The Wolverine -- OFFICIAL REVIEWS ( SPOILERS!)

[jo]

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From a filmsite --

twitchfilm.com/2013/07/review-the-wolverine-aims-high-but-falls-just-short.html

Review: THE WOLVERINE Aims High But Falls Just Short


Pierce Conran


I can't speak for everyone, but after a summer full of crumbling cities, robots, monsters, and the loudest sound effects I can remember, I felt the need to brace myself as I sat down to another big-budget action spectacle. Thankfully, with a smaller budget, a script concerned with characters (or at least one) and a more atmospheric mise-en-scene, The Wolverine, while still a summer tentpole, is in many ways the antidote to the maelstrom of destruction that's occurred in the multiplexes this season. However, while loaded with good intentions, James Mangold's addition to the X-Men series is nevertheless the victim of a few too many compromises.

Second only to Iron Man in the Marvel-verse in terms of popularity, The Wolverine marks the titular character's sixth big-screen appearance and his second spinoff. Following the critical failure of X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), this installment's narrative is taken from a much-loved 1980s comic book arc created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. The action has moved to Japan, and, like any good spinoff should be, it's a self-contained episode.

Following the events of X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), the Wolverine has renounced his mantle as a hero and becomes a hermit in the mountains, doing his best to steer clear of society. His hiatus comes to an end when a young Japanese woman finds him and passes on a summons from an old acquaintance in Japan. He travels to Tokyo to visit a dying man who he once saved during a nuclear explosion in World War II. A web of intrigue surrounding the ailing mogul's inheritance develops and it's not long before the Wolverine is on the run, trying to save the old man's granddaughter from the clutches of the Yakuza.

Aiming for a pulpy Japan noir feel, Mangold's film features a number of strong episodic elements and admirable restraint as it seeks to focus on the Wolverine's inner crisis. Like any war veteran, he suffers from fitful sleep and terrible nightmares. In addition, a vision of Jean Grey, his deceased lover, haunts him. His immortality is a burden and he knows that anything he loves will die. Early in the film he is poisoned and becomes mortal, albeit still extremely strong. While this lends some much-needed urgency to his fights, it also accelerates his personal journey.

As we've come to expect from him, Hugh Jackman delivers the goods with another physical, gruff and empathetic performance as the adamantine mutant. He's also made a great effort in the gym, as the 44-year-old's chiseled abs featured in the film's promotional material seem to be the real deal. Throughout the franchise, Jackman has done the best he could with what he was given but The Wolverine offers him his meatiest role yet and he has no trouble balancing the character's tough exterior and inner existential anguish, always with a little room for some throwaway one-liners.

Unsurprisingly, the rest of the cast, which is mostly Japanese, is given much less to do. Rika Fukushima, as the red-haired kitana wielder Yukio, is spunky and fun, if just a little uncomfortable in English. The love interest, played by Tao Okamoto, is slightly mysterious but little more than a damsel in distress. The men in the film, including ace Japanese star Hiroyuki Sanada, have little trouble with their two-dimensional characters.

The only sore spot in the starring lineup is Svetlana Khodchenkova, who you may recognize as Tom Hardy's love interest in Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy (2011), as the villainous Viper. She's in stark contrast to the Asian cast's generally calm demeanors (which may well be the point) with a showy but off-base performance that would have been a better fit for for the more brash and cartoonish Origins or The Last Stand. I certainly don't mean to lay all the blame at Khodchenkova's feet as the character she is given, not to mention the ridiculous costumes and over-the-top hair and makeup she is subjected to, don't give her much wiggle room.

As an action film, The Wolverine is far less ambitious and relatively tame when set alongside this summer's bombastic fare. Nevertheless, one scene in particular, set on a bullet train, is easily among the most thrilling moments we've had on screen in 2013. The film's mid-section largely dispenses with action as we retreat to the countryside, fill out the backstories, witness a burgeoning romance and wade through the Wolverine's emotional baggage. The budget then shows its muscle again in the big climax but after a promising start, it devolves into a pastiche of action scenes from the last few years, replete with yet another big screen robot. By playing it safe, the film ends on a whimper, it feels anticlimactic and worse, just a tad lazy.

As a Japan-set, character-based and episodic narrative, The Wolverine is almost a success. However, it plays a little fast and loose with some Japanese genre codes (such as a cadre of monks suddenly turning into tattooed, bare-chested, gun-toting yakuzas) and suffers from not being shot in Japan (plans were scraped following 2011's tsunami). Jackman is on form, Mangold lends his solid if uninspired directing style and there's a great Kurosawa reference, but the film lacks the punch it needs. By aiming a little too high and not quite meeting its promise, The Wolverine is a slight disappointment.

[jo]

www.heyuguys.co.uk/the-wolverine-review/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

The Wolverine Review

July 17, 2013 By Ben Mortimer 1 Comment



A Wolverine movie has always been a bit of an odd idea. The character might be just another member of the team in the comics, but on screen it’s always been his show. The first two X-Movies got that right: driven by Logan’s brooding over his past, and his simmering sexual tension with Jean Grey. At least part of the problem with X-Men 3 and the last Wolverine film was that they lost the focus on Logan and spread themselves too thinly. Finally with The Wolverine we’re back to what made the first films so good: a clear focus on Logan, and his relationships with the people around him.

Starting out in World War II Japan, the film moves very quickly into a post-X-Men 3 world where Logan lives under a rock, is friends with a bear and is failing to deal with his killing of the Phoenix-possessed Jean Grey. It’s a bit of a mis-step, that nearly ends in a tumble with a badly justified bar-fight. Fortunately at that point Rila Fukushima enters the fray as murderous pixie dream girl, Yukio, and the movie very quickly finds its feet.

