A good film which could have been brilliant...

Rating: 7/10 (12 June 2009)

Firstly I would say that this movie covers most elements of Wolverine's background quite well. It shows where he has come from and pretty much where he is at.
Obviously the special effects are very good. Jackman does the same basically good job that he always does as Wolverine and the other principal players range from good to very good. The film is about the right length and the pace is fairly smooth throughout the film.
There are plot holes and factual errors and so on littering the film , but it should be born in mind that this is a comic-book movie. Comic books and the movies made from them aren't supposed to be super-real and factual, they are entertainment based around super powers, extraordinary circumstances and action! There are two ways in which I think this movie sells out and really doesn't do Wolverine justice. Firstly, the darkness of Wolverine's past exorcising of his rage and dark ops are all really glossed over. I disagree with many posters that he is made out to be a lifelong good-guy because the film hints that he has been part of a dubious military squad for a while before he starts to have second thoughts as to the morality of their actions. It is very gently suggested that their actions are getting worse and Wolverine reacts against this. IT ISN'T ENOUGH to just gloss over this portion of his life and hint at it though. His dark side should have been made clearer and more graphic.
The second way that the movie makes money rather than fulfilling its potential is the lack of graphic gore. Wolverine's whole gig is in two parts. He can be almost entirely destroyed and can regenerate from it. He has big claws that he slices people up with. What he does results in lots of blood from him and everyone that defies him. That's pretty much he most important two things two know about him.
To properly show off Wolverine's regeneration and capacity for violence you have to show a lot more gore and real violence. Otherwise what is the point, you are still talking about it rather than seeing it. Movies are for seeing, radio is for talking. You may as well make his claws rubber and say he only needs basic plasters rather than stitches. Selling out for a reduced certification is what the money makers behind this movie have done.
Saying all that, the movie is a relatively pleasant (and take that as you will) romp though Wolverine mythos. I was very pleasantly surprised after all the negative reviews I have read about it. However, if you really want to see the tone the movie should really h ave taken, watch someone playing the game of the movie. Slicing, dicing, bloody and heads rolling... That's really what we came here to see.
All in all I recommend watching the movie rather avoiding it, but do so knowing that you are seeing Wolverine's origins through the eyes of a censor.