Maybe a bit better than "X-Men: The Last Stand", but not a great prequel

Rating: 6/10 (26 September 2009)

After a trilogy of live action "X-Men" films, based on the Marvel Comics series, the third one turning out to be a disappointment to many fans, they made this prequel. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" obviously focuses on the origins of Wolverine, one of the famous characters in the series, once again portrayed by Hugh Jackman. Unfortunately, this also disappointed a lot of viewers. I went to see this "X-Men" prequel on the silver screen this year in May, and did not have a good time. However, it didn't help that I had a headache, which obviously had nothing to do with the quality of the film, so I decided I would try it again on the small screen when it became available. That was just what I did after renting it a couple days ago, and it was better for me this time than it was in the theatre, unsurprisingly, but there were still significant problems.
In 1845, a young boy named James Howlett lives in North-Western Territory, British North America (not yet Canada). His father, John, is killed by Thomas Logan, the father of James' friend, Victor Creed, and as revenge, the boy stabs the killer with the bone claws from his hand! Before Logan dies, he tells James that he is his real father. James then runs away, and is joined by Victor, who tells him, "brothers protect each other." As the decades go by, the brothers stay together, fighting alongside each other in the American Civil War, both World Wars, and the Vietnam War. Eventually, Major William Stryker offers them to join Team X, a group of military mutants. They take the offer, but James is soon disgusted by this group's actions and leaves, finally parting ways with his brother after more than a century. He retreats to civilian life in Canada, starts going by the name Logan, and lives with his girlfriend, Kayla Silverfox. One day, he finds his girlfriend murdered by Victor, and thus begins a mission against his brother, and soon against Stryker as well, after he tries to erase Logan's memory!
It's been a few months since this "X-Men" prequel's theatrical release, and I probably can't find anything critical to say about it that hasn't been said at some point since then, but I'm not as sure of what brings it down in entertainment value as much as many others seem to be. It may have more than one thing in common with the third film in the original trilogy. For example, it's not as deep as it could have been, and probably could have been more focused. You can also say there are characters who aren't properly introduced, something else it has in common with "The Last Stand". I didn't find it as interesting without the other famous characters from the series (some of which appear VERY briefly here), especially Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto, and without the X-Mansion. I'm not sure what else to say about this polarizing prequel to further criticize it, except for the fact that I was fairly bored at times, especially early in the film.
Unlike many disappointed fans, I can't exactly consider "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" bad. There are some good action sequences, it may get more exciting as it goes along, and Hugh Jackman is still great as Wolverine. There's also some humour in the film, such as Logan (yet to become Wolverine) referring to Kuekuatsu as "Coo Coo Ca Choo," an elderly couple seeing Wolverine running naked into their barn, and parts of the main character's meeting with Fred Dukes in the ring. These things are enough for me to consider this movie slightly above average, but no more than that, with the flaws the film suffers from. Some people might even think I'm crazy for thinking it's any better than "X-Men: The Last Stand", and I'm sure there are people who were not disappointed by that third installment in the trilogy, but were with this first prequel. Since it's been over a year since I last saw the three "X-Men films", it's not as easy to make comparisons. Anyway, neither the 2006 nor the 2009 film can match Bryan Singer's two efforts, and I don't know if this movie's sequel, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2", is a good idea.