Last night, I stayed up to watch the 12:01AM showing of the new X-men Origins: Wolverine movie. Easily, I could say that this movie is not worth losing sleep over.

Heralded as the "first film of the Summer," Origins is action-packed but not quite a blockbuster. The fight scenes are average for the most part, but are short and lack depth. The fighting skills of Wolverine seem childish and elementary, while the sequences are altogether predictable. The special effects are up to expectations but are not cutting-edge as there is not much fascination of how it was done. Hugh Jackman as a physically convincing Wolverine is still palatable and the casting overall is well done, a remainder leftover from the X-Men films.

Simply on a the level of basic film mechanics, Origins is sloppy and has many shoddy elements. The editing is choppy and it seems almost as if the editor did not have enough time or attention to weave the story together in a cohesive manner. Besides the inaccurate plot points [which will be discussed later], the film's focus is lost as the direction is muddled by the interjected cameos of other mutant stars. All of the characters, including that of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), are not developed completely and appear to be half-baked. Even for a sharp viewer, these elements are distracting and take away from the complete movie going experience.

Unlike DC, Marvel is often known for their use of humor in the comic books as well as the films. While these conventions were strong in films like Spider-Man, Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, there is simply a lack of connection with the audience in Origins. The use of classic Wolverine phraseology is contrived and ill-placed; it seems as if the writers were begrudgingly forced to put those words in the script.

If you are a X-Men comics reader, disappointment is unavoidable simply because of the detraction from the original story. Each of these straying factors create a weaker more sensitive Wolverine character that is not true to the comic book. The story starts off in a with the classic tone of the X-Men movies, with a past anecdote. This plot line unnecessarily links two characters who, although have similar ties, are not linked by blood.

**WARNING: Spoilers ahead**

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