The Wolverine

The Wolverine takes a interesting look back at Wolverine past, but in a present setting. It has quite a few issues, and some annoyances. But when its predecessor was so awful, does making a few mistakes really matter? Wolverine as a franchise needed to improve greatly, and this movie tries to do this by setting itself aside from the other X films. With a story that does not seem at home in the marvel movie universe, does it manage to make up for the original Wolverine film?

Let's start with the story. Wolverine saved a Japanese soldiers life back at Hiroshima when the bomb was dropped. Many years have passed, and that soldier is now a old man at deaths door. He wishes to thank Logan for saving him, and invites him to his home in Tokyo. When Logan arrives, the man offers him a gift. He can take away his mutant powers, allowing him to give up his immortality. The man wishes for Logan to transfer his powers to him, as he is not ready to die. Logan refuses, but wouldn't you know it, bad stuff happens anyways. He is weakened, and his friends grand daughter is being targeted.

The story works pretty well within the movie, but it certainly doesn't feel like anything marvel has done before. If anything it reminded me of the older Blade movies, in that it was slow paced with good action thrown in from time to time. The story is also very Japanese, which isn't a bad thing. While you would expect "The Wolverine" to be mostly action, there really wasn't to much until the end. It focuses more on telling a tale about family, and honor. It wants you to know the different roles, and it focuses on what was really a defining moment in Logan's past. Comparing it to the first Wolverine film, this one easily outdoes the original in this category. I felt the story was one of the stronger parts of the movie.

One nice thing about the setting, mostly Japan, is that all the scenery is fantastic to look at. While some of the movie takes place in Tokyo, quite a lot of it takes place in the smaller cities and villages. You get to see some very beautiful architecture, and I really enjoyed seeing the country as they traveled about. The movie tried to show off multiple sides of Japan, as well as its different cultures.

This movie is a good bit bloodier then I was expecting, though for me that is not a bad thing. It is pg, so it doesn't go to overboard, but it is quite a bit worse then the first one. Seeing Wolverine cut people apart, or tossing them into heavy machinery that then spews blood and pulp is a treat. The effects were decent, and the claws no longer looked fake and ugly. While he did still do some things that are frankly impossible, even for him, most of the cheese factor was toned down. Well until the ending, but more on that later.

For acting, you have Hugh Jackman as Logan. Chances are by now, you have seen one of the X-men movies and know what to expect. He does well enough with the role, and continues to play it much like he has in the past. Famke Janssen has a surprisingly big role int his film as the deceased Jean Grey. Logan sees her quite frequently, both when he is asleep or on the verge of passing out. He is obsessed with her, and she acts almost like a guide for him at times. She did well enough with the role, though she never really gets to do much with it. Still it was a nice treat seeing her reprise the role, as I did not know she was in the movie going into it. The other two major players are Tao Okamoto as Mariko, Wolverines love interest. And Rila Fukushima, who plays his partner more or less. They both seemed to do well enough, though Fukushima was a stand out star in in the movie. She played bad ass rather well, and seeing her flip around and tear apart ninjas and Yakuza was very entertaining.

While it was neat to see Jean Grey used again, it was one of the things I didn't really like about the film. At first it was a nice touch, but she kept showing up over and over again. Logan can not let her go, and that actually plays into the story. He killed her in the last x-men movie, and that still haunts him. He also has not dealt with the fact that he loved her, but she never loved him in a romantic way. In the comics Logan has recently started a new school, and named it after Jean Grey. It is a direct competitor to her Husbands school, so clearly him not being over her works within the film. Still the extent they used it just got old, and came off as more creepy then anything else.

Now for the ending, and no don't worry about spoilers. Up until the ending, the movie was pretty decent. You had a good story, some cool fight scenes, and very little cheese. In the end though, that all goes out the window. You get a horrible final fight, that honestly didn't feel like it fit within the rest of the movie. I was leaning towards a pretty positive review until the last 15 minutes or so. It is not to say that they totally ruined the film, not by a long shot. But they did detract from everything else. Still it was better then a mute Deadpool getting his head cut off while he has Cyclop's mutant powers.

In the end, this movie was easily better then the original. Pretty much in every aspect. While the ending did take away from it a little, it still managed to be better then I thought it would be going into it. I was entertained for the duration, and we got some good action out of it. There is even a nice stinger after the credits, which I believe is a nod to Future Past, the next X-men movie.