THE WOLVERINE

With Hugh Jackman, Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Famke Janssen, Hiroyuki Sanada, Svetlana Khodchenkova

Written by Mark Bomback & Scott Frank

Directed by James Mangold

So it seems Wolverine is the only X Men character popular enough to carry his own live action movie spin-offs... Storm, Cyclops, Rogue not worthy? How about giving a villain his own movie? But then he'll have to turn to the good side to justify it I guess...

Here, after the emotional blow of the 3rd X Men installment, Logan has removed himself from society. With dreams and nightmares entwined, he is sought from his wilderness hideout by a Japanese girl. He is reunited with an ex-Japanese soldier he saved during the Nagasaki atomic bomb in WWII. In Japan, now on his death bed, the wealthy man has a proposition for the indestructible Logan / Wolverine to become mortal. But things smell like far more than a rat when his granddaughter's life is in danger. Logan protects her and they go in hiding, but death is hot on their heels.
The Japanese setting of both city and rural areas add a new element to the franchise, and give it a Manga flavour. Some intense action sequences include a battle atop a bullet train, but is alternated with scenes of elaborate exposition, emotional character study, reflecting on personal demons, and speeches that kids would want to skip to get to the good stuff – but that balance is what gives these movies a bit more substance than a mere fight-fest (which you'd naturally expect for the grand finale, and indeed get). The female villain Viper is a bit annoying and a little too much like Batman's Poison Ivy – but I'm sure others will find her to be a hot addition...

Some of the adult moments and violence sometimes seem a bit intense for the age restriction.

Interesting choice in Monster's Ball & 007 director James Mangold to helm this... But as with SA director Gavin Hood handling the first Wolverine Origins solo flight, the producers seem to look for directors who can dig into the characters, as the mechanisms to make the action explosive is already in place with stunt co-ordinators, special FX crews, CGI teams etc.
I feel they had the opportunity to really make use of 3D here for the cinema, but as usual, only a few moments really pop out, making it lackluster at best.

4 / C
- Paul Blom

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A: Multi-Viewing Potential

B: Could Enjoy A 2nd Look

C: Once Should Suffice