The fourth official X-MEN film (and first in a series of planned character-specific prequels), Hugh Jackman returns to the character that helped propel him to fame in X-MEN Origins: Wolverine.  After nearly ten years of playing the comic book world’s most animalistic anti-hero, fans will finally have a chance to see how the bestial mutant came to become the leading man in a franchise that includes weather-controlling, tongue-licking, and metal-bending mutants.  From the original films we know his body is nearly indestructible and his razor-sharp claws have made his a force to be reckoned with, but can such a character guide and sustain an entire film on his own?

Well, mostly, as X-MEN Origins is (ironically) less interested in explaining the character’s actual origins as it is giving Wolverine another path of destruction before his inevitable inclusion in the subsequent trilogy of XMEN films.  The opening montage suggest the character’s mortality is never in question, just as we know  his presence in the original films means he will survive anything this film throws at him.  But the real fun – and treat – for fans is in Logan’s transformation from simply impervious immortal hero to incredibly impervious immortal hero, thanks to some truly nightmarish government experimentation with super weapons.

As expected, this is Jackman’s show completely, as the film’s best moments are entirely his.  I wouldn’t go so far to say this is the role he was born to play, but the adamantium-enhanced character has surely been a defining role for the Australian actor and it’s always fun to watch him go berserk as Logan/Wolverine.  But those looking for anything more interesting or expansive than what they've already seen will be disappointed, as the character depicted here shows very little growth during the process.  This will suit most fans, as Jackman growls and scowls with enough menace and authenticity much of the film's most transparent flaws will be forgiven - he's amazing in this role and it would be a shame to end his adventures here.  Did someone say Japan...?

While the focus is squarely on the Wolverine character, the film does its best to mimic the group effort from the original trilogy to push as much XMEN canon as possible.  An early ensemble of mutants feels less 'spectacular' and more tactical, with supporting players Fred Dukes (i.e. The Blob), teleporting John Wraith (played by musician will.i.am), and expert electrician Chris Bradley (Dominic Monaghan) creating the bulk of disposable mutants, while Agent Zero (Daniel Henney) and Wade Wilson (a surprising Ryan Reynolds) holding considerable more interest.  Purists will gag themselves over how the film portrays the relatively obscure (but fan-favorite) character Deadpool, who seems to have more in common with Mortal Kombat's Baraka than Marvel's original creation.  Likewise, the much-anticipated role of card shark Remy LeBeau/Gambit (played with appropriate drawl by Taylor Kitsch) is underused and slightly disappointing.

Its sad that none of these new additions can hold a candle to the original trilogy's group of mutants, and its only the savagely serious work of Wolverine's eternal brother Victor (Liev Schreiber) who will go on to become Sabretooth.  The most serious and interesting moments are between Jackman and Schreiber, and would have benefited from more of them.  Look for plenty of cameos hidden in the celluloid cracks, including Cyclops, Emma Frost, and a smattering of others.

Wolverine is not a great comic book film, which might surprise those used to laborious fan service the genre has been seeing these days.  But while it lacks the spit polish of A Dark Knight or Iron Man, it’s easily light years from the trashiness of lesser efforts (i.e. Daredevil, The Punisher), sitting comfortably in what I suspect will be a growing school of simply OK comic book films.  While a muscled, indestructible beast with retractable claws makes for a splendid action hero, let’s not kid ourselves thinking Wolverine is the most interesting intellectual character.  That the first Origins story does its best to explain his subsequent amnesia only helps confirm his primary function as a weapon of mass destruction, one closer to Rambo than Batman.  When the film realizes and embraces this, its spectacular entertainment.  If only comic book fans would realize that not every character needs to be pathologically complex and driven by cerebral narrative they’d probably be a much happier group of people.

Director Gavin Hood (Tsotsi) has made a film that feels extremely comfortable in its organic settings, but buckles under the weight of convoluted and overdone action sequences.  Whether this misdirection is his fault or that of the film’s (many) producers attempts to pull Wolverine in too many directions is a mystery, but it does feels like a film being drawn and quartered by its own ambitions.  This style worked for the original XMEN trilogy because its colorful ensemble cast supported the narrative, but Wolverine’s singular focus is far more limiting in scope and function.

I did have some legitimate gripes with the film’s special-effects, which range from ‘OK’ to simply awful, a strange mix the likes of which I’ve never seen in such a big-budget action picture.  When the visuals are firing on all cylinders, you’ve got technology on par with the original XMEN films, but too often they look and feel sloppy.  One scene involving Wolverine’s newly-fashioned claws and a mirror borders on cable science-fiction BAD, and a key battle involving Weapon X was straight out of the Mortal Kombat series (circa 1997).  Patrick Stewart's brief (and digitally altered) cameo looks less human and more like a 3D model from a videogame, surprising given how successful his computer de-aging in XMEN 3 was.

I imagine that most will enjoy X-Men Origins: Wolverine for what it is, and dislike it (immensely) for what it’s not, and what group you fall into will largely depend on your passion for these characters.  Comic book purists will rail from their basements that it’s the end of the world that the character’s convoluted and somewhat inconsistent story hasn’t been properly translated from its inky origins to the silver screen.  To be fair, its adherence to the comic book's patchwork style that hamper the film's ability to become its own beast, and we can only hope the planned Magneto origin story can learn from its mistakes.  For the less-demanding (and forgiving) action fan, Wolverine is still recommended and a lot of fun.