I will be referencing my initial review of the X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE workprint released onto the internet last month, so if you want to check that out, it's preserved here. As you may recall, I somewhat enjoyed what I saw of the rough cut of WOLVERINE last month. No, it wasn't GONE WITH THE WIND - hell, it was barely BLADE 2 - but I don't go to a movie like WOLVERINE with high expectations of deep drama or complex plotting. On its own terms, WOLVERINE mostly delivered what was necessary. Upon a second viewing, I'm only slightly less enthralled. One of the biggest disappointments in the final product is the shoddy state of the effects in this film. The workprint I saw contained rough CGI renders of the final effects, but the finished film has barely improved upon them. It's hard to believe this is a major tentpole film for FOX considering the effects work here. Some of it is so bad that it looked like hand-drawn animation from some old Max Fleischer short. Atrocious. This is a film almost completely reliant on special effects money shots, yet this is the biggest problem with the film. Since I am not a comic book fanatic, I cannot tell you how well the storyline adheres to the legend of Wolverine, although given how clumsily it seems to fit into the universe, I would say it takes some liberties with the material. The sheer amount of backstory presented is overwhelming and slightly confusing; I would have preferred it if they would have trimmed it down to its essence. Hugh Jackman reprises his trademark snarl to mostly good effect. Unfortunately, character motivation in the script is all over the place, causing Jackman's performance to feel more uneven than in the previous films. He does have great chemistry with Liev Schreiber, who plays Sabretooth. It's a shame that the script didn't focus more on their relationship, because whenever they're onscreen together there is an electricity that's missing from much of the film. Aside from the horrible effects, the other problem with the film is the script. Too much backstory clogs up the first act, which is then followed by a clumsy journey from one mutant meeting to another, and is then capped by a climax that seems to lack proper motivation or sense. Mutants like Gambit are introduced merely for the sake of introducing them, without much rhyme or reason. The conclusion does silly things like have Wolverine climb to the top of a nuclear cooling tower ... the only obvious reason being that it looks cool. Of course, it doesn't look cool with effects like these. I know it sounds like I hated the movie, but I didn't. Neither did my audience, who laughed at several lines and jumped at several kepy moments. Overall, they seemed to enjoy it for what it is: a mindless funhouse ride. X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE will not win Oscars next year, but for now, it will satiate the hunger for superhero films. For now.