From there we head to Japan, where director, James Mangold plays his real trump card: depowering Logan. The difficulty with un-killable heroes is always that the peril has to be to those around him. The only threat to the hero is emotional, which all too often results in them coming off as an over-powered angsty teenager. The joy of stripping that invulnerability away is that the threat is much more immediate. Suddenly we’re genuinely concerned for Logan in addition to those around him, and it makes the film much more emotionally engaging than it might otherwise have been.

It also makes the action much more tense. Even if we know that Mangold isn’t going to kill off his eponymous character, we’re never quite sure whether he’ll be walking away from the present conflict, or crawling. The result is raised stakes all round.

It’s also worth pointing out how well the action is handled in the film. Every fight has a purpose, driving the story forward, rather than acting as a distraction. Mangold uses steady cameras and wide shots to allow us to understand what’s happening, and the there are some clever and original ideas. It is true that we do get some of the old clichés: train top fights, and people being thrown from gantries spring to mind, but they both work well, and they’re balanced out by a scene where Logan takes on hundreds of ninjas.

What really allows The Wolverine to triumph though is the sense of fun that runs throughout. The film deals with a character who has suffered immensely, the story it tells is one with Shakespearean levels of deceit and betrayal, the tone is dramatic, and yet it still manages to be fun. We’ve known for over a decade that Jackman can deliver a cutting quip, but Mangold makes sure that we’re not overly relying on those quips to stop us wallowing in melancholy.

All in, The Wolverine is a refreshingly good entry in the X-Men franchise that completely wipes out the nasty taste Origins: Wolverine left. In fact, it might very well be the best of the bunch. Mangold’s never been more suited to a project, getting to be gritty, intelligent and fun all at the same time, and that translates into a movie that for the very first time, genuinely feels like an X-Men comic on screen. As good as a Wolverine movie was ever going to get. >

(5/5)

Title: The Wolverine Review
Reviewed by Ben Mortimer on Jul 17
Rating: 5.0

Icon use is mine


Jo

[jo]

www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-wolverine/26444/the-wolverine-review#ixzz2ZHf7MiVz

The Wolverine review.

James Hunt
17 Jul 2013 - 05:35


Hugh Jackman stars as The Wolverine. And this time, things have worked out better...




The first Wolverine standalone movie was not good. We know it, you know it, even Hugh Jackman knows it. With Marvel Studios running circles around their licensee cousins, the task of putting Wolverine back on track wasn't just about rescuing earnings potential – it was about saving face in an industry that Fox itself reinvented with the first X-Men adaptation.

Based, rather more loosely than anyone involved has yet admitted, on the classic Chris Claremont/Frank Miller Wolverine miniseries, The Wolverine sees the character summoned to Japan by an old friend, whereupon he becomes embroiled in a war of succession within the Yashida clan. Director James Mangold has melded this plot with some musings on the character's near-immortality to create a comic book movie that (for the most part) avoids the standard genre tropes and feels more like a Gaijin-in-Japan action movie than yet another superhero blockbuster. If you're feeling fatigued by tights, suits and capes, this may be the antidote.

The basic outline is this. Tasked with protecting the inheritor of a business empire, Mariko Yashida (Tao Okamoto), from various factions who would see her controlled, Wolverine finds himself crossing Japan, fighting mobsters and ninjas everywhere from central Tokyo to pre-war villages, even (in one of the more ludicrous sequences) atop a bullet train. The setting is one of the film's strengths, delivering interesting locations and unfamiliar cultural texture, while the largely Japanese cast is populated by well-rounded characters and striking actors – most notably Rila Fukushima who, as Yukio, is a sidekick worthy of the screen time she receives.

Mangold's version of Wolverine is probably the most interesting yet. At the outset, we find Logan in a dark place following the (admittedly distant) events of X-Men: The Last Stand. Lost for direction, he's feeling the effects of powers that keep him alive while those around him die. The trailed appearances by an ethereal Jean Grey anchor the film in the X-Men universe, but in the context of the film she could be any past love. This is a movie largely intended to stand alone, and which – in keeping with the mutant metaphor – focuses on super-powers as a curse as much as a blessing.

Without giving anything away, even though one of the subplot choices the film makes is familiar, The Wolverine gets it right. Whatever happens, Logan is still Wolverine, and the film consistently remembers that to its credit. By varying degrees, this is actually a story about who he is, not what he can do. It's dark but not humourless, pensive but not slow, and keeps a tight focus on Logan's arc as he finds new things to live for.

At least, that's what it's like until the third act, when the film suddenly delivers a dumber-than-rocks collage of supervillain monologue and CGI fight scenes, abandoning what worked best in the previous hours – street level brawls and intimate character moments - in favour of something more conventionally 'blockbuster'. It shaves at least a star off the rating and hugely over-complicates an otherwise straightforward story, opening up plot holes you could squeeze a comically-oversized samurai robot through.

In truth, there are one or two problems before that. There are parts where the script gets clunky, there are sequences where the camera work renders the action tough to decipher, and the script is fastidious in making sure all of the subtext is rendered into text just in case you're concerned you might have to engage your brain. As a fun game, you might also want to count the times someone makes a Japanese cultural reference and then immediately explains it in layman's terms (with bonus points for spotting the one they do twice).

But for the most part this is a good movie. It gets Wolverine in a way that the last film completely failed to. It has something to say about the character, and it says it. Because of that, we can mostly forgive the bizarre tone shift of the final reel, or the tics that weaken its presentation.

