X-Men Origins: Wolverine

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is the first in a group of planned prequels. It fleshes out a backstory that the initial X-Men only hints at, via scattered flashbacks: the evolution of the dog tag-wearing, quick-healing, Adamantium-clawed lone wolf. Turns out, in his past, he wasn’t so alone. Logan, a.k.a. Jimmy (full name: James Logan), was born before the Civil War into an extended household including a boy a couple years older with long nails and an intense disposition. The boy, Victor Creed, turns out to be his half-brother (played as an adult by Liev Schreiber). The challenge with any origin story is getting to the foregone conclusions in an interesting way that doesn’t contradict what the audience already knows. Regardless of how hairy the situation, we know Jimmy/Logan/Wolverine (again played by Hugh Jackman) will make it into the 21st century. David Benioff and Skip Woods pack a lot of twists and turns into their screenplay. Some are obvious; some legitimately surprise. There are, however, some glaring inconsistencies that knocked the movie down a popcorn point in this finicky fan’s estimation. Feather River Cinemas, Paradise Cinema 7 and Tinseltown. Rated PG