It's A Super Weekend...Part Two..."The Wolverine"

The Wolverine (2013)
Rated PG-13 for Violence and Language

Starring Hugh Jackman, Famke Janssen

Directed by James Mangold


The best there is at what he does...mostly.

The Story:

Wolverine/Logan (Jackman) has been in seclusion since last we saw him.  He is haunted by dreams of Jean Grey (Janssen) and longs to join her in death.  Lucky for him, Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi) has the resources to give Wolverine that peace, and repay a debt of gratitude from long ago.  Accompanied by Yukio (Rila Fukushima), they return to Japan where he meets Yashida's granddaughter Mariko (Tao Okamoto).  However, when Yashida dies and the Yakuza come gunning for Mariko, it's up to Wolverine to keep her safe.  However, there's one problem... his healing factor appears to be gone, so he's going to get hurt...badly... and may not survive what's coming next.

Ah, much better.

To be honest, I have seen the first 3 X-Men movies, and they get a collective "meh" from me.  Amazingly, I think Last Stand, the most reviled of the three, is my favorite.  It's the one that most approached the appeal of the comics.

Then there was X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

So much potential...  so poorly executed.

"Seriously?"

My biggest beef, you don't cast Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, then sew his mouth shut. 

Stupid.
Stupid.
Stupid.

Of course, Fox knows they have a cash cow, they just have to keep cranking out these films to avoid having the rights going back to Disney where a proper X-Men film can be made.

"Do I Want To Be In Your Movie?  Let Me Think About That..."

Thankfully, they hit the reset button with X-Men: First Class, easily the best of the entire X-Franchise, and it seems like Fox was at least willing to try and treat the franchise with the respect and care that it deserves to at least try and compete with Marvel Studios for quality superhero movies.

Then the focus turns back to the star of the franchise, Wolverine.

How do they fare this time?

Better.

"That Plane Can't Be A Good Thing..."

Much, much better.

I absolutely loved the flashback to Logan's tenure in a prison camp during WWII, and how he creates his bond with Yashida.  It's very well done, and makes the comic and movie fan wish that the entire Marvel Universe was under one umbrella, because how cool would a WWII movie with Cap and Wolverine be?

Yeah... Pretty cool!













Then we have Wolverine's Japanese adventures, and aside from a few scenes that just seem slightly jarring in the manner in which they were filmed, overall, everything works.

What I wasn't a fan of...

Silver Samurai as a giant robotic suit.  I understand the why, it doesn't mean I have to like it.

Wolverine's claws.  Never a fan of the bone claws, and hopefully he'll have those things fixed by the next movie.  However, I understand that due to his age, he's had the adamantium claws for much less time than he's had them as bones.  Fair enough.

Which leads me to the closing credits...

Come on people, why do you keep getting out of your seats when a Marvel film from any studio is over?

"Even the God of Thunder and a World War II Super-Soldier Have Figured This Out"

 Would it kill you to sit still for an extra 3-5 minutes?

At worst, you acknowledge the hundreds of people that devoted hours to bringing you entertainment for 2 hours.

At best, you might see something pretty cool.

Looking forward to the next film.


Final Grade: Complaints aside, I'll give Wolverine a solid B.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'd happily give this one another viewing, and I'm sure it will find a spot in my library sooner, rather than later.