It hasn't got the swagger of the Iron Man films or the densely layered story of the Dark Knight movies, but it's at least getting part of the way towards being that good. Wolverine's versatility as a character is one of his biggest strengths, and in The Wolverine, we finally have an on-screen demonstration of what that actually means. For all its loftier ambitions, the best gift The Wolverine gives is a simple one: that you'll leave the cinema wanting to see more of the character. And that's, straight away, a vast improvement over the last standalone Wolverine outing...


3 stars of 5

[jo]

The Ben Mortimer review ( HeyYouGuys from the UK) is the first one up on ROTTEN TOMATOES!

www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_wolverine_2012/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter


Jo

[jo]

www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10183357/The-Wolverine-review.html




Icon is mine - LOL!


Jo

[jo]

www.scifinow.co.uk/reviews/46148/the-wolverine-film-review/

The Wolverine film review

by James Hoare, 17 July 2013

Logan versus Ninja, The Wolverine is heart-wrenching, respectful, and surprisingly silly


Released:25 July 2013Certificate:12aDirector:James MangoldWriter:Christopher McQuarrie, Mark Bomback, Scott FrankCast:Hugh Jackman, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tao Okamoto, Will Yun Lee, Rila FukushimaDistributor:20th Century FoxRunning Time:127 minutesIf you like this, try...Onimasa
Not sci-fi, but his Yakuza epic similarly touches on WW2 and a mob boss with Samurai fantasies.

Logan is clinging to the roof of the speeding Shinjuku bullet train, claws dug into the ceiling, bobbing and weaving to avoid overhead gantries and signal boxes as the city whizzes past. Yakuza assassins, knives scratching along the roof in a crude approximation, shadow his moves. Logan feints. He lunges and then stops, but it’s too late for his attacker as he fires himself into death at 300 miles per hour. It’s thrilling stuff, but this balletic slapstick isn’t a million miles away from Jackie Chan hitting people with clogs in 1998′s Who Am I?

The eclectic nature of director James Mangold’s influences – less other big budget superhero movies and more a mixture of Westerns, Samurai epics, film noir, and intense dramas belies the eclectic tone of The Wolverine – touching as it does on all of these things and more, but nobody warned us it was going to be fun. Or funny. Or even silly, as its final third quickly becomes – more Last Action Hero and more dizzy from its own sleight of hand than even Shane Black’s Iron Man 3.

Taking Hugh Jackman’s titular badass outside of his comfort zone and into the murky world of the Japanese underworld, The Wolverine draws the broad brush strokes of situations and characters from the oft-referenced Chris Claremont and Frank Miller miniseries.

While the comic-book incarnation served to establish just who Logan was outside of the X-Men for the very first time, its big screen counterpart is more of an elaborate punctuation mark on a double-whammy of piss awfulness (2006′s X-Men: The Last Stand and 2009 X-Men Origins: Wolverine), reintroducing the character as one of cinema’s pantheon, and while drawing him right back down to the rage and the pain we first saw 13 years ago, taking him somewhere new entirely.

Jackman may have instantly embodied Wolverine when he first stepped into Bryan Singer’s cage fight in 2001, but he’s grown into the role – carrying around a rough hemp sack of weariness, regret, determination and anger with each twitch of his scowl or line around his eyes. The Wolverine starts right where we first found him – albeit dialed even further down – living on the margins in rural Canada where he drinks himself to sleep in a cave every night and strikes up a one-sided friendship with a grizzly bear.

Logan is reluctantly taken to say his farewells to a dying patriarch (Hal Yamanouchi) whose life he saved from the mushroom cloud of World War 2 Nagasaki, before becoming drawn into a larger conspiracy with ample tipping of the hat to a whole pantheon of down on their luck film noir bums. The comic-book relationships are tightened to make The Wolverine a dynastic drama – even Yukio is now a sort of ward/adoptee of the Yashida family, locking in a far more complex and intense web of relationships than superhero movies are known for.

Stripping the mutton chopped mutant of his healing factor might seem like a cheap bit of cinematic Kryptonite, winching the franchise gracelessly out of its over-powered cul-de-sac, but one of the film-’s stand-out bits of hand-in-mouth heroism comes when god mode is in full flow.

In James Mangold (Walk The Line, 3:10 To Yuma)’s expert hands, this is a beautifully shot and deftly structured affair, a constant escalation in danger dovetailing with the constantly moving lattice of human drama and conflict as The Wolverine‘s classic cinema roots are never far from the surface. There’s a bit of Leia and Han (or Indy and Marion) to Mariko (Tao Okamoto) and Logan’s princess and the scoundrel banter, while sleazy femme fatale Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova) oozes Sixties Bond villainy – even strapping our hero down in her super-secret lab lair to gloat and strut.

In contrast Mariko’s father Shingen (Hiroyuki Sanada), the would be kingpin of the Yashida Clan, comes from an altogether more affecting place in terms of comic-book villainy. Apart from his melodramatic swan dive into a pond, that is, he’s a tragic and increasingly powerless figure, soured by bitterness and inadequacy, yet living Yukio (Rila Fukushima)‘s observation earlier in the film about what it is that all soldiers crave – we see his crimes in full, but it’s hard not to feel for him as he stands up to fight a duel he can’t possibly win.

Early buzz had the crimson-haired bodyguard pegged to become a fan favourite, and Yukio is certainly going to rocket up the cosplay charts with her combination of sass, punky fashion and acrobatic ass-kickery, but it’s Will Yun Lee’s Harada who is going to be the true star of many a giddy Tumblr shrine. A brooding anti-hero sulking away his unrequited love, Harada is a crack archer – even mastering Hawkeye’s signature composite bow-flick – and a dab hand with a spot of parkour.

