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!
Make sure to stay during the end credits!
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