Faithful readers of the site should know (we only talk about it every other day) that this site only began from the “need” to argue in favor of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It’s funny in retrospect — but it does offer up a unique opportunity when tackling discussion of the sequel. In fact, as I walked into the theater to see the movie, a comment was made that should I dislike the film I would probably have to shut down the website.
Well, no worries. The site will remain operational for the time being, and four years after starting it we get to put out another positive review of a movie starring the ol’ Canucklehead.
Let’s talk about The Wolverine.
The Wolverine has regrettably tough shoes to fill. It operates, quite strangely, as a double-sequel: it follows up not only X-Men Origins: Wolverine but also X-Men: The Last Stand, a film released so long ago that our very definition of superhero cinema has dramatically changed in the time since. Both films are not without their flaws and both were received to mixed reviews, but the way in which we receive this type of movie now is so different that it stands worth noting that to truly expect a follow-up to that kind of movie just presents this weird daunting task.
Fortunately, Wolverine himself offers up a fitting out. Given that this is a character destined to live forever, it’s very easy to believe that any number of years have passed enough that it becomes worthwhile to return to Logan’s world, and that’s what the Wolverine does. Finding Wolverine in a post-Last Stand world of self-pity, Logan is contacted by a friend from his younger years who is looking for the impossible and he quickly finds himself lost in a world of shadow and doubt as a noir-influenced plot unfolds around the basic shell of a classic Claremont/Miller storyline.
The Wolverine spends its runtime being pretty darned good, although never truly great. It’s a very entertaining movie, but What The Wolverine basically does is react to the changed landscape of superhero cinema from a very studio-driven place. We’ve seen, in the case of Nolan’s Batman films or the Marvel movies in general, that a clear artistic vision for the movie yields better results. The Wolverine takes a few pointers from this and then offers up a more general spin on the formula, offering up a movie that’s quite fun to behold. It’s best described as a more thoughtful summer blockbuster, a movie trying to show the heart of a gruff superhero that doesn’t quite accurately cross that line from generally entertainment to truly revolutionary take on the genre — and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Because you see, The Wolverine essentially knows exactly what it alone needs. It’s not something you notice right away but it becomes clearer as the film gets deeper into its second act. At surface value it’s both a sequel and a reaction, but because we’ve had so many experiences in the X-Men movieverse it’s fair to say that we’ve become accustomed to a certain level of showmanship or Easter Egg over-references. The Wolverine drops that out rather quickly and is instead replaced with a slower-paced film, one where the lead is still familiar from who we’d known before but is also obviously a changed man; perhaps even a different kind of lead. Wolverine isn’t as brash as his younger self, and he’s instead actually grown into the idea of the wandering ronin that Claremont and Miller brought to life.
This notion — that the movie is a sequel but is very much stand alone — is precisely what works best for the movie. No longer shackled by the needs to cater to any other film, The Wolverine offers a chance for Logan to evolve and for Jackman to bring a new dimension to his performance. It’s perhaps not entirely fair to isolate the success of this movie on just the singular aspect, but when your movie is title The Wolverine it doesn’t seem out of place.
Because truthfully, what honestly makes a movie like this become as entertaining as it is is based entirely on Jackman’s latest performance. Hugh Jackman has now played Logan in more films than any other superhero actor or actress, and his love and affection for the character reigns true more than anything else. The films never really had the same Logan as the comic, but within the movie universe Jackman is a veritable icon, and after five previous films it’s perhaps easy to say that no other actor has ever loved a role in such a visceral fashion. It shows in just about every aspect of the movie: the brooding introduction, the fairly seamless transitions from past and present, the fall and rise of Logan as a hero in the second and third act. Jackman always delivered a rather fully dimensional look at his version of the popular character, but its never been more apparent how well Jackman takes on the role of Logan as it is in The Wolverine — and this is exactly why the movie, for all its generic flaws, is ostensibly elevated to a more endearing level.
Continued belowAfter all, it’s Jackman that allows us to truly get lost in the world of The Wolverine. There are lots of little things to like about it along the way, but the main entertainment factor comes from watching Jackman finally shed the shackles each other film has added to his role and just be Wolverine. Here is a unique opportunity to just tell a story of the character delivered on a silver platter, and it ultimately works to the benefit of the film and Jackman’s performance. I’d dare say that this is a shade of Logan we’ve never had the chance to see before, and that Jackman makes it work on nearly every level. He never quites go berserker, but you’ll be offered up a different form of Logan than you’ve ever been given before without too much drivel or filler.