While the iconic Shingen/Logan duel adapted from the comic and the trailer’s promised Silver Samurai Megazord satisfy, it’s the bigger ensemble set-pieces – the early attack on the funeral, for example – that truly delight. Not even Avengers Assemble could boast balanced screen time for its cast and The Wolverine‘s carefully constructed beat ‘em up-style special moves will probably have Jeremy Renner and Scarlett Johansson ruing their rights remaining with Marvel.

Viper alone of the core cast seems so woefully underdeveloped in terms of motivations that she increasingly resembles Uma Thurman’s Poison Ivy, and her arc seems to revolve around behind being increasingly snakelike to the point where you half expect her to curl up under a rock or eat a dead mouse in a post credit sequence.

Though by no means identical to Iron Man 3, The Wolverine feels closer to Shane Black’s action movie homage than any other superhero movie to date in that it’s full of references to things that make its creators high five each other with glee (it’s got an even more batshit twist too), and big bold movie cliches are flirted with, and not to its credit, often embraced. The Mariko/Logan romance unfolds pretty much as you’d expect it to, Tokyo is filled with slot machines and sex hotels, and by the final third the dominant arc has return to superhero silliness from its holiday in action-adventure, but all this stylish superficiality is undercut with sincerity.

Like one of its stupendously choreographed fight scenes, The Wolverine manages the delicate balance of respect for the source and the convention of the genre, big top sensation, and an unlikely, heart-wrenching emotional punch.

4 of 5 stars

[jo]

www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema/the-wolverine

The Wolverine

3 stars of 5


Another hairy situation for the Marvel mutant…
Jul 17th 2013 By Neil Smith




“This isn’t going to end well!” says a ghostly Jean Grey during one of the nocturnal visits she makes to Hugh Jackman’s subconscious in this latest outing for his hairy, claw-baring X-Man. Ironic, then, that the ending to Marvel’s sixth mutant opus – a terrific final flourish which tantalisingly trails next year’s feverishly anticipated Days Of Future Past – should end up being one of its strongest, and most memorable elements.

No, it’s the middle that’s at fault in James Mangold’s stab at taking the X-Men franchise eastwards – an unevenly paced, almost too-faithful ode to the comics it’s inspired by that temporarily turns the title character into a snarlier version of the late Alan Whicker as he journeys to modern Japan.

It’s a safe bet that fans of the celebrated ’80s comic arc from which the story derives will lap up every dojo, kimono and nugget of philosophical wisdom. Come to the material fresh, though, and you may find yourself at times counting the minutes until the next duel, scrap or punch-up.

Rest assured, there are plenty of all three in a post-Last Stand adventure that, after a preliminary backflash to 1945, finds Jackman’s Logan/Wolverine as a bearded mountain man still bummed about having to off Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) on Alcatraz Island. Yet there is an awful lot of downtime too – enough of it, in fact, to make you wonder if the power-sapping toxins Wolvie is slipped at an early stage in the narrative have somehow worked their magic on the movie as a whole.

It’s strange to complain of inertia in a film that kicks off with a stunning recreation of the Nagasaki bombing, a ferocious armageddon that leaves our indestructible hero looking as crispy as a Christmas turkey that’s been left in the oven till Easter. No sooner have he and the young Japanese soldier he shields walked away from the blast, however, than we get Jackman mooching around the Yukon with a urinating CG bear – a jarring tonal shift that gives us our first (t)inkling this is going to be a stop-start ride.

When Hugh’s furry pal is poisoned by some douchebag hunters, he heads straight to the local hostelry to dispense some instant justice. Before he can go the full berserker, though, he’s stopped by a crimson-haired lady (Rila Fukushima) with a shiny katana and an intriguing proposition: come to Tokyo and say sayonara to the guy whose life he saved 60 years ago and who might just have an antidote to his regeneration gene. Given his fear of flying and his grumpy disposition, it is a mystery why Logan would accept such an opaque proposal.

But accept he does, to find himself immediately caught up in a family squabble involving his old acquaintance (Haruhiko Yamanouchi), the dying tycoon’s fetching granddaughter (Tao Okamoto) and two warring tribes of ninjas and Yakuza.

With Wolverine intervening at a bullet-strewn funeral, dispensing with goons on the roof of a 300 mph bullet train and going toe to toe with a giant Silver Samurai, a beefed-up and always watchable Jackman is undoubtedly put through his paces. (Fittingly for a man last seen in Movie 43 sporting a pair of prosthetic testes on his neck he also gets to crack the odd funny, among them a line that will ring bells with fans of vintage Bond).

It is difficult to feel, alas, that there’s anything particularly at stake, not least when it comes to our hero’s romantic life. When revealed, meanwhile, the Silver Samurai is a clunky letdown, especially once we learn the secrets of the suit.

Yet though it doesn’t have the vibrant wit and zip of an Avengers Assemble, or the allegorical grandeur of a Dark Knight, it’s a step up from the garbled silliness of Wolverine’s first solo outing. Unlike Origins, the storytelling is more sharply focused here, ignited by flashes of stylised superheroism.

True, there’s probably one too many scenes of steel striking adamantium. But the 3D-assisted action is never less than spectacular, notably during a Kurosawa-flavoured ambush that sees Wolverine turned by arrows into a mutant pin-cushion. Another plus is Svetlana Khodchenkova (from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) as a sexy vixen who spits venom, licks like a lizard and casually discards her skin like last season’s fashions.

That she’s one of only a handful of characters (including our protagonist) with mutated DNA suggests Mangold and co have maybe scaled things back too far from what audiences want from an X-movie. There again, like (the) Wolverine himself, this marches to its own drum, and while it may divide the non-fans from the faithful, the latter will applaud its efforts to deepen and champion their hirsute hero.



