Film Review: The Wolverine
Chris Kneipp checks in with us about The Wolverine.
The Wolverine is the next instalment in the X Men series and its spinoffs, (not to be confused with “Wolverine,” which was the first spinoff.)
Hugh Jackman does a great job in the lead, as he puts back on his white singlet, adamantine claws and steps back into the role of Logan, the immortal mutant Wolverine. He’s hard not to like, both the actor and the character, and he brings the character to life as he reveals more of the tortured soul behind the claws.
The story begins in 1945 Nagasaki, Japan, as the Atomic Bomb drops onto the city and Wolverine saves the life of a Japanese guard, Yashida, from the firestorm.
We are propelled into the present and find our hero living like a hairy hermit in the woods. Why? If you haven’t seen X Men Last Stand you’ll find this bit of the movie a little hard to understand and I found it quite slow, even having seen the earlier movies. It plods along until we meet Yukio (Rila Fukushima) the red haired, butt kicking Samurai. I think she was the stand-out of the movie. Playing a Ronin, (a masterless samurai), her arrival signals the end of the movie’s slow part.
Without giving too much of the plot away, Yukio brings a message to Logan. Yashida is dying and wants to give him a gift. The gift turns out to be mortality. After hundreds of years of life, Wolverine has the chance to live out a normal life and die, instead of outliving everyone he cares about.
It was at this point I pretty much knew where the movie was going and there weren’t a lot of surprises, but you don’t go to see these action films for the plot right? You go for the action. Once Logan emerges from the wilderness, you get all the action you can handle.
Particularly good fun, is the fight scene that takes place in and on top of Japan’s high speed Bullet Train. The director, James Mangold seems to say stuff believability let’s just have a good time, and we do.
When the last fight is over, Wolverine goes back to his abnormal life and as the credits roll, the film makers give us one tantalising last scene. As with most movie series lately, we are given a clue as to what comes next in the franchise, so don’t leave as the credits roll or you’ll miss it.
Now I have to admit, I’ve enjoyed the whole X Men franchise, and though some have been better than others, it’s all just a bit of “park your brain at the door,” action and fun. When it comes to comparisons with X Men 1-3, First Class and Wolverine, The Wolverine is not the best of the franchise, the plot holes and predictability letting it down, but it’s not the worst either. This movie doesn’t add much to the whole mutant X Men back-story, but it’s an enjoyable filler while we wait for the next in the series, X Men, Days Of Future Past, to be released May next year.
The Wolverine is still showing in the cinema’s and if you’re just looking for fun and action, buy the ticket and see it on the big screen. If you’ve got the other movies on DVD, then it’s worth adding to the growing collection when it comes out, most likely around Christmas time.
