A Series of Great Imaginative Action Scenes!

Rating: 8/10 (30 April 2009)

I do not really read the original comics, so I went into this as a fan of the X-Men movies and TV cartoon series. So I am not really sure if this movie was faithful to the story. But having said that, based on its own merits, I think this movie is really awesome. Despite being leaked on the net, this is the sort of film that deserves to be seen on the big screen.
I think they were correct in choosing Wolverine as the subject of the first movie about the origins of the X-Men. The character has that combination of coolness and mystery that makes for an interesting back story. Where did all his pent-up anger come from?
The movie starts way way back in 1840's when Jimmy (Logan) and his brother Victor (Creed) were still children.These two special invincible children grow up and go through different wars in a great opening sequence montage. Because of their fighting skills and invincibility, the two brothers (now played by Hugh Jackman and Liev Schrieber respectively) were recruited by Stryker to join a special military force.
Logan realized that that life is not right for him so he decided to desert the group. He went on to hook up with a pretty school teacher Kayla (Lynn Collins) as his girlfriend to lead an idyllic life as a lumberjack in Canada, or so he thought. One day, his brother Victor comes back and kills the girlfriend. From there, the whole story of Logan's revenge and retribution, and the actual origin of the Adamantium skeleton of Wolverine will further unfold.
Of course, a movie like this will have to feature special effects. And certainly, the effects here surpass those of the previous X-Men movies. There was that very exciting fight of Logan and Agent Zero (Daniel Henney) involving a motorcycle versus a helicopter. Amazing action choreography there. And the same is true in the scene of Logan, Victor and Weapon XI on one of the towers of Three Mile Island was fantastically rendered. This was because Weapon XI was a swordsman mutant who had been artificially imbued with other mutant powers like those of John Wraith and Cyclops, making for an breathtaking fight. The sound effects and the film editing were fantastic in these scenes and more.
I think all fans of the X-Men movies will like this excellent prequel of sorts to the entire X-Men saga. Gambit finally made an appearance in an X-Men movie, played by Taylor Kitsch. There were already scenes which showed how the young mutants of the earth have gathered together, along with a cameo by a certain bald headed mentor. There was also very nice dramatic touches with the relationship of the two brothers, and the relationship of Logan and his girlfriend Kayla. Script is simple to follow despite the number of stories intertwined. Overall, a very good, thrilling and thoroughly satisfying movie.
**** By the way, there is a scene about Col. Stryker in the middle of the first part of the credits, then another one about Logan at the very end of the credits. You may want to wait up for them, but don't expect too much though.