I have been a fan of comic books since I could read at 5 years old, and I am just one of the many “superhero” junkies, who are exuberated about the fact that Hollywood has decided make the comics into movies. Over the last decade or so, special effects and the creative world and graphics of cinema and technology have allowed me to really get to see my favorite heroes in action. The Hulk, Fantastic Four and similar cartoons, but the best one so far has been the series of the X-Men movies.

The first and second movies were made in 2000 and 2003, with Bryan Singer directing them. The first movie basically introduced the main characters Professor Xavier, Wolverine, Rogue, Storm and Magneto. The second introduced a few more of the extensive list of Marvel Comic mutants. The third was made in 2005 and directed by Brett Ratner.

The lastest installment of the X-Men phenomenon is “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” which opened May 1. Starring Hugh Jackman, of course, as Wolverine, the movie centers around how he transformed from Logan to Wolverine. Wolverine is my all-time favorite X-Men hero, Storm is second and then comes Gambit the Louisiana card slinger, who just now debuted in an X-Men movie.

The movie covers how Wolverine gets his metal claws and even faster healing ability from the experiment that Stryker tricked him into getting. I was totally on the edge of my seat, wishing that I were a mutant with special powers during the fight scenes.

I do have to say that I was not at all a fan of Wolverine’s best friend and army brother, Victor, also known as Sabertooth, played by Liev Schreiber, until he showed his devotion to Wolverine as a friend of his since childhood.

Since I am somewhat a comic-book freak, I was upset to see that the storyline was not as accurate to the comics but very similar to it. The characters, such as Sabertooth, had a chance to be introduced and should have left the spot open for a hero who has yet to be mentioned in the film versions of these popular cartoons beginning during the 1900s.

In the comics, Wolverine was captured by mad scientists and tortured to find out his capabilities, and there he acquired his metal exoskeleton and claws. The movie veers away from the forced capture of Wolverine in the comic books and cartoons and has him willing to be experimented on.

The movie completely changes the storyline of Wolverine’s childhood and his relationship to Sabertooth. The story that he and Sabertooth became friends and left Canada was not in the original comics.

The way the filmmakers introduced Gambit into the X-Men trilogy was slightly parallel with the comics but is altered to fit him into the storyline of the previous movies. As a total comic fanatic, I saw this movie as an opportunity to clarify who Gambit is and where he came from. There were numerous other small details that I noticed about the movie but not big enough for me to point out unless everyone is a diehard fan of superheroes like myself. I also need to take into account that the very first X- Men movie was a combination of the long-running comic book series and so has every movie thereafter. So, based on the director’s decision to combine the comics to make these movies possible, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is pretty accurate.

If you’re not a fan of X-Men in particular, but like action and exceptional special effects, then you would definitely enjoy this film.

5 out of 5 stars