Verdict:

The good news? An improvement on Origins. The bad? Not as big an improvement as you were hoping for: perfectly decent, but ponderous too.

[mamaleh]

Damned with faint praise, as the saying goes. I wonder if the negatives are off the mark, or if expectations were simply set too high? I hope the deeper probe into the character at least piques interest in the mainstream moviegoer.

Ellen

[jo]

Interesting to note that all the reviews seem to have come so far from UK filmsites ( I am sure of all except one), as their embargo presumably ended with the London premiere.

I am awaiting the release of reviews of the USA-based sites or critics, as comic books and comic book movies are a big part of American pop culture. I would be more assured about how the ratings are going once their reviews come out! But indications from a few seem quite positive on tweets or online posts.

It is also interesting to note though that the BFCA ( Broadcast Film Critics Association) and BTJA (Broadcast Television Journalists Association) has a designated rating of 80% ( 3 stars of 4) for The Wolverine on their site. I do not know how this was arrived at or at this point what it means. Also, please note that they accumulate on the right hand side various tweets from members like KTapley, AThompson, DPoland, etc., so maybe these are the membership. Presumably they have already seen an advance screening? I am not sure which of them will release an individual critic rating.

www.criticschoice.com/search?s=the+wolverine


Jo

[jo]

www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=137280

3 stars of 5


STAR RATINGS EXPLAINED
Unmissable 5
Excellent 4
Good 3
Poor 2
Tragic 1

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The Wolverine
Mutants. Ninjas. No turtles


Plot
Haunted by the death of Jean Grey, former X-man Logan (Jackman) is now a loner, foraging in the woods. But he’s tracked down and brought to Japan by a billionaire who’s keen to repay a life debt by stripping The Wolverine of his immortality. But it isn’t going to be that easy...


Review


In a summer packed with movies that work their way up to levelling entire cities, The Wolverine takes an interesting tack: that’s how it starts. Within the first three minutes, Nagasaki has been obliterated in a mushroom cloud, courtesy of a B-29 bomber and the nuclear bomb known as Fat Man that effectively signalled the end of World War II.

In the middle of the mayhem, we find Hugh Jackman’s Logan — aka The Wolverine — chained up and shirtless (of course; those playing the ‘Shirtless Jackman’ drinking game will be blootered by the second act) in the middle of a POW camp. As sirens blare and Japanese officers commit hara-kiri with honour, Logan is saved by, and then saves, an officer with a stricken conscience.

It’s an audacious opening that some might find in dubious taste, but there are enough grace notes here — the opening shot of the B-29 approaching its target is serenely beautiful — to suggest this will be light years ahead of the lamentable X-Men Origins: Wolverine. And so it proves, even if it never hits the heights of the first two X-Men movies or X-Men: First Class.

After that grand opening, things scale back as we meet the Canadian mutant living rough on his home turf as, effectively, Grizzly X-Man, Les Mis hair and beard in place, plagued by visions of his lost love, Jean Grey (Famke Janssen, lounging in a négligée through interminable dream sequences) and as haunted by the events of X-Men: The Last Stand as anyone who saw it. He’s a wounded bear who even encounters an actual wounded bear, just to pound home the metaphor. Logan has vowed never to hurt anyone again, a vow he breaks within roughly 37 seconds, but before he can kill some idiots in a bar, he’s tracked down by the slinky Yukio (Rila Fukushima), a flame-haired employee of the man he saved in World War II, and brought to Japan, where he becomes embroiled in a convoluted plot involving the yakuza, indestructible samurai and a new lady-love in the beautiful Mariko (Tao Okamoto) who, in a nice twist, sees Logan and his claws as something to love, not fear.

And it’s in its Japanese roots that The Wolverine becomes most intriguing. Comic book fans will know that Wolverine and the Land of the Rising Sun go together like Nic Cage and Pachinko, and it’s refreshing that, Canada section aside, it takes place entirely in Japan. That alone is enough to make it look and feel unlike any other superhero movie to date, director James Mangold capturing a real sense of place as he frames Logan against Tokyo streets or in rural ryokans.

Sadly, the embrace of Japanese culture feels often skin-deep, a superficial whisk through a checklist of clichés. There’s an (admittedly very funny) awkward visit to a love hotel with Mariko as they go on the run; Logan struggles to come to grips with chopsticks like a gaijin fool; and he keeps being told he’s a ronin, a samurai without a master. Yet there’s no sense his experiences have much of an impact — by the end he’s as authentically Japanese as YO! Sushi. Just a shame he doesn’t show up at a karaoke bar — we reckon Logan has serious pipes.

One of the — many — criticisms of Wolverine’s last solo outing was that it never had the courage to trust in the appeal of its lead character, instead chucking in large numbers of rubbish mutants. The lesson has been learned here, with minimal muties (Svetlana Khodchenkova shows up as the venomous Viper, regrettably too reminiscent of Batman & Robin’s Poison Ivy). Instead, Logan bloodlessly slices his way through armies of yakuza and ninjas, in keeping with the film’s determinedly (open air quotes) realistic (close air quotes) tone.

It’s all the better for it, from a free-for-all that puts the fun in funeral to the movie’s highpoint, a creative showdown on top of a speeding Shinkansen. And, if you have any qualms about pitting a highly trained, invulnerable mutant against scores of rent-a-piñata henchmen, Mangold and Jackman level the playing field slightly by going full Superman II and depriving Logan of his powers. With his healing factor and animalistic senses on hold, Logan develops an aversion to shotgun blasts that slows him down considerably, and gives Jackman something interesting to play with sixth time around. That element is far more absorbing than his endless moping after Jean — some psychos don’t need analysis.

