Wolverine ... What?

I managed to catch X-Men Origins: Wolverine last weekend and I'm not sure quite where I stand. I have an affinity for mutants. All kinds of mutants. I've been extremely supportive of the X-Men film series (I went to see the first film over 10 times in the theater!) However, I'm feeling cheated and let down.

In the latest installment of the mighty mutants, we discover the origins (duh!) of our wily badger wolverine. The opening scene establishes the twisted genetic relationship between Victor Creed (aka Sabertooth) and James Howlett (aka Logan aka Wolverine) and the movie is off and running. Set during the 1970's, we find James employed on Col. William Stryker's special ops team consisting of other mutant baddies. After witnessing the brutality of Sabertooth and continually intervening on his behalf, he quits the team and relocates to northern Canada living peacefully with a school teacher yet haunted by the many wars he has fought in over the centuries.

Of course evil comes a-knocking and Sabertooth tracks him down and knocks off his lady. So what to do when you're girlfriend has been killed by a half-man, half-lion beast? Join Stryker's team, have adamantium injected into your skeleton and run butt-naked through the field! By the way, I must give Hugh credit for showing a lot of skin and he looks damn good for his age! Well of course Stryker's people track him down, explosions ensue, and the body count rises. Soon he tracks his old teammates down, locates Gambit and then squares off with Sabertooth whom we discover is hiding a lot more than he lets on.

The final showdown is at Three Mile Island and attempts to attribute the nuclear meltdown back in the 70's to events in the movie. I'm not going to give anymore away for those who haven't seen it however, it's clear that Sabertooth and Stryker won't die since they're in Part 1 and 2 respectively.

Well, let's start out on a positive note before I b**** and moan! The special effects were great as usual. The makeup job on The Blob was outstanding and Liev Schriber's portrayal of Sabertooth was extremely chilling; far better than Tyler Mane's Sabertooth. The scene with Cyclops was amazing and I’ve gained a tiny amount of respect for him in my heart.

Let me repeat, a tiny amount!

However, the plot holes between this prequel and the first movie are gaping. Holes such as Sabertooth not seeming to recognize Wolverine in X-Men 1 yet they share a complex history in Origins. I also was incredibly annoyed with Ryan Reynolds character but then again, I'm usually annoyed with any movie he does. And last time I checked, Silverfox and Emma Frost weren’t sisters?!

Most importantly, I was really looking forward to finally seeing Gambit portrayed on screen however, the accent was lousy and he came off extremely "wussified" – and where were the black and red eyes? I was simply not feeling him in this movie.

Lastly, my biggest gripe by far was the missing Storm-child. She's my favorite X-Men character and while she appeared in the trailer, she was absent in the movie.

Curses!

Anyway, go check out X-Men Origins: Wolverine if you’re in the mood for some good action, crazy mutants or just want to see Hugh in the nude! Overall, I rate it 4 out of 5 stars and it’s a valiant effort to kick off the summer movie season!