'Wolverine' pic: Overstuffed or lean and mean?

New pics from "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" show up seemingly every week, presumably because a trailer is imminent with the release of Fox's "The Day the Earth Stood Still" on Dec. 12. The film, which isn't out until May 1, will be the first big test of how well Fox can handle the X-Men franchise in the wake of "X-Men: The Last Stand."

The first major concern is that this film is trying to bite off too much. The photos and cast list on IMDB indicate that we'll be seeing Logan fighting as far back as World War II, his relationship with Sabretooth (unhinted at in "X-Men"), a whole bunch of mutants making their first film appearances and possibly elements of the still-controversial "Origin" series from 2001. All of which just makes this thing look way too crowded, what with Deadpool, Beak, Silver Fox, William Stryker, Agent Zero, Gambit, The Blob, John Wraith and, apparently, Scott "Cyclops" Summers all set to show up. You have to wonder if there's room left in such a film for Wolverine, especially with Fox actively talking about a spinoff for Deadpool. Alternately, charges of not giving each character their due are sure to come up, as is a question of coherence and clarity for folks who don't know all these folks' backstories. That kind of storytelling is the sort of thing that could turn the general audiences away from superhero pics, much the way they frustrate the casual comics fan.

On the plus side, the pictures look interesting. Jackman's really bulked up his physique and looks as good as ever in the role. The much-leaked Comic-Con footage shows a lot of action, which could go a long way toward overcoming story weaknesses. And Fox and Jackman have a lot on the line with this, so you can be sure they will do everything they can to avoid disaster. I also like the idea of having an actor like Liev Shreiber play Sabretooth — he's the sort who can give it the kind of depth it needs. Not being too much of a Deadpool fan, I still think Ryan Reynolds is good at that sort of wise-cracking hero thing and another good choice. Gavin Hood remains an unknown quantity — "Tsotsi" was acclaimed, but rumors of troubles on the set last year and the dispatching of Richard Donner to smooth things out is less than encouraging.