Director: Gavin Hood

Review by: Fergus McShane

Price: £22.99 (Blu-ray)

[ratings]

With superhero franchise mode well and truly under way now, it was never going to be long before the first (of many) major spin-offs arrived. X-Men Origins: Wolverine sets the precedence for this ‘new breed’, landing with a bang in a period jam-packed with comic-related box office extravaganzas.

While fanboys worldwide have been chomping at the bit for a Wolverine origin tale for quite some time now, most will be somewhat under-whelmed by the stuttering thud of its arrival.

The film starts out in 1840s Canada at the moment when Logan (Wolverine) ‘realises’ his mutant abilities and runs right through to a point/ state that would allow for the character to slot neatly into the X-Men Trilogy. For fans of the character, series and genre this will come as a welcome addition as we get to find out exactly how Logan became the animalistic, furry ball of rage with adamantium claws that we all know.

However, on the whole Wolverine is let down by the fragmented plot and surprisingly poor special effects on show. Jumping from one action sequence to another, it is little more than a passable action movie, leaving you feeling that a period piece of Wolverine and his brother at war (as seen in the opening montage) would have been a much more enjoyable and original film to watch.

Unfortunately for Wolverine this origin while highly anticipated doesn’t quite live up to its characters invincibility. But if there is a silver lining (which is tenuous!), there is sure to be many more spin offs that will improve on this.

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