Reviews by Matt

The opening weekend for the summer movies is big. To be the opening summer movie means that you have the opportunity to set the tone for the summer. Were it not for my confidence in other summer movies, I would think that this is going to be a disappointing summer for movies based on “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,”

Logan (Hugh Jackman) is a man who has the power to heal himself and he also has bone claws that come out of his hands. He is recruited to a team that uses their special abilities to take the missions the government does not want. After one brutal night he quits and thinks that he is out of that life, but when his brother and fellow team member Sabertooth (Liev Schreiber) kills the woman he loves, Logan goes back to get revenge. William Striker (Danny Huston) gives him the indestructible adamantium skeleton and those famous claws that have made Wolverine a fan favorite.

Acting is not really an issue when it comes to a summer movie like this, yet I could not help but be disappointed in the wasted potential of Liev Schreiber. He is a great actor and has shown it time and time again in smaller roles. He is finally given a chance in a movie like this and he is relegated to snarling and a very one-dimensional character.

The character of Gambit has always been one of my favorite characters and he finally got an appearance in this movie. To top it all off, they got a great actor, Taylor Kitsch. If you are not watching “Friday Night Lights,” then you are missing out on a lot, including Kitsch’s Tim Riggins. Gambit has the power to manipulate kinetic energy. His favorite way to use that is by charging playing cards and throwing them. Kitsch is great in the role of Gambit and I wish that he was given more screen time, a thicker Cajun accent and more card throwing.

I have heard a lot of bad things about the special effects, especially the claws. I did not notice anything overly bad about them, but I did not see anything impressive either. It was just a lot of explosions and mutant powers.

The character of Wolverine is a hard and gruff character. His attitude is as much a part of him as his claws, but that was just not in the movie. He was, well, kind of a sissy. There was no bite to him. This was the perfect chance to have the character be as rough and unforgiving as he could, and they dropped the ball in a big way.

So, yea there was a lot that is was disappointed about when it came to “Wolverine.” I enjoyed it, but not as much as I hoped I would. It was better than “X-Men: The Last Stand,” but not close to the first two “X-Men” movies. It is not one of those movies I would recommend that you rush out to see.

7 out of 10
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, and some partial nudity.
107 min