Once upon a time, superheroes were super: despite whatever traumas they suffered in their early lives (orphaned when you witnessed our parents’ murder, orphaned when your homeworld explodes) they always did the right thing, never hurt anyone (even if they deserved it), and looked good in Spandex. And the public loved them.But in the early 1960s, Marvel Comics began redefining the superhero genres. The people in gaudy colors still saved the world, but they had problems: the Invincible Iron Man was alcoholic, the Amazing Spider-Man had serious cash flow problems, and the public was ambivalent about their escapades. But they still looked good in Spandex.So we get a superhero with lots of issues in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It’s hard to talk about the plot of this movie because although the characters have been in the public eye for the last half century or so, some of the things in this movie may be spoilers nonetheless. But speaking about the movie in general:It does not have the emotional depth of The Dark Knight or Watchmen or even Iron Man; Wolverine/Logan’s reasons for the choices he makes are never explored—he just decides to go this way rather than that and that explains it. (In fact, just about all the other characters’ motivations are more fully explored; except for Logan’s first name, we don’t learn a lot about him we don’t already know.) but despite a couple of big plot holes, the script is refreshingly intelligent, providing laugh, at least one squirm inducing death, and surprises that are genuine surprises. The action is brisk and the FX are good, although the CGI is a little intrusive at times. And while this is the first Marvel movie not to feature a Stan Lee cameo (unless I really wasn't paying attention), it does have a nice, unexpected surprise.Whether this movie is the launching point for a Wolverine trilogy or other X-Men origin stories (a Magneto story is in the works and a Storm backstory may still be in production), it’s a good start to the summer.
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