Wolverine

I'm a huge X-Men fan and have been since I was a boy. I was in the mood for an action flick. I enter most theaters hoping for the best and willing, almost eager to take each film for what it's trying to be.

So, I enjoyed X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The story didn't follow the comics, and it's definitely not a great film or one even likely to end up as a cult classic, but I had a good time watching it.

Most of the folks in our group of eight, maybe all of them, also enjoyed it to varying degrees, but several felt it was "eh" in quality and found themselves questioning character motivations or spotting CGI glitches or just generally feeling the movie was hollow at its core.

All of those concerns are to some degree warranted, alas, which perhaps is why the film is only a passing small pleasure, not anything one could savor over time.

Kyle and I had been talking earlier today (while playing Halo; I know, two grown men discussing an X-Men movie while waiting for videogames to start), and he commented that the studio had made the director recut the film as PG-13 in the wake of Watchmen not delivering anywhere near the studio's box-office expectations. So, maybe, just maybe, an unrated, longer, director's cut of the film would elevate it above what I saw and into a truly good film.

I honestly doubt it, because in this movie as in so many others the lack of investment in quality writing was clear, but I will buy that DVD if it becomes available.

Again, though, I had a good time, and I suspect you will, too--as long as you don't set your expectations very high.