There's been a lot made of Wolverine in the press as of late. This X-Men origin story made major headlines after the film was leaked on line in its entirety a couple months back. Since its auspicious and unexpected internet debut reviews have been popping up online, and the reaction has been mixed at best. According to 20th Century Fox though, folks shouldn't be so quick to judge this early version film. The studio claims there have been re-shoots (which, generally speaking, isn't necessarily a good thing) and that the effects have been greatly improved. Having seen the final version, I can honestly say I don't think Wolverine is bad or good. It's somewhere in between. In fact, I'd probably rank it alongside the third X-Men film.

As previously stated, Wolverine is an origin story. A tale of how Hugh Jackman's James Logan would become the fierce warrior we've all come to know and love. As the film opens, we're introduced to young James Logan. Logan is a mutant, therefore life is a struggle for the pre-teen as he possesses powers he doesn't quite understand. After an unfortunate mishap, Logan flees his home with brother Victor Creed, and together they eventually join an elite covert squad comprised of other mutants. This squad is the brainchild of military man William Stryker. Stryker promises the best for Logan and the other men, but before long, it appears that he might just have a hidden agenda.

Wolverine was directed by the gifted Gavin Hood who, just four years ago, made the brilliant Johannesburg crime thriller Tsotsi. Here, Hood ditches gritty drama and character driven moral dilemmas and trades them in for things that go boom, and over-bloated super hero antics. The end result is a film that moves at a quick clip, but is ultimately too stuffed for its own good.

As was the case with X-Men 3, the inclusion of numerous iconic characters isn't always a good thing. Just because they're there doesn't make them worth watching. In Wolverine, we get fan favorites like Gambit (played by the charismatic Kitsch) and Wade Wilson (played by a likable Ryan Reynolds), but these famed comic book figures aren't really developed enough as characters worth caring about. Hugh Jackman brings a familiar and much welcome swagger to Wolverine, while Liev Schreiber lends a bit of snarly attitude to Creed (a character who would go on to become Sabertooth). Beyond that though, various characters and the actors who play them just sort of float in and out of this chaotic mess like after thoughts. This includes Lord of the Rings' Dominic Monaghan, who shows up for all but five minutes as Bolt.

Having said that, Wolverine does move at a zippy pace. I wouldn't say I was ever bored by it. Hood keeps things moving relatively quickly and he even has the good sense to throw in a couple of guest appearances. Guest appearances that I'm not about to give away in this review. In the end though, with comic book properties inspiring unforgettable adaptations like The Dark Knight and Iron Man, film makers really have to bring their A game when it comes to super hero movies. Wolverine is more of a C+ game.

Grade: C+