X-Men Origins: Wolverine

It is the dawn of the summer movie season; a time of ill-conceived sequels stretching the limits of an original idea or an original idea that never should have been conceived. The fourth installment of the X-Men franchise would seem to be ripe to fall into the hazards of the ill-conceived. X-Men Origins: Wolverine does have an intriguing premise; introduce the back story to one of the most popular mutants of the X-Men universe, Wolverine. The popularity of the first three film installments would seem to provide a built-in audience eager to learn how Logan came to be known as Wolverine. The pitfall into disappointment exists however, as evidenced by the journey George Lucas took Star Wars fans through the story of how Anakin Skywalker came to be known as Darth Vader. Fortunately for fans of the X-Men; Marvel Comics did not disappoint.
Wolverine succeeds because it does not try to be too much, it is a single story not stretched into three. Its lone attempt at political preaching is but a minor glitch in the overall story involving a vague governmental conspiracy. From that conspiracy is born Wolverine, a raging mutated man hell-bent on revenge for the peaceful life that has been stolen from him through the ultimate act of betrayal. The origin of Wolverine is a battle between the forces aligned against the man and the forces in battle within the man.
The special effects of the film make the battle between good the good guys and the bad guys a thrill to watch. Hugh Jackman makes Wolverine a film worth watching. He is able to be the hulking action hero while also giving weight to the forces battling within Wolverine. Who he is, who he wants to be and who he is in danger of becoming are just as important to the man as the events he is engaged in are important to the rest of the world.
In the end the film leaves the door open to a sequel. New characters are introduced to provide enough fodder for countless more films. Time will tell if they will follow the road of Wolverine or push the limits of the franchise into the realm of the ill-conceived. Marvel seems to have a road map, but the history of summers past shows the season can become a wasteland of once beloved films.