Hugh Jackman (center) with the cast of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”: From left, Taylor Kitsch, Will.I.Am, Liev Schrieber, Jackman, Tim Pocock, Ryan Reynolds and Lynn Collins. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox.

If George Lucas can do prequels for his “Star Wars” franchise, then why not do the same for the Marvel Comics series of “X-Men” films? As far as I am concerned, there should be little argument that “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” comes out on top as a far better prequel. In fact, it could be better than some of the original “X-Men” trilogy, or perhaps I just have a faulty memory, which also explains my inability to recall another movie I saw recently.

OK, I digress, but “Wolverine,” the preferred shortened title, does a bang-up job of delivering the action goods.

For the first time, we learn that Hugh Jackman’s Logan (nicknamed Wolverine) is roughly about 175 years old. The film opens with him as a sickly child before the Civil War, and after a terrible family mishap, he’s on the run with his brother Victor Creed.

In a montage of war footage that would do well in a John Wayne movie, we see both Wolverine and Victor (Liev Schreiber) as soldiers fighting for the Union during the Civil War. Then we see them fighting in World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War.

We don’t see them with Teddy Roosevelt in the Spanish-American War, or even in Grenada or Desert Storm, and we don’t know why they missed this action. But it goes without saying that Jackman looks terrific, with rippling muscles and all, as a guy closing in on being a double centenarian.

In the relatively contemporary times, Logan and Victor team up with a band of mercenaries under the command of Colonel Stryker (Danny Huston). They are sold on the idea that they are actually part of an elite special team known as Team X, comprised of mutants possessing powers that make them relentless.

Ostensibly, they are going to pursue and destroy mutants that pose a threat to the world. But as everyone knows, Stryker has his own diabolical plans to create a super-mutant, one who harnesses all the special powers into one unstoppable force. On a disastrous mission in Nigeria, Logan decides to walk away from the group in disgust.

Years later, Logan is living in the Canadian forest, working as a lumberjack and sharing a woodsy home with his teacher girlfriend Kayla Silverfox (Lynn Collins). The beautiful romance turns tragic when Victor tracks down his brother and decides to kill Kayla only so that Logan, who acquired the nickname Wolverine from his girlfriend, will rejoin the mercenary force.

It’s a strange way to recruit, but Wolverine rejoins Team X with the intention of exacting revenge on Victor. In what looks like a Frankenstein experiment, Stryker convinces Wolverine to undergo a dangerous operation that will turn him into a virtually indestructible force, as his entire body is reinforced with a metal alloy called adamantium.

Though Wolverine is often consumed by rage, he’s hardly the brutal fighter like his brother Victor. Still, revenge is very much on his mind, which explains his deal with Styker. However, Wolverine emerges from the painful ordeal of his transformation to face yet another betrayal and an epic showdown with the next generation of Stryker’s military experiments, hidden away on Three Mile Island. Stryker has been busy abducting mutants to fulfill his twisted mandate of turning them into weapons, the deadliest of which is Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), who once was a motormouth with the wittiest lines of dialogue.

Fans of the “X-Men” franchise will likely be thrilled with the cast of so many interesting characters on Team X, from the fearsome Agent Zero (Daniel Henney), an expert tracker with lethal marksmanship skills, to Fred J. Dukes (Kevin Durand), a supreme warrior who let himself go and became a 700-pound behemoth known as the Blob as well as the fiercest boxer in the land.

The comic book fans are also going to be excited that this film marks the first presence of Gambit (Taylor Kitsch), a flamboyant New Orleans card shark who also goes by the name of Remy LeBeau. Gambit has special skills that involve the creative use of a deck of playing cards.

Hugh Jackman, who also has a new role as the film’s producer, is quoted in the press notes as saying that he had more “fun playing Wolverine in this film than ever before.”

Ordinarily, this type of gratuitous statement could be dismissed for hype, but given how much excitement is found in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” it seems to ring true.

What’s truly great about this film is the fast-paced action keeps the level of excitement humming all the way through, while the characters prove to be interesting and some great humor is tossed in to heighten the fun.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

Probably one of the stranger shows on TV is “Dexter,” the Showtime series that is quirky and eerily subversive.

Michael C. Hall stars as Dexter Morgan, a killer who serves as the series’ hero and star in a unique crime drama that is equally horrifying and intoxicating.

The second season of “Dexter” featured guest performances from an array of stars, including Keith Carradine, JoBeth Williams and Jaime Murray.

Now in DVD release, “Dexter: The Complete Second Season” also offers a bunch of special features, in addition to the first two episodes of the Showtime series “United States of Tara.”'

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

Brothers Logan (aka Wolverine) and Victor Creed (aka Sabretooth) clash during “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” From left, Hugh Jackman as Logan Creed and Liev Schreiber as Victor Creed. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox.

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