It’s regrettable, then, that in a film concerned with immortality, nothing lasts forever. The final showdown, tonally and in terms of scale, is deeply unsatisfying, with ludicrous reveals, bad CG and plot turns so convoluted they threaten to derail the movie at 300 mph.


Verdict
An improvement on the last outing for Jackman’s not-so-merry mutant. If only it trusted enough in its unique setting to forgo a descent into aggressively awful formula.


Reviewed by Chris Hewitt

[jo]

celluloidheroes.co.uk/review-the-wolverine/

Review- The Wolverine


Posted by Jack Pelling on Jul 17, 2013



After a brief period with Darren Aronofsky at the helm, James Mangold was eventually handed the task of resurrecting the standalone Wolverine series, four years after Gavin Hood’s risibly daft prequel, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, nearly killed the character stone dead. The chronology of the X-Men movies has become a little head-scrambling of late, but the latest edition to the saga, The Wolverine, takes place after the events of Bret Ratner’s ambitious, but underwhelming X-Men: The Last Stand. Loosely based on Chris Claremont’s 1982 acclaimed series, The Wolverine introduces a disheveled, peripatetic Logan (Hugh Jackman) living in self-exile in the wilderness. Traumatized by the many harrowing events of his long lifetime, Logan’s immortality has become a curse, condemning him to a meaningless life of solitude in which he will outlive everyone he will ever love. When a wealthy Japanese businessman whom Logan saved during the Second World War calls for him form his deathbed, he is offered an opportunity to rescind his gifts of regeneration and immortality, but before he can make his decision, his powers are taken from him.

Mangold has made a clear effort to differentiate his film from other recent super-hero movies; most notably with the wealth of well-drawn female characters and a restrained use of CGI. Shot in Sydney and on location in Japan, the film has a distinctive and exotic feel, although Amir Mokri dynamic cinematography is noticeably dampened by the fruitless post-production 3D conversion. Drawing heavily on the influence of Eastern Samurai movies, the action is refreshingly tactile, with well-choreographed fight scenes some genuinely impressive blockbuster set-pieces (the fight atop a bullet train is particularly dazzling).

Now on his sixth outing as the flocculent mutant, Jackman’s performance seems effortless; commanding the screen in every scene and showing more range than in previous films. The mostly Japanese supporting cast are strong, with model-turned-actress Tao Okamoto delivering a surprisingly accomplished performance as love interest, Mariko Yashida, torn between her affection for Logan and the possibility of dishonoring her father. Character overpopulation is a common problem in the modern super-hero movie, and in this case it is Svetlana Khodchenkova’s Viper that seems extraneous, upsetting the balance between relatable character drama and comic book hyperrealism.

The bulk of The Wolverine’s flaws arrive in its final act, with some predictable plot twists and a slight lack of discipline. While film does an admirable job of refusing to descend into the cacophonous, effects-driven slugging we’ve become used to in big screen comic-book adaptations, the final showdown is disappointingly generic. However, any sense of deflation is soon negated by a post-credit scene that will have fan boys and girls squealing with delight; make sure you stay until the end.

The Bottom Line

It may be overlong and slightly busy in places, but Mangold has found a tone with The Wolverine that finally does the character justice. It’s consistently entertaining and its wealth of strong female characters are a breath of fresh air in the machismo-driven world of big budget comic-book adaptations. After many false starts, this is the Wolverine movie that X-Men fans have been waiting for.


4 Stars of 5

Jack Pelling

[jo]

www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/review/a498736/the-wolverine-review-hugh-jackman-takes-x-men-hero-to-japan.html

'The Wolverine' review: Hugh Jackman takes 'X-Men' hero to Japan

Published Wednesday, Jul 17 2013, 10:22 BST | By Simon Reynolds | 10 comments






Hugh Jackman's sixth outing as Marvel's clawed antihero is a fair improvement on its direct predecessor X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but don't take that as any kind of emphatic endorsement of James Mangold's movie - this doesn't get anywhere near the series highs of Bryan Singer's X2 or Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class (in which Jackman brought down the house with his single-scene cameo).

In fact, The Wolverine doesn't really feel much like a superhero or X-Men movie at all, despite deriving from the pulpy pages of Chris Claremont and Frank Miller's heralded comic. Mutants are few and far between in this story as Logan lives a grizzly man existence in the Canadian wilderness. Years earlier while fighting in World War II he saved the life of soldier Shingen Yashida (Hiroyuki Sanada) as the atomic bomb fell on Nagasaki, and it's the present-day Yashida (now a mega-rich tech tycoon) who brings Logan in from the cold with the promise to make him mortal. Yashida is frail and dying, but he's cracked a way to take Logan's powers, thus saving his own life and offering our hero an escape from the curse of eternity.


Sweeping Origins under the carpet (or should that be throwing it under the bus?) and setting the action some time after the events of X-Men: The Last Stand means Logan is still haunted by the death of Jean Grey. Famke Janssen even reprises her role in a fashion, appearing in subconscious sequences to highlight the internal struggle bubbling away inside Logan. His immunity to death means the loss of everyone he loves, and Jean's presence is a way to underscore this - it's just a shame she's so poorly utilised, mainly showing up lying in bed in soft focus as Jackman stares at her with furrowed brow.

Jackman and Mangold have strived to fashion a character-driven, definitive take on Wolverine. Pulling him away from familiar X-Men colleagues and anchoring the action in Japan certainly gives this a totally different feel to pretty much any other superhero film - it owes more to cinema's samurai epics than it does the modern-day blockbuster. Ironically, this is both The Wolverine's biggest strength and its undoing. While it only skims the surface of the culture it's enshrouded in, this is the element that gives the film a distinct flavour and sets it apart from the endless wave of pixel-driven multiplex-fillers.

