waited until the DVD with its sure to have added footage.