Bub, Not Blob

Wolverine in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (image taken from IGN.com)

We saw X-Men Origins: Wolverine early yesterday to get the matinee price ($7.50/person). I saw a superimposed cartoony green $15 bill float down into the stainless steel slot on the counter where the movie tickets are dispensed.

Wolverine was one my favorite X-Men, and most identifiable, when I watched the cartoons as a kid. Years later, when it was announced that Hugh Jackman would play Wolverine in an X-Men movie, the recognition was instant - he was born to play Wolverine, whether he likes it or not. I fancied him in Van Helsing too!

I do not remember much X-Men lore, so there was no real anticipation or expectation outside of the adamantium infusion. I don't think I'm ruining the movie by saying that Professor X makes a token appearance.

The film starts in 1845 with Wolverine as a boy, named James Howlett, and blurs through the decades with his stepbrother, Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber), Sabretooth, in every major military conflict, and then joining Team X, a CIA black ops force. We also see the adamantium infusion process and the creation of Weapon XI, as well as implanting the method by which Wolverine becomes amnestic.

Wade Wilson had an awesome act reminiscent of the Neo-Trinity room full of bodies sequence in Matrix. Bug felt that what they did with him was a waste -- I will not elaborate further. Gambit was quite snazzy -- I'm sure (hope) we'll see more of him. Cyclops makes an appearance. Kayla Silverfox, Wolverine's girlfriend, has mind control instead of healing powers. Oddly, Stan Lee does not make an appearance in the movie.

Sabretooth in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (image taken from IGN.com)

I've been a fan of Liev Shreiber when I saw him ~9 months ago on re-runs of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, as Michael Keppler. His short stint as a sly, dark humored, and troubled CSI, was what brought me back to watching the show regularly. His voice is primarily how I remember him -- warm mahogany and leather. Of course, all good things come to an end. His character was killed as the 4-episode arc concluded.

Browsing IMDB as I write this, I found out that he directed and wrote the screenplay to a movie I absolutely adore, Everything is Illuminated, which I briefly mentioned in a previous blog entry.

If you're seeking a movie that reveals something new about Wolverine, follows closely to the intricately developed comic book canon, or is life-altering, this is not the movie you are looking for. X-Men Origins: Wolverine is pure entertainment for people who want, for just a couple of hours, to phase out H1N1, the economy, salmonella from alfalfa sprouts, and watch Wolverine in action or luscious Hugh Jackman on the big screen with a solid cast of cool super-characters.

I enjoyed it.

- Cassaendra