Mangold clearly wants to make a classically-styled 'serious' picture, but he's caught between his legit filmmaker instincts and the requirements of a Hollywood blockbuster. Eventually he succumbs to the trappings of the latter, marshalling a physics-defying set piece atop a moving bullet train, an adamantium-shattering Logan vs Silver Samurai showdown and dropping in none-too-subtle automobile product placements (everyone in Japan drives an Audi).

X-Men aficionados will no doubt get a kick out of this attempt to deeper explore Logan's psyche, but you suspect it won't generate much enthusiasm from Joe Popcorns expecting big-scale spectacle. It feels like there's a great film buried somewhere inside The Wolverine, it's just a shame that Takashi Miike wasn't behind the camera to help make it a reality. As it stands this is an interesting if flawed exploration of the X-Men universe's favourite son.


3 Stars of 5

[jo]

Here's the fanboy/geek/comicbook nut reaction that I have been waiting for - from a familiar site!

It's initially a video blog response to the movie ( with the promise for more/written comments later) --

www.slashfilm.com/the-wolverine-video-blog-reaction-james-mangold-impresses-with-latest-x-man-movie/

www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WMvw_LIn8QE


Briefly --

James Mangold has done something miraculous with The Wolverine. He’s made us care about the character beyond the claws. After X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it seemed like audience might be ready to write off Hugh Jackman‘s portrayal of everyone’s favorite adamantium-laced madman. With this film, though, Mangold takes the character back to his roots. We get into the psychology of him, his thoughts and desires, all wrapped around a very specific story set sometime after the events of X-Men: The Last Stand.


The Wolverine opens on July 26 and as we get closer, we’ll have much more on the film. For now, watch this spoiler-free video reaction with myself and Peter Sciretta.

[jo]

www.gotham-news.com/news/2013/07/11/the-wolverine-gritty-gratifying-the-best-superhero-movie-of-the-summer-review-%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%E2%98%85%C2%BD

THE WOLVERINE: Gritty & Gratifying; The Best Superhero Movie of the Summer [REVIEW - ★★★½]





By Pietro Filipponi
Published: July 17, 2013 - 9:43am


After a flashback that shows Logan (Jackman), surviving the nuclear bombing of Nagasaki in World War II, the film picks up following the events of X-Men: The Last Stand. He's become a hermit living in the wilderness who can't come to terms with killing the woman he loved (Famke Janssen's Jean Grey), even though her death saved the world. Unbeknownst to him, a young warrior named Yuriko (Rila Fukushima) is tracking his movements in an effort to take him back to Japan for a reunion with his old friend Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi). Tensions between Yashida's family and the Yakuza mob are boiling over, and the aged industrialist fears for the safety of his empire and granddaughter Mariko (Tao Okamoto).




An unexpected death causes a chain of events which puts Logan between Mariko and the secretive, powerful forces -- including the venomous and seductive Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova) and Black Clan ninja leader Kenuichio Harada (Will Yun Lee) -- who need her to achieve their succes. Physically weakened for the first time in his long life from an unknown ailment, he must choose to remain faithful to the solemn vow he made Jean and never kill again or revert back to who he once was, and who he hates most: The Wolverine.

This is the movie that made me realize 20th Century Fox is pulling out all the stops to reinvent their Marvel properties for a smarter, harder to please and hungrier audience. This is the Wolverine movie fans have been waiting for for a long time. These may seem like the over-enthusiastic statements of an apologist who really wants retribution for one of his favorite comic book characters; I assure you they are not. Out of the five X-Men films to date I've only ever truly liked Bryan Singer's sequel X-Men United and Matthew Vaughn's 2011 "soft reboot" X-Men: First Class. I've enjoyed aspects of Hugh Jackman's four previous portrayals of Wolverine but was never really a fan. This movie has made me one.

It earned my fandom through cohesive storytelling, engaging characters and gritty action. The cinematography is fantastic, especially the wide shots that let you take in the majesty of the stunning Japanese landscapes. A fair warning to the faint of heart: The Wolverine is the most adult-oriented X-Men movie yet. If the mature content in First Class was Happy Hour, this is an all night bender. Sex, bloody violence and profanity are not shied away from. Thankfully they are presented tastefully, realistically and flow perfectly with the story. Kudos to director James Mangold and his screenwriters for finding a way to blend a serious, Western-inspired allegory with a fantastical and fun cinematic world. He also gets major brownie points for having two female leads (Okamoto and Fukushima) playing characters with actual depth who don't rely on the central hero to always save the day. They are everything but one-note scene filler; quite impressive considering both are first timers to the big screen.

Take a look at the poster on this page. That was the first officially released promotional piece for this production. It quickly catches the eye of regular moviegoers while simultaneously letting fans of the longstanding franchise know something special is happening: Wolverine is back, but like you've never seen him before. That poster elegantly and accurately represents a large portion of the tone this movie captures. It's a shame most of the advertising released since is trying to sell a run-of-the-mill, style over substance action flick when The Wolverine is so much more. Don't get me wrong, there's a healthy dose of campy aesthetic -- particularly with the film's villainous Viper, whose mannerisms and outfit would be more at place in X-Men: The Last Stand than this noir actioner. While some may find those moments a tad absurd I felt they added a necessary touch of light, comic-booky goodness. The final product we're presented with is as good as the best X-Men movies that came before, enhanced by modernized effects and more a focused narrative. It's the antithesis to X-Men Origins, and refuels the popular hero with the same sense of purpose Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins did for The Dark Knight.

[P.S. Stay until after the credits. If you're at a 3D screening, you'll definitely want to keep your glasses on.]

