"X-Men Origins: Wolverine"

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Danny Huston, Will.i.Am, Lynn Collins, Ryan Reynolds

MPAA rating: PG13 (for intense action sequences and violence, slight partial nudity)

Running time: 107 minutes

Best suited for: XMen connoisseurs, Hugh Jackman fans

Least suited for: the nonsuperhero inclined

Okay, so I'm not really an XMen fan. I guess I like my superheroes in single doses, not in multiple numbers. There's too much brooding angst, it seems, when a gaggle of superheroes mope around, moaning to one another about the fate of being either (a) super or (b) a hero.

That being said, "XMen Origins: Wolverine" is the best of the X-Men franchise so far. "So far" because "Wolverine" springs open a plethora of opportunities to further the career of not only Wolverine but of every bloody mutant out there.There just may be enough X-Men to take us into the next century.

But "XMen Origins: Wolverine"—oh, heck, just "XM4"— plucks the most notorious of the bunch and delivers him center stage, for the most part as a lone, tormented protagonist. It also nicely gives Wolverine (played by a ripped Hugh Jackman) a credible back story and an interesting lineage.

Generally speaking, I'm not really a fan of the prequel either— but "XM4" manages to find the right blend of action and character history. Seems that mutants have been meandering around the fringes of humanity for a long time, Wolverine since the mid19th century. Part human, part wolflike creature (good olfactory perceptions, retractable stilettolike claws, superhuman strength), Wolverine also has the advantage of immortality. Unless one cuts off his head, that is.

Like all those nearly immortal "Highlander" folks, the only way to dispatch certain mutants is by separating them from their noggins. Nothing else works. And "XM4" spends a good many moments showing us the various ways not to kill Wolverine, or his half-brother Victor (Liev Schreiber), who's more of a catlike mutant but also immune to most lethal dangers.

For a while the two brothers drift through eternity together, but when Victor's bloodlust becomes too strong, Wolverine retires from superhero status, intent on living a more quiet existence with his girlfriend in the Canadian wilderness.

But, of course, the U.S. government has other plans. . . .

For me, the weakest part of "XM4" is that the U.S. government always has other plans for reluctant superheroes. And reluctant superheroes always have equally nasty foes (familial or not), and girlfriends always get in the way and revenge always seems to push a superhero's story along to a usually (not always, but usually) predictable conclusion.

In other words, there's nothing really new happening in Superhero Land. Yeah, Jackman is fun to watch, and Shreiber is delightfully smarmy, and the military is appropriately devious . . . but one doesn't lose the nagging feeling that it's all been done before.

For the X-fanatics among us, these words are likely heresy, but if you're a fan of the superhero genre, there's not a review in the world that's going to keep you away from this one. I admit the computer graphics are superb and numerous—sparks fly and buildings tumble and mutants tussle and Wolverine's claws can slice and dice in the most dramatic of ways.

So if you're a fan of Jackman, or a fan of the "X-Men" series, by all means go and enjoy. But if you like your graphic novel heroes in more measured doses, I'm not sure "XM4" is the right film for you.

If you haven't yet heard the whispers about the upcoming "Ghostopolis"—Jackman again, in a more ethereal role—keep an ear out. Others, perhaps worthy of anticipation: "The Pale Horsemen," "Sin City 2," "Dr. Strange" and Robert Downey Jr. in "Iron Man 2."

For better or for worse, films based on graphic novels will be among us for a long, long while. Choose wisely, pilgrim.