And it does help that the film is populated with a cast that helps both Jackman and Logan on the journey. Rila Fukushima as Yukio offers up an interesting foil to Jackman in many of the scenes with a character clearly intent on action but never the less capable of the same level of depth that Jackman displays himself. Tao Okamoto offers up a wonderful and surprisingly layered performance to the role of Mariko, Logan’s paramour for this particular film; on a certain level her character doesn’t get more than the same levels of opportunity that your average Damsel In Distress gets in this kind of movie, but Okamoto certainly embodies a character that is easy to connect with and understand, as well as root for in her challenges. Add to this the considerable talents of both Will Yun Lee and Hiroyuki Sanada as two of the more important male leads in the film and you’re given a rather well-rounded cast of characters to Wolverine’s big adventure.
It’s also worth mentioning that while this movie isn’t a particular comic adaptation (only aspects of the Claremont/Miller book come through; it’s largely different), it does play out as a tributary film of sorts. Just like the comic from which the film takes its biggest inspiration, the movie is layered with aspects that transform it into the Japanese landscape. Director James Mangold clearly pulls just as much from stereotypical anime as he does the average action film, for better or for worse; it’s largely an American take on the modern Japanese Samurai genre with a rather strong dose of typical American summer blockbuster film making decisions (because, really, on a certain level this movie basically seems like The Transporter at times), but it’s not something that in any way seems particularly disrespectful or abrasive. Rather, it plays out like a movie where the team behind it had all of the best intentions, and in quite a few scenes it pays off well.
(I’d get a bit more specific but we’d be entering into spoiler territory. Suffice it to say, the introduction to the final act of the film is by far one of the best examples of this, let alone one of the better produced scenes of the film in general.)
There are a few elements that drag the movie down, of course. Some of the dialogue is pretty eyebrow raising in terms of over dramatization and Wolverine seems to have an unexplained hatred for paper that’s rather funny once you notice it (especially near the end). Some of the ancillary roles seem just that, with Svetlana Khodchenkova’s Viper seeming particularly egregious of this in terms of never quite getting a proper footing within the movie, and by the end it turns out that there were so many knives hiding in every shadow (both figuratively and literally) that the final act of the movie seems a touch off-balance. It’s clear that the movie wanted in part to have the same unpredictable landscape of Chinatown (no poorly planned pun intended, honestly), but it telegraphs just enough that as more twists are introduced we’re given less of a clever dance on a needle but rather an imitation of what balanced noir could look like if the protagonist had claws growing out of his hands.
Yet even with this, the complaints factor very low in the comprehension of the film. The Wolverine is not High Art Cinema of any kind, but it’s a very solid action film with a healthy helping of sincerity that builds to a rather emotional climax. There are many twists and turns, but there are just enough by the end to surprise even the most cynical of movie-watchers (especially when superheroes are involved), and as a fan of the character, his role in comics and his role in movies, its pretty hard not to find a lot to enjoy about the movie, let alone just one thing. The Wolverine effectively dug itself a place somewhere in the middle of the gritty Nolan realism and the effortless Whedon fun, showing that an old dog is still capable of new tricks after all.
Continued below
So it may seem a tad odd that I describe the movie as “pretty darned good, although never truly great” surrounded by an otherwise rather glowing review, but that ultimately remains true. The Wolverine is pretty darned good, and I would wager most people will be surprised as to how much they enjoy it after the critically derided last film starring Hugh Jackman in the role. It doesn’t reach the entire emotional highs of other films of its kind, mind you, and thus doesn’t become “truly” great, but I still find it difficult not to once again look at a movie starring Hugh Jackman as the iconic character and not just enjoy the ride for everything that it is. It’s sure as hell clear that he does.
And — oof. That stinger? I’ve never been more excited for another film. Say what you will about Mark Millar, but if this is evidence of his influence on Fox and how they approach superhero films then they made a smart decision, because that guy clearly knows how to create blatant excitement on the big screen.
