There seems to be this ever growing Hollywood trend of releasing prequels after a series comes to a close. In almost all cases (besides Star Wars), the prequels have been actually better than their predecessors. I found this to be the case with Marvel’s latest release, X-men Origins : Wolverine.
Marvel had greatly disappointed me with X3 : The Last Stand, so I had actually expected this film to flop at the box office. However, after the final credits rolled, I must admit that I was actually wrong. Fans of of the X-Men franchise should appreciate this film, and although the storyline wasn’t anything to brag about, it should be good enough to hold its own with most of its fanbase. The script had a good balance of action and drama, and rather than being a mindless action film full of high budget special effects which I had originally expected, there was actually some decent dialogue tied into it.
The real meat of the origins story is definitely the love/hate relationship between mutant brothers Wolverine and Sabertooth. Liev Schreiber is very convincing as Saber, and after watching this film, I was completely satisfied with his casting. Most movie goers are already familiar with the Hugh Jackman casting. He really needs no introduction, and from a fans perspective, he definitely was born for his role as Wolverine.
My biggest disappointment with the origins film has to be the under utilization of Gambit. He is such an incredible character, yet he completely lacked screen time. With just a little more than five minutes on the bigscreen, I couldn’t help but be a bit disgruntled.
Overall, I think X-Men Orgins : Wolverine is the perfect film to kick off an exciting summer of blockbuster films. If your a fan of the X-Men franchise and appreciate more than just an adrenaline rush of action, this is a must see in theaters.
