The X-Men Cinematic Franchise is a pretty tricky one for me to really assess because I deeply love the source material and felt like the entries we’ve gotten have been pretty hit or miss. The first X-Men movie stands up pretty well when you watch it today but it was the sequel that broke new ground and gave us something really, really important to the comic-book movie genre. The Last Stand was a bit of a mess but not nearly as horrendous as it’s reputation (though pretty forgettable) and X-Men Origins: Wolverine is every bit as bland as you remember. That was essentially the nail in the coffin of the franchise that was so universally panned they set out to reboot the story with a prequel that gave us the earlier days of our familiar heroes; which is why The Wolverine is such an interesting concept that’s oddly stuck in the middle of a rebirth for this franchise. Sandwiched between the prequel entry of First Class and the franchise-tying ensemble story Days of Future Past, The Wolverine is a film that we haven’t seen too much of (if at all) in this booming film genre, and it’s a personal one.
Hugh Jackman reprises his signature role as Wolverine for the 6th time, and has never been better
The story picks up some years after the events of The Last Stand where Logan is basically drifting through his life with no clear purpose or driving force. He’s haunted by the loss of his friends and the death of his love Jean Grey which was directly caused by his own doing. However, Logan is more or less immortal and his advanced healing powers make it impossible for him to ever age like a normal human and die. He’s essentially at a crossroads where he’s lived too many lives and seen too much loss to really want to keep going but he doesn’t have the means to end it, and that’s where this movie is at it’s best. Since when do we get such a small and honest story that’s focused on one character in a comic-book movie? There’s heavy thematic elements here that ask the bigger questions you don’t normally see, such as death over immortality and conflicting morals. This is very much a story of self-discovery for a man who’s been to the edge and back and feels there just isn’t much else to see before the end of his life.
This story focuses more on the loner aspect of Wolverine and the demons which haunt him, which was refreshing
If The Wolverine is at its best when it’s a more centralized and focused movie then it’s at its worst when it tries to pull in too many different elements. One of the things that made this movie feel so fresh and original to me was the fact that it’s more or less a small-scale journey set in a world where superheros and mutants happen to live. That’s not a driving force of the story but instead a background element that exists as a means to deliver a message. Dealing with the supernatural and the extraordinary as something that’s so average and normal is a very tricky situation but it’s one Mangold succeeds pretty well at with a balanced tone. The weaker elements in the movie are the moments where this tone feels stretched too thin and feels like it’s consuming the rest of that grounded reality. The best way for me to really express that is in the finale and the character of Viper, both of which I felt were two of the weakest parts of the movie. Viper’s motives are never really clear and we know next to nothing about the character so the bait and switch where she becomes the “real villain” towards the ending just feels cheap, uninspired and tacked on. She worked best as a quiet henchman type that existed solely to be the driving force behind a plot device to subdue Wolverine’s powers and out of nowhere she’s given free-reign to take over the villain mantle. When it comes to what I disliked about the finale then it really sorta comes down to almost everything, which is criminal and something I was straight up crushed about. I was really into Logan’s journey and this nice little world they crafted for us up until we hit the last act and we’re treated to a typical over the top, CGI filled final battle that broke the tone of the first two thirds and ended up being pretty generic. The million dollar sequence of this movie is a fight scene that centers around Logan trying to perform his own version of “open heart surgery” in order to regain his powers and become The Wolverine character we all know. It’s an absolutely thrilling sequence that keeps you on the edge of your seat and is highlighted by unbelievable sword fighting choreography. It really has everything you’re looking for in a superhero fight sequence since you’re so invested in what’s happening but still manage to get that one hero moment that makes you fist pump right out of your chair. Those are the types of moments I come to these movies for and that was one of the scenes which delivered in every aspect, and that’s exactly what the finale should’ve set out to accomplish. Instead of a brutal and overflowing one one one battle between Wolverine and his nemesis we get a fight in the form of.. a giant robot with swords that are on fire? Huh? Where did that come from? It was this missed potential and lack of a real dramatic element that was sorely missing from the final confrontation and it’s that last act of the movie that really drags down the rating for me.
One of the more interesting and exciting recent comic-book movie pairings
Aside from the clunkiness of the finale and some missed character moments The Wolverine more or less delivers what you’ve been waiting for from this character. It’s a refreshingly smaller look at a man and his decisions which ultimately came back to haunt him and slowly poison his life. Not only did Hugh Jackman kill it as Wolverine to the point that there’s no way you can ever mention the character again without bringing up the actor we got a really nice supporting cast that was heavily Japanese. Seeing such a diverse and ethnic mix of actors more or less carrying a full-scale Hollywood blockbuster was very progressive to see and they’re highlighted by the great Hiroyuki Sanada (Sunshine, The Last Samurai) and Rila Fukushima. Rila in particular was one of the strongest parts of the movie as the character of Yukio, a samurai sword wielding bad-ass with a big heart. Her relationship with Logan was one that reminded me of a big brother and little sister and it’s a crime that she won’t be included in the upcoming Days of Future Past (though maybe she’ll show up in another solo Wolverine outing, if we ever get there). We’re very rarely treated to movies like this in a genre that’s all about being bigger and better than the previous entry so when you do get one you need to cherish it, and they tried really, really hard to give us something special. That’s worth something. 7/10
Extra Tidbit: Be sure to stay after the credits for a look at what the future of the X-Men franchise has in store for us
