Hugh Jackman sharpens his retractable, adamantium claws in this spin off from the X-Men films, expanding the back-story of one of the franchise’s most popular characters.

Screenwriters David Benioff and Skip Woods have the unenviable task of entertaining ardent fans of the comic books whilst forging links with the three blockbuster films.

In the end, they please no one entirely, punctuating a poorly paced narrative with explosive action set pieces overloaded with digital special effects.

The variable quality of the computer trickery and some overly enthusiastic editing reduce the impact of these pivotal sequences.

There are a few glaring continuity errors too like when Wolverine interrogates an adversary and the claws, used to keep the subject in place, vanish from certain angles.

Or the underwater transformation, which begins with the lead character wearing a pair of dark shorts that somehow evaporate by the time he emerges from the pool.

Cue the gratuitous shots of Jackman’s pert posterior.

Mutant best friends Logan (Jackman) and Victor (Liev Schreiber) fight side by side in the American Civil War, then two World Wars and in Vietnam, until shady military man William Stryker (Danny Huston) approaches them with a tantalising offer: ‘I’m putting together a special team with special privileges!’ He introduces Logan and Victor to Team X: a merry band of mutants including sharp-shooter David North (Daniel Henney), super-strong Fred Dukes (Kevin Durand), master swordsman Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), teleporter extraordinaire John Wraith (will.i.am) and the electrifying Bradley (Dominic Monaghan), who can make technology do his bidding.

Disillusioned by the senseless killing, Logan leaves the fold to pursue a ‘normal’ life in Canadian Rockies with girlfriend Kayla (Lynn Collins).

However, the men in charge of Team X refuse to let their prize asset walk away, pitting the clawed warrior against his one-time brothers in arms.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a haphazard introduction to an iconic character, which doesn’t tell us a great deal about a man constantly at odds with his animal instincts.

Logan certainly isn’t the brightest cub in the litter.

It takes an inordinate amount of time for the brawler to twig that he is a pawn in a bigger game, and then more time still to punish those who betrayed him because the screenplay forces him to drag his claws through a ridiculous, cartoonish boxing match with The Blob.

Jackman snarls and sheds the odd tear during the simplistic romantic subplot but genuine emotion is waylaid by the action.

Schreiber and Huston are two-dimensional baddies and the other members of Team X have insufficient time to make their mark.

A familiar face (digitally rejuvenated) from the series makes a surprise appearance in the closing minutes.

The end credits include two forgettable scenes: an additional glimpse of Stryker and a final lingering moment with Logan, providing the clear link with the beginning of the first X-Men film.

• Release Date: Wednesday 29 April 2009
• Certificate: 12A
• Runtime: 107mins