The Wolverine 3D Review

Rated PG-13 (Sequences of Intense Sci-Fi Action and Violence, Some Sexuality and Language)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 6 Minutes

Cast-

Hugh Jackman-James Howlett/Logan/Wolverine

Tao Okamoto-Mariko Yashida

Rila Fukushima-Yukio

Hiroyuki Sanada-Shingen Yashida

Svetlana Khodchenkova-Viper

Will Yun Lee-Kenuichio Harada

Haruhiko Yamanouchi-Yashida

Brian Tee-Norubo Mori

Famke Janssen-Jean Grey

Ken Yamamura-Young Yashida

Directed by James Mangold

Logan finds himself on foreign land in "The Wolverine."

Note: Screened on Tuesday, July 23, 2013 at AMC Empire 25.

One of the most memorable scenes in 2003's "X2: X-Men United" is when genocidal military scientist William Stryker (played by Brian Cox) leads a daring attack on the X-Mansion, forcing Wolverine to go full 'berserker rage' against his men in order to protect the students. Now imagine taking this one scene and stretching it into a two-hour film. That is "The Wolverine" in a nutshell. I can hardly believe that it's been thirteen years since Australian actor Hugh Jackman was cast in the role of the famous X-Man and since then, he's portrayed the character six times, with an upcoming seventh appearance in next summer's highly-anticipated "X-Men: Days of Future Past." What's amazing is that Jackman still remains passionate about Wolverine when most actors who've played superheroes move on to other roles after their third outing (like Christian Bale with Batman). He pretty much owes his entire career to the ol' Canucklehead but Jackman has smartly avoided being typecast. Created by writer Len Wein and illustrator John Romita, Sr., Wolverine made his first appearance in 1974's The Incredible Hulk #180 before joining the X-Men in Giant-Size X-Men #1. One of the most popular comic book characters of all time, it was no surprise to find Wolverine dominating the "X-Men" films and he was eventually given his own spin-off with 2009's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." Unfortunately, this prequel ended up being a flop with critics (38% on Rotten Tomatoes), although it was still a box office success with $373.1 million worldwide. Looking to finally do the character proper justice, "The Wolverine" delivers a surprisingly intimate character piece that deftly blends action and drama with another excellent performance from Hugh Jackman.

Near the end of World War II, Logan (Hugh Jackman) finds himself captured by the Japanese and is imprisoned under a well in a military camp near the city of Nagasaki. When the sentries spot the Enola Gay preparing to drop the atomic bomb, a young soldier named Yashida releases all the Allied prisoners before preparing to commit Seppuku. Logan, however, saves him at the last minute and drags him down to the well to protect him from the ensuing blast. A grateful Yashida offers his sword as thanks but Logan refuses and instead asks the soldier to keep it safe for him instead. In the present day, a dying Yashida (Haruhiko Yamanouchi) seeks to return the favor and sends red-haired mutant Yukio (Rila Fukushima) to retrieve Logan, who has become a drifter wandering the Canadian wilds after being forced to kill his great love, Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), when she was consumed by the Phoenix. It takes some convincing but Logan agrees to fly to Tokyo, Japan to see Yashida before he passes away. On his deathbed, Yashida offers Logan a chance at mortality and a dignified death in exchange for the mutant's healing abilities. Although tempted, Logan declines but he soon becomes embroiled in a plot by the Yakuza to kidnap Yashida's granddaughter, Mariko (Tao Okamoto). Logan is forced to protect her as he fends off Black Clan leader Harada (Will Yun Lee) and his mysterious ally, Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova).

