X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a Review

Well, Hollywood has done it again. As my friend Melanie always says, when Hollywood finds a good thing, they make sequels - and when they stop making sequels, it's time for the prequels. Which, of course, is the premise behind the latest X-Men movie.

This movie shows us the origins of one of our favorite X-Men, Wolverine. As a viewer who never read the comics, the origin of any comic character is interesting to me.

From the previous movies, we know that Logan (Wolverine) began his journey with a strong desire to know where he came from. Not only that, but we find out he has this mysterious history with a man named Stryker (Danny Hutson). This relationship did not get originally explored until the second movie, but Origins puts it all in place for us.

Not only do we get the full background on Stryker, but also we get to begin the journey with Wolverine from childhood. And, of course, no X-Men movie would be complete without a cast of new mutants, and a few old friends. Although Gambit (Friday Night Light's Taylor Kitsch) does not appear in the original movies, fans of the comic and animated series will appreciated his appearance. Fans will also appreciate the appearance of a young Scott Summers who will later become Cyclops.

Not only do we get a cast of mutants with great powers, but we also get a great set of actors to support Hugh Jackman's Wolverine. Liev Schreiber plays Sabertooth/Victor Creed, and Will.i.am as John Wraith (the Fugees), Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Definitely, Maybe), and Dominic Monaghan Chris Bradley/Bolt (The Lord of the Rings, Lost) joins the mutant cast.

As with any X-Men movie, we expect to see great stunts and effects and this movie does not disappoint. You may even find yourself feeling the anger and other emotions as Wolverine seeks revenge for the death of his girlfriend (Lynn Collins).

Directed by Gavin Hood (Rendition) with help in production by the great Stan Lee and Hugh Jackman, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a great addition to the X-Men saga. The action is great and the writing is clever and does not annoy the viewer by referring to the original movies. This movie could truly stand alone, but it is more enjoyable if you have seen at least the first 2 movies.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, language, and some partial nudity.