The much anticipated X-Men Origins: Wolverine finally clawed its way into theaters on Friday, May 1. I, like many other fans of the X-Men and of Wolverine, came into the theater with jittery feet. I found myself waiting for each trailer to hurry up and finish, just to get the movie started. So there I am sitting and tapping my toes, with my girlfriend by my side just as anxious as me, until finally the lights dim down causing my eyes to focus on the film ready to begin.

Now before I begin my criticism, I already expect the film to be shunned upon due to its accuracy of Wolverine’s origins in the comics. But what audiences need to know is that little is actually known about Wolverine’s origins, which leaves a lot of room for plausible backgrounds. And the aspects of his past that were changed in the film were not as major as people may believe. Therefore, if you approach the film without any prior bias, you will discover that it is actually a descent flick.

I also have to give a huge kudos to Hugh Jackman (Jimmy / Logan / Wolverine) and Liev Schreiber (Victor Creed/ Sabretooth) for their great portrayal of their characters. I could not have even dreamed of a better pair to play both Wolverine and Sabretooth for a movie. Their chemistry is without a doubt one of the stronger points in the film. Other great performances by Taylor Kitsch (Remy LeBeau/ Gambit) and Ryan Reynolds (Wade Wilson/ Deadpool) deserve applause.

Another surprising strength in the film is its storyline. I looked at the trailer, like many others, and raised an eyebrow when watching characters like the Blob, Gambit, and Cyclops show up on the television. But believe it or not, they did a great job making these characters fit smoothly into the movie. It really is not as bad as many people may think when watching the trailer on television. Even Will.I.Am’s performance was pretty descent. Actually, in my opinion, the creative and intriguing storyline is probably the main strength of the film and is what causes the film to be just barely successful.    

The main problem with X-Men Origins: Wolverine however, is not the storyline or changes that veer from comic origin, but rather from the factor you would least expect in a superhero action movie, and that is the special effects. The biggest downfall of the movie, and what causes it to lose higher praise, comes from the over abundance of CGI. Quite frankly, I am a little disappointed in the effects put in for the film. I mean come on, this is a Wolverine movie, and again I emphasize, a Wolverine movie; and with a Wolverine movie, the special effects need to be on point. To tell you the truth, the Wolverine claws looked more realistic in the regular X-Men films. So beware, and I warn you ahead of time, you might find yourself fighting to hold in a chuckle or two during a couple of the scenes.

But besides the CGI effects, the film is pretty good overall. I encourage all superhero fans to buy a ticket and watch it, along with any general action flick fans, because if you are a fan, it really is worth the couple of dollars. But remember, if you relate the movie to the comics you might find yourself disappointed, so try to see the movie in a new state of mind. And like many other hero films, there is a clip after the credits. Actually there are multiple post-credit endings, and the one you see depends on the theater you watch it in; therefore, you will either have to watch the film multiple times in multiple different theaters, or wait until the DVD release to watch all the alternate endings. I personally recommend waiting for the DVD. And with that, X-Men Origins: Wolverine gets a “B” in my book.