WOLVERINE- the beast unleashed in theaters

When the first X-men movie came out way back at the start of the century (man I feel old), it transformed Hugh Jackman into an international star. The chisel-featured Australian played the world's favourite invincible Canadian, Wolverine, and took many people by surprise with his portrayal. While he doesn't have the same squat build as Logan in the Marvel comics he originated in, Jackman captured the spirit of the comics legend and brought him to life with a great deal of personality and drama, aside from kicking the backside of bad guys galore.

The other two movies in the X-Men franchise built on his character, and once the trilogy was complete, it was very apparent that audiences wanted more. Thus, the X-men Origins movies series was born. A completely standalone Wolverine film, X-Men origins: Wolverine, is the first to be completed.

Fans of the character have been somewhat sceptical about this new film project since it was announced- Wolverine's origins have only just come to light in recent years, and it was a worry of many fans as to how faithful a movie would be to those origins. It would seem the makers have stuck to certain aspects of the character's origins and glossed over others. Weapon X is there. Japan is there. The bone claws are there. Several things ring true, but this must be seen as the origin of the movie incarnation and not Wolverine as a whole.

One of the most glaring liberties that Fox have taken is the inclusion in the Wolverine movie of the fan-favourite X-Men character Gambit (played by Taylor Kitsch). Unless I'm mistaken, Wolverine doesn't meet Gambit until well into his X-Men years, but this can largely be excused as fans have been desperate to see Gambit onscreen ever since the X-Men movies began. Their wish is coming true now, and from the look of things, Kitsch has the character nailed.

What concerns some fans is that, from the trailers, much of the film seems to be a little by-the-numbers. Fight scene. Explosion. Claws going SNIKT. While this is all well and good, many fans are hoping that this film has more depth than that last X-men film did. The life of Logan/Wolverine is so rich with drama and mystery that there is more than enough to fill a feature film, but it needs to be balanced right. This can't just be a series of set pieces. I keep thinking of X-men: The Last Stand, which should have been a great deal more powerful than it was, especially after the glorious second film.

Regardless of any reservations diehard fans (myself included) may have, X-Men Origins: Wolverine looks set to be a hit for Fox this summer, but probably not on the same scale as Warner Bros' WATCHMEN. Then again, maybe mentioning the names Fox and Warner Bros in the same breath right now is a bad idea. Whatever, fans will be flocking to see their hero unleash some berserker rage against Sabretooth later this year, and you'd better like it, Bub.