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X-Men Origins: Wolverine hit theaters this past weekend, taking in $87 million. But did it live up to the hype?

First let me say, as should be said for all comic book-based movies, do not go into the theater expecting the script to exactly mirror the original story in the comics. You have to go in with an open (and blank) mind about the origins of one of Marvel’s most beloved characters – Wolverine. From the origins of his adamantium claws, to his relationship with Victor Creed (aka Sabertooth, played by Liev Schreiber) and Col. William Stryker (Danny Huston), to the source of his memory loss in the earlier X-Men films, it’s all addressed in this origins film.

But on the flip side, there is still something that did not sit well with me after seeing this film. If Wolverine and Sabertooth had such a complicated and yet tightly knit past in this film, why doesn’t the Sabertooth character in the previous X-Men films continue his personal quest to battle Wolverine with a passion? The Sabertooth character in the X-Men films seems to barely recognize Wolverine. This film does give an explanation as to why Wolverine seems distant from Sabertooth in that he suffered amnesia. But Sabertooth did not. What gives?

But let’s not pick it apart too badly. It was pretty obvious that director Gavin Hood wanted to expand on the ties to the previous X-Men movies. And he succeeds in this with much of the backstory. As a movie on its own, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a decent story of a man’s personal struggle with his own destiny. A destiny he first fights but later accepts due to the manipulations of Sabertooth and Stryker. But this film is also a strong backstory about Sabertooth. Liev Schreiber does an excellent job in portraying Wolverine’s opposite. His Sabertooth character is almost identical to Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. But Sabertooth despises his humanity, while Wolverine tries to embrace it. Both actors excel in building this long and complicated history between their characters. And because Wolverine and Sabertooth share this history, we learn just as much about Victor Creed (Sabertooth) as we do about Logan (Wolverine). It’s a shame this history couldn’t have been exploited more in the other X-Men movies.

The other characters in the movie simply fill in the gaps where needed, with two exceptions. Gambit (Taylor Kitsch) finally makes an appearance in the movie to the delight of many X-Men fanatics. And you do get a good dose of him in this film. And then there’s Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), who ends up becoming Deadpool by the end of the film. Rest assured, this film serves as the origins of three characters – Wolverine, Sabertooth, and also Deadpool. Expect to see more of Deadpool’s character in sequels.

Is this the best comic book based movie released to date? Well, not even close. But it is a very entertaining movie with plenty of action amongst several main characters in the Marvel Universe. And it also does a decent job of reinforcing the Wolverine character in the other X-Men movies. I fully expect many to pick this movie apart, due to the high expectations many have in seeing Wolverine’s origins come to life on the big screen. But it’s hard to cover everything with the limited time that a motion picture allows. If you love the Wolverine character, or if you love comic book style action, then this is a must see for you. It’s the first major blockbuster release of this year’s Summer movie season, and it looks like we have a lot of good wholesome action to appreciate here. Special effects are a bit “meh” in certain scenes, but overall satisfactory. After all, MUCH of this film depends on effects to carry the action along.

This is not the best comic movie ever released, nor do I feel it will be the best movie released this Summer. But it is a satisfying launch to this year’s Summer movie season and an excellent backstory of several major Marvel characters. Well worth the price of admission.

This one gets 3.5 kernels. Mostly for the action and interesting character development.

Kernel rating

3 1/2 Kernels