In the 1840s, a young boy discovers that he has special powers; 160 years later, he’s a veteran of every American conflict since the Civil War, but is about to face his greatest challenge yet.

The fourth movie in this franchise provides us with a background for Wolverine before he met Professor X. It’s an interesting set-up that soon degenerates into a clichéd battle between good and evil.

The characters are paper-thin, but Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber are fun to watch and the action scenes deliver the goods.

2009-U.S. 107 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Gavin Hood. Screenplay: David Benioff, Skip Woods. Cast: Hugh Jackman (Logan/Wolverine), Liev Schreiber (Victor Creed), Danny Huston (William Stryker), Will.i.am, Lynn Collins, Ryan Reynolds… Troye Sivan. Cameo: Patrick Stewart. 

Trivia: Co-produced by Jackman. Zack Snyder, Brett Ratner and Bryan Singer were considered for directing duties. Michelle Monaghan was offered Collins’s role. Reynolds plays Deadpool and got his own movie in 2016, Deadpool. Followed by X-Men: First Class (2011).