Daniel Cann

When I left the cinema about two hours later I can happily say I was thoroughly entertained and relieved to be proved wrong. All my misgivings were unfounded. 'Wolverine' is one of those popular things doing the rounds in Hollywood at the moment, a prequel. This will already have a solid fan base thanks to the three X-Men films and the comics. Despite what other critics are saying about this fans and the general viewing public will not be disappointed. This has crossover appeal and both camps should be appeased.

In this spin-off we learn more about Logan aka Wolverine played here with gusto and a lot of grunting and snarling by Hugh Jackman. The action begins in 1845, Canada and encompases several wars from different eras before arriving in the present day. We discover that Logan has a brother, Victor Creed aka Sabretooth played with cool malevolence and menace by Liev Schreiber. Throughout the film the two duel and fight only like brothers can. This sibling rivalry drives the plot to this film and there is plenty of high adrenalin action to keep the fanboys drooling into their popcorn.

A younger Colonel William Stryker (Danny Huston) is back as the hissable villain, a kind of modern day Josef Mengle who conducts experiments on mutants in his secret lair on three mile island. The plot is slightly convoluted and contrived at times, but hey kids this is sci fi and action! Not to be taken seriously. We meet other mutants like The Blob, Agent Zero, Bolt, Deadpool and Gambit. There are enough newcomers to keep this moving along nicely as well as exciting.

The scenery and photography are simply breathtaking as well, not something I thought I would say about a film based on a comic. As the camera swoops over the Canadian Rockies you are treated to majestic eye candy. There is plenty of love, betrayal, camaraderie and suspense to keep proceedings going.

If you accept it on its own terms this is first rate Saturday morning popcorn entertainment. This is what the cinema was made for: Big dumb action on the big screen. I personally enjoyed finding out more about the enigmatic Logan/Wolverine and found the film had plenty of dry humour to compliment the action. Worth checking out (especially if the reel is damaged on your original choice!)