The Wolverine
Opening to $86.1 million internationally, the biggest début ever for an “X-Men” film and already earning $141.1 million worldwide, The Wolverine was one of our next top films to watch this year…. we are not disappointed!
The Wolverine is not an action packed CGI explosion movie from start to end, as we have come to expect from the other Marvel movies like Avengers and Iron Man. What director James Mangold gave us was a deeper look into Logan, The Wolverine, and the movie came as a welcome and bracing surprise: An almost human-scaled superhero movie about a guy who goes to die in Japan and ends up beating his way back to life.
For those unacquainted with The Wolverine or with the X-Men universe from which he pounced, our hero is an ageless and pained immortal haunted by his past and longing for mortality. In this film, while being captured in one of Japan’s POW camp’s back in the 40’s, Logan rescues a man called Yashida’s who later becomes a billionaire. Now a dying man, Yashida offers the gift of death to Logan. Which to Logan feels tempted to accept. Yes, the metal-clawed mountain of muscle actually suffers an existential crisis, weighing the benefit of his immortality and getting a taste of what it’s like to ache and bleed and weaken without instant healing. With some interesting turn of events Wolverine has his powers depleted and must spend the rest of the movie trying to protect Yashida’s daughter Mariko from all manner of assaults. But it gives him something to live for.
While The Wolverine is definitely a more entertaining and far deeper film than the last Wolverine outing, it still differs form the other top tier of Marvel blockbusters like the fizzy Iron Man and Spider-Man. This can either be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your expectations. We loved it though, and it was a breath of fresh air away from your massive explosions and total CGI destruction of anything and everything (Man of Steel).
Still, director James Mangold’s film features some breathtakingly suspenseful and well placed action sequences, exquisite production and colourful characters, some of whom register more powerfully than others. Viper in particular stole the show with a intensely powerful and sexy performance.
Viper
Viper
Seeing the human side of The Wolverine was what we hated and loved the most about this film. On the one hand we want Wolverine to go ballistic and get medieval on everyone. Releasing the fury and pain that we know him to be capable of releasing. *Sniiiickt!!* Yet seeing our favourite X-Men being kinda mortal was what kept us intrigued. X-Men fans can sheath their claws. The good news is that with The Wolverine we finally have a film worthy of one of Marvel’s most enduring characters. It’s all thanks to two elements: star Jackman as well as the relocation to Japan.
The film also sticks the landing on a brief teaser scene after the end credits that hints at future developments in the X-Men universe. I won’t spoil the pleasure of what happens. But you have to hand it to Marvel for managing to leave audiences breathless in anticipation of a sequel after making them sit through two-plus hours of merely satisfactory storytelling.
Silver Samurai
Conclusion
The Wolverine is a fresh look Logan, the stand-out character from the rest of the X-Men cast. We get a human look at Logan and his struggle with immortality, his powers and his past. With a very well produced and put together cast the movie is the best Wolverine movie to date. Jackman dons the adamantium claws brilliantly once again, and accept for the “hollywood-big-evil-robot-ending” it is a thoroughly enjoyable film that stands out above the other superhero movies.
What did you think about the movie? Rate it below:
[kkstarratings]
Spoilers ahead, be Warned!
Right, 2 things that we would like to discuss that if you’ve seen the movie would have left any fan wondering:
1. Logan loses his adamantium claws. Yup, the big bad adamantium samurai warrior slices off all his claws with a huge heated adamantium sword. So we guess adamantium can be broken, but only with heated adamantium. We also see Logan getting his bone claws back, rather quickly. Remember Logan’s skeleton is still bone, with an adamantium layer over it. So it is only natural we guess that if he loses his adamantium claws, that his normal bone claws would “grow” back as it’s normal state, as he was born with it like this.
2. The end credits. If you stayed until the credits at the end, you would have seen clip that gives us an into into the next X-Men movie, Days of Future Past. This clip confused the hell out of us. We see a Ian McKellen Magneto with his powers again, and a Professor Xavier that is alive again. Wtf? We tried to stay away from as many explanations and spoilers regarding the new X-Men movie. But so far we know that both Magneto and Prof. X is back, with their powers, and the movie will have some time travelling involved by Logan. We guess we will have to wait and see… Here’s what happened in the clip if you missed it:
Two years after the events of “The Wolverine,” the title mutant is walking through an airport security gate, opting for a pat-down instead of going through the metal detector. A commercial for Trask Industries is playing on the monitors in the background.
The coins in the tray rattle, and he turns around to see Magneto (Ian McKellan), who explains that he needs his help and brought a friend to recruit him. That friend: A very much alive Professor Xavier!
“As I told you once before, you’re not the only one with gifts,” Professor X says when asked how it’s even possible he’s around.
Cut to black!
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