X-Men Origins: Wolverine Review (It’s all about Hugh Jackman’s muscles)

Movie: X-Men Origins: Wolverine * Trailer * Official Site	In Theaters: May 1, 2009
Runtime: 107 minutes	Directed by: Gavin Hood
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, and some partial nudity	Gecko Rating:

The best thing about “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is the ending. So even if you don’t like the earlier parts of the movie, be sure to stay til the end. Two people in front of me at the theater actually got up and walked out in the middle. I thought, gee, it’s not the best movie I’ve ever seen, but it’s not THAT bad.

The movie takes us back to the childhood of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). We know him from the first three “X-Men” movies, but he had a wild and interesting life before he showed up in those. Even as young Jimmy Logan in 1845, he had those spiky hands, only the spikes were crude, bony-looking things then, emerging whenever Jimmy got angry. His heritage included some daddy issues, and a half-brother named Victor Creed a.k.a. Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber), complete with fangs and all.

A series of quick scenes shows the non-aging brothers fighting through several wars, including the Civil War, World War Two, and Viet Nam. We also learn that the evil Stryker (Danny Huston) is building an army of mutants called Team X. But after a particularly gruesome incident in Africa, Jimmy walks out on the group, and ends up as a woodcutter in Canada with a hot schoolteacher girlfriend (Lynn Collins).

After a devastating tragedy, Stryker convinces Jimmy to undergo a procedure that will make him indestructible. It’s an agonizing operation that injects a substance called adamantium into his skeleton. And presto-chango, he’s “Wolverine,” his once bony spikes now shiny, titanium-looking weapons of mass destruction. And Victor comes back into his life, as well.

Here’s the thing about “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”: It’s not a bad movie, and Hugh Jackman and his awesome muscles are not hard to look at. But the writing is cheesy, and they could have done more with the various characters who show up in this movie, including card-shark Gambit (Taylor Kitsch), The Blob (Kevin Durand), John Wraith (Will.i.am), and Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds). I mean, I get that the movie is called “Wolverine,” but most of these characters are only in the movie for a few minutes, if that.

If you’re a fan of the X-Men characters and movies, you should check this one out. But you might want to wait for the DVD.

Note to Parents: There’s lots of action and fighting and explosions, including one awesome scene with an exploding helicopter. Oh, and Hugh Jackman gets naked from a distance in a couple of scenes. But overall, it’s pretty much what you’d expect from a PG-13 movie about a mutant superhero.

Image: X-Men Origins: Wolverine, TM and Copyright 20th Century Fox Film Corp., 2009