Like many comic book readers from the 60’s, I have waited nearly a lifetime to see some really good movies made about some of my favorite heroes. There have been many attempts over the years but most have been pretty dismal disappointments. (Does any one remember Matt Salinger or Reb Brown as Captain America… hmmmm?) In the year 2000, there was quite a buzz about 20th Century Fox’s plan to make history with the release of “X-Men.” On the day of the initial theatrical release there had to have been thousands (millions?) of Wolverine ‘fan-boys’ holding their collective breaths in anticipation of either seeing the movie, or at least hearing whether or not it was any good. The verdict? “X-Men” was not only a huge success, but its popularity spilled out of the comic shops and into mainstream audiences.

Word spread like wildfire that the movie was good, and speculation immediately began to thread its way through the Internet as to what direction the sequel would go. Would it be another ensemble effort, or would breakout star Hugh Jackman go it alone as Wolverine? In 2003, we learned the answer with the release of “X2: X-Men United.” All of the main characters were back, there was the addition of a few new ones, and the sequel ended up being even bigger and better than the first. (Which we all know is a rare occurrence when it comes to sequels.)

The first film did a great job of setting up the characters for those who had never picked up a comic book in their lives. The casting was near perfect, the only weak link being that of James Marsden looking a little too young to play Cyclops. His youthful appearance might not have been so bad, but he had to be believable as the romantic interest of Famke Janssen’s Jean Grey and they just didn’t look right together.

On the other side of the coin, the casting of Patrick Stewart was absolutely inspired. His look and demeanor were a perfect match to the comic book version of Professor Xavier (the leader of the X-Men), so much so that I cannot imagine any other actor in the role. And who else could bring as much quiet dignity to the character of Magneto than Ian McKellan? And of course, I mentioned Hugh Jackman earlier who, due to his strong performance, now owns the role of Wolverine.

Adding to the excitement of “X2: X-Men United” was the expansion of characters that were shown briefly in the first film. Bobby Drake / Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) and John Allerdyce / Pyro (Aaron Stanford) both play integral parts in the sequel. And besides just being great characters, having them in this film gives fans hope that the couple of mutant cameos this time around will mean meatier roles in “X3.”

The best addition to the franchise in “X2: X-Men United” was my personal favorite mutant, Nightcrawler. I figured the difficulty of bringing a character like this to life would have kept the filmmakers from ever including him. Not that it couldn’t be done, just that it couldn’t be done right. Of course, I was wrong. Nightcrawler was not only done right, but far better than I could have ever expected. As odd as it may seem, the most important aspect of the character that was needed to make him work for fans was a sound. You see, Nightcrawler can teleport, and in the comics the sound of teleportation was written as ‘BAMF.’ The sound you hear in the film is a perfect representation of that sound.

Beyond that, you needed the right actor to play the part. When I first heard that Alan Cummings was up for the role, I was very skeptical. Cummings is a really good actor, but I couldn’t imagine him as a hero. I was worried it would be like seeing Paul Reubens as The Spleen in “Mystery Men.” Again, I was wrong. Cummings was not only perfect, but he also brought a subtle humanity to the role. Considering the fact that Nightcrawler is a blue-skinned, pointy-eared mutant with sharp teeth and a tail, this is quite an accomplishment. I was really disappointed that he did not return for the third movie.

Then there was "X-Men: The Last Stand," fans everywhere were extremely worried that everything that had been so good up until now would go horribly awry. Why were these fears so strong? It was the news that the director and leading force behind the first two films, Bryan Singer, was going to be busy working on the new Superman film. When the news hit that director Brett Ratner was taking over the helm, there was collective sigh of…. "What the…?" The problem with this news was that Ratner had only directed a handful of films, the most popular being the "Rush Hour" films with Jackie Chan. These were a far cry from the special effects laden movie that the third X-Men film was sure to be. The verdict on this third film? Well… iffy at best. It was very, very, very… okay. I’ll leave it at that.

Hopes were high that there would still be an eventual stand alone film featuring Jackman as Wolverine, and for better or worse we got one. “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” was announced and I for one was pretty hyped as I had recently read the “Origins” book and loved the story. I was looking very much forward to this telling, never for a minute thinking it would stray… no… more than stray… completely move away from the story that was told in that book.

The opening scenes of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” did not give away the fact that this was not the Origins story fans knew, but the opening credits (cool as they were) very quickly filled us in. To be honest, the I would have rather seen the story shown in the opening credits as the movie, which gives us Logan (Jackman) and his brother Victor/Sabretooth (Liv Schrieber) as they fight and kill through a century of battles. The very idea of the bloodbath of the Civil War to trenches of WWI and beyond would have made a terrific film. Instead, we catch up with Logan as he is readying his leave of a paramilitary group to live a life of peace and freedom. Of course, this life is very short-lived as he is pulled back into Major Stryker’s hands and becomes Wolverine.

Now, I really don’t like giving the idea that the film is bad. Certainly it isn’t. Jackman and Schreiber both have an enormous screen presence and their murderous sibling rivalry is a sight to behold. But, instead of giving us a film that really delves deep into the persona of Wolverine, all we really get is an action packed tour-de-force of special effects chases and fighting. So depending on what you’re really looking for, you’ll either love or hate the film. Fans were certainly split.

Fox’ Blu-ray of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” goes a long way to making up for any shortcomings the movie has. The sound and picture are phenomenal to a point, the only problem being that some of the CGI looks painfully obvious with such a clear image. The sound, on the other hand… is flawless.

There are also a number of special features including two audio commentary tracks. The first is by director Gavin Hood who delves pretty deeply into the background information, but comes off a bit boring all by himself. The second track with producers Lauren Schuler Donner and Ralph Winter is a bit more entertaining, but still lacks something. Perhaps they needed Jackman to sit in for a bit?? You’ll also find The Roots of Wolverine, which offers very nice discussion between Stan “The Man” Lee and Len Wein as they reminisce about the X-Men as a whole. There is also Wolverine Unleashed, which is a bit of a behind the scenes featurette. Here we learn about the direction the film was originally going to take only to be thwarted by those pesky ‘suits’ that everyone hates so much.

In Weapon X Mutant Files we are privy to little behind the scenes pieces about each of the mutants in the film. Better than it sounds, this is very fun to watch. There is also a behind the scenes featurette on the incredible helicopter chase scene, some deleted and alternate scenes and a look at the World Premiere of the film. Ultimate X Mode offers three different viewing options with picture in picture features as well as an on-screen trivia track. Oh, and of course, there is the 2nd disc with a downloadable version of the film.

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is an entertaining film with a lot going for it. My only real gripe is that it could have been so much more. Jackman has the chops to deliver a deep and angst ridden performance, not just a balls-out action laden one. Hopefully if there is another film, he will be given the opportunity to give it up.

Directed by: Gavin Hood
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Liv Schreiber, Danny Huston, Dominic Monaghan, Ryan Reynolds
Extras: Audio Commentary by Director Gavin Hood; Audio Commentary by Producers Lauren Schuler Donner and Ralph Winter; The Roots of Wolverine; Wolverine Unleashed; Weapon X Mutant Files; The Thrill of the Chase; Ultimate X-Mode; Deleted and Alternate Scenes; Fox Movie Channel Presents: World Premiere
Specifications: Widescreen (2.35:1), 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 5.1 Dolby Digital
Studio: Fox
Release Date: 9/15/2009
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13
http://www.foxbluray.com

We'll give X-Men Origins: Wolverine a B-.