Described by Hugh Jackman as the 'definitive Wolverine film,' James Mangold's "The Wolverine" is loosely based on the 1982 limited series from writer Chris Claremont and illustrator Frank Miller but it also does double duty as a sequel to both 2009's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand." The Gavin Hood-directed prequel was by all accounts a disaster (looking back, I may have been too lenient on it in my review) as it took the origin story of Marvel's most popular mutant and threw in a bunch of random characters that had no business being there. Don't even get me started on how the film completely bastardized Deadpool, the famous 'Merc with a Mouth.' To my great relief, "The Wolverine" rights many of its predecessor's wrongs and what's refreshing about this film is that it's more of a character-driven drama than a standard superhero movie. Instead of saving the world, Logan is slicing and dicing gun-toting Yakuza thugs and sword-wielding ninjas. The Japan setting gives the story an exotic flair, with Mangold taking full advantage of the country's unique architecture, customs, and even its language, but what impressed me the most is how well the writers (Mark Bomback, Scott Frank, and Christopher McQuarrie) got to the heart of Wolverine being a tragic hero. After an intense prologue set during the bombing of Nagasaki in 1945, the film fast-forwards to the present day where a heavily-bearded Logan is living like a hermit out in the Canadian wild. Haunted by the death of Jean Grey, he left the X-Men to wallow in his own guilt. He only returns to civilization (albeit reluctantly) when Yukio seeks him out and convinces him to visit his old friend Yashida before he passes away. Given all the pain he's suffered through the years, the script zeroes in on the burden of immortality and compares Logan to a 'rōnin,' a samurai without a master and thus without a purpose. This is Logan's journey in "The Wolverine": to have something worthy to fight for again. That 'something' arrives in the form of Mariko and while the romance between them is somewhat contrived, Mangold adds an interesting wrinkle to it by having the deceased Jean as 'the other woman.' Even when the film threatens to go off the rails with its overly-convoluted plot, it never loses sight of the characters and it is that focus that makes "The Wolverine" a resounding success.

Although much of the film functions as a brooding character study, there's still quite a lot of action to be found. At one point, Logan finds himself battling a group of Yakuza on top of a speeding bullet train and to make matters worse, his healing factor has been suppressed! Yes, the violence level is still strictly PG-13 yet Mangold manages to lend the fights enough grit and brutality so that it doesn't feel too handicapped. Many critics have complained about the third act feeling too 'cartoonish' but I quite enjoyed it. The Silver Samurai has been reimagined into a large, adamantium robot and while it does come off as silly given how serious the previous ninety minutes were, the resulting fight between this seemingly mindless automaton and Logan is just so well done that it left me on the edge of my seat. Of course, it wouldn't be proper for a film set in Japan to not have some sword-on-sword action, which is where Yukio comes in. She engages in a furious duel to the death with Shingen (Hiroyuki Sanada), who is dressed in full samurai garb. Disappointingly, the 3D fails to add much to the film. There are no brightness issues but because "The Wolverine" is so dialogue-driven, there's very little opportunity to let the 3D shine. Better save your money and go for the 2D version, folks.

This may be Hugh Jackman's sixth outing as Wolverine yet the actor's passion for the Marvel character remains undiminished. Similar to how all portrayals of Superman are inevitably compared to Christopher Reeve's, any actor that plays Wolverine in the future will be compared to Jackman due to the way he embodied the role so completely. It would be so easy for Jackman to slip into auto-pilot and yet…he doesn't. Even with the story in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" collapsing all around him, he continues to be committed and that commitment carries over to this film. The rest of the supporting Japanese cast deliver solid performances, with Rila Fukushima coming across as quite the badass as the red-haired Yukio. Tao Okamoto gives the picture a feminine touch, even though she's reduced to being the token damsel-in-distress by the end. Both share some nice chemistry with Jackman and what's surprising is that neither of them has acted before. The weakest link is Svetlana Khodchenkova's Viper. She definitely looks sexy as a femme fatale should but the character never comes across as a legitimate threat and feels like a second-rate Poison Ivy. Suffering from an underwritten role is Will Yun Lee's Harada and I have to admit, I was never really sure what side he was on. One minute he's ordering his ninjas to bring Logan down and the next he's helping him against Silver Samurai. Make up your damn mind!

Released on July 26, 2013, "The Wolverine" has received positive reviews with 66% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics found that 'its final act succumbs to the usual cartoonish antics [but the film]…manages to stay true to the comics while keeping casual viewers entertained.' Despite the negative reception from "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," the "X-Men" franchise has proved surprisingly resilient. 2011's "X-Men: First Class" was a welcome return to form for the series and "The Wolverine" continues that trend. Box office success is all but guaranteed and 20th Century Fox is estimating an opening weekend of $60 to $65 million, although it could go up to as high as $75 million. The stakes may not be as high compared to other superhero films but "The Wolverine" still ends up being a winner because it remembers that a good story is sometimes all you need.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

"Eternity can be a curse. The losses you have had to suffer... a man can run out of things to care for, lose his purpose." 

Make sure to stay during the end credits!