Without giving too much away, we see “Logan” grow up with Victor Creed, going through all of the major wars — surviving with their gift of an increased healing factor. Not that surviving over a hundred years would go unnoticed, of course, hours after their firing range execution, the brothers are recruited by Col. William Stryker into a “project” he’s working on, which is a group of top secret operatives.

[FB: Team X, but wasn't mentioned in the movie.]

Logan figures that he’s had enough of the killing, and leaves the team — Victor reminds him though, that insert-team-leaving-consequences-in-a-plot-here.

Years later, even if he’s trying to live peacefully, Stryker finds him, and warns him that someone’s out to kill the old gang. That’s where Wolverine’s story of revenge and discovery begins. (Because if I go any further, I’d give away the doublecross-es-es.)

This is a comicbook movie: expect over-the-top action, fight sequences and whatnot. What gives this movie a certain … umami is it has a healthy smidgen of humor: the boxing scene, naked barn, etc — and  the nudge to the fans who are listening (and looking) closely — the frozen boy in Stryker’s lab, Wade Wilson being a smart-mouth, etc.

Hugh Jackman *is* Wolverine — he’s just so goddamned rugged!   The hairy, eyebrow-raisin’, cigar-chomping, motorcycle-riding canuck from the comics — [FB: Save for the height!] the part where he is given the brown jacket? That’s a nice throwback to Wolverine’s brown-and-tan costume.

Liev Schreiber is just awesome. (To note, this isn’t the first time he’s worked with Jackman — they were both in Kate & Leopold.) His Sabretooth is a cunning/conniving and bloodthirsty — who just can’t stomache Logan.

The Baraka-looking creature? Yep, it’s Deadpool! (With a fun little twist on how he got the name) Every Deadpool fan’s wish has come to fruition, Ryan Reynolds pulled-off the merc-with-a-mouth attitude that we love about the character, even if it was a short kill-people-with-swords scene. [FB: Even if the resulting Deadpool by the end is vastly different from the comic version.]

The other Team X members manage to squeeze in as much character as they could, given the less time on-screen they have.  Taylor Kitsch pulls off a nice Remy LeBeau — and, well, Will.I.Am certainly looks like John Wraith.  In the Marvel movie U though, Silver Fox’s kid-sister is Emma Frost, leading to a Scott/Emma Frost team-up (of sorts) near the end of the film.  (Yes, Cyclops!)

There are leaps in logic, however, on behalf of the characters, for example, say, when Logan was fighting Sabretooth, (and if Gambit HATES Sabretooth) why would Gambit break up the fight between the two? If Logan’s enhanced senses can hear whispers while he’s inside a tank of water, how did he not hear the “faint” pulse of one of the characters? Does the last bit mean that in the X-Men trilogy movies, Wolverine actually has holes where forehead-adamantium should be? How would those “swords” fit inside Deadpool’s arm???

The theatrical version, of course, didn’t have the visible harnesses and unfinished effects that the leak has, but some of the effects feel a little unfinished — the part where Logan’s brandishing his brand-new adamantium-laced claws in a bathroom? The part where the kids were running towards the helicopter? The part where Logan claws his way through chunks of fire escape, just to get to Gambit?

Liked it, but felt like something was missing — 2008 was the year of Marvel’s inter-movie continuity — the last bit after the credits didn’t really add that much, (but adds a nice little reference to X1) but I would’ve wished to see The Professor try to contact him, or have hime get asked on a mission to face The Hulk or something.

Definitely see it!

3.5/5

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Photos from the premiere!

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Recommended Post-Wolverine reads: Wolverine The Jungle Adventure (if you can find it!), Weapon X, Wolverine: Enemy of the State and the first Wolverine Origins volume.

Recommended Post-Wolverine viewing: Hulk Vs Wolverine (for another version of Team X) and Defiance. (For more Liev Schreiber awesumness)

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Thanks to Azrael and Twentieth Century Fox for the invite!