[jo]

www.bleedingcool.com/2013/07/17/the-wolverine-the-bleeding-cool-review/

The Wolverine — The Bleeding Cool Review

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Michael Moran



It’s a worrying development when even I, Bleeding Cool’s resident comic book movie fanatic, confess to a certain superhero fatigue. Now we’ve all been spoiled by Joss Whedon’s triumphant take on The Avengers, seeing just one guy reluctantly pull on his super-suit to dispense summary justice to yet another identikit CGI hulk’o’lizard or giant robot seems, well, a bit …meh.

It looks as if the same thought has occurred to Lauren Shuler Donner, the production brains behind Fox’s suite of X-Men films. Fox hired James Mangold, best known for Walk The Line and 3:10 To Yuma, to craft something a little different this time.



When it works, it really works. But for my money the pace is a shade uneven. Turning over the final act to an (admittedly thrilling) standard CGI smackdown of just the kind that the film has been skilfully avoiding for the past hour seems like a cop-out. The Wolverine promises much. And gives you just enough to realise what you’re missing.

Because for its first hour The Wolverine is barely a superhero movie at all. It’s a noirish mystery, with a flavour of 1974 Robert Mitchum thriller The Yakuza. Unless you’ve never seen a film before you’ll have a pretty good idea of who’s pulling the strings from early on: but those strings are so tangled and knotted that they have a pretty good story of their own.



Will Yun Lee, veteran of a million police procedurals, is the knottiest of those threads. Of Korean heritage, as far as Hollywood’s concerned he’s Japanese enough to play a character billed as The Silver Samurai. His character, Kenuichio Harada, isn’t exactly the Silver Samurai you’d expect from the comics. He’s the cool, conflicted leader of a team of ninjas who turn up periodically through the film to do cool, cinematic, beautifully choreographed ninjtsu stuff.

Rila Fukushima plays a more straightforward character. The Batman was softened and humanised when he got a sidekick. The Wolverine doesn’t seem like the kind of character you give a sidekick to. Jubilee notwithstanding. And, in fairness, Yukio is not just a sidekick. But if she went on to have more adventures with Logan, I’d be fine with that. She has a good mix of mutant abilities and martial arts chops, and a dynamite hairdo.



But of course this is Hugh Jackman’s film. Second only to Robert Downey Jr. he’s the most charismatic actor currently playing a Marvel Comics superhero. Second to no-one he’s the nicest movie superstar operating right now. And he’s got abs you could grate parmesan on. If you’re a Jackman fan, you won’t be disappointed here.

If you’ve been studying the film’s IMDB page your interest might have been piqued by Famke Janssen’s presence on the cast list. Especially since this film is set after the events of X-Men: The Last Stand. In which, you may recall, she end up on the business end of an adamantium tummy-tuck.

Here Jean Grey has gone from Dark Phoenix to Angel Of Death. She represents Logan’s inner desire to give up the Wolverine mantle and embrace mortality. And, in The Wolverine, he comes a good deal closer than you might expect to getting his wish.



Something happens early in this film to compromise Logan’s healing factor. It’s not altogether clear if it’s removed altogether: he’s still pretty durable, but we’re talking James Bond / John McClane levels of durability rather than the usual ‘getting shot in the head and walking it off’ level.

That makes for a more perilous set of adventures for Wolverine as he tries to work out who is trying to kidnap an industrialist’s daughter, who is trying to steal his DNA, and what kind of underwear Viper wears underneath that frankly indecent costume.



There’s a superb fight in and around a bullet train with some seamless CGI. There’s a beautiful multi-archer takedown. And an atomic bomb goes off. In the first five minutes.

This is a good film. It’s not quite as good as it wants to be. But it ain’t just another superhero flick, and you’ve got to reward that ambition. Besides; it’s a whole lot better than the first Wolverine solo joint.

The 3D’s not terrible, but not essential either.

And I have a question: After the Wolverine takes a lot of damage, his hair grows back in that style. So given that he starts the movie in full Grizzly Adams mode, how does he ever have a haircut?

Oh, and stick around as the credits roll. There’s something you’ll want to see.

[jo]

www.flickeringmyth.com/2013/07/movie-review-wolverine-2013.html

Movie Review - The Wolverine (2013)



Wednesday, 17 July 2013




The Wolverine, 2013.

Directed by James Mangold.
Starring Hugh Jackman, Will Yun Lee, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Rila Rukushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tao Okamoto, Brian Tee, Hal Yamanouchi, and Famke Jansse.



SYNOPSIS:

Summoned to Japan by an old acquaintance, Wolverine becomes embroiled in a conflict that forces him to confront his own demons.




The Wolverine follows Logan as he struggles to deal with his feelings of guilt following the death of his beloved Jean Grey. Summoned to Japan, he finds himself embroiled in a conflict that makes him confront his own demons and realise what his powers truly mean.

In his sixth outing as Wolverine, we think we know what to expect from Hugh Jackman as the superhealing mutant with adamantium claws, but it comes as a pleasant surprise that there is more to the character than we have previously seen.

We pick up with our titular hero as he is living feral in the Canadian mountains following on from events in X-Men: The Last Stand and it’s obvious that he’s struggling to deal with what transpired, which effectively sets the tone for the rest of the film.

Unlike other films in the X-Men universe, this isn’t about destroying landscapes or mutant vs. mutant battles. This is much more of a character piece charting a man’s struggles to deal with what he is. Director James Mangold has crafted a story based on the famed Frank Miller miniseries that gets to the very core of the Wolverine character and lets you truly understand the emotional burdens he carries – something which has only been hinted at in other outings.

An interesting aspect of this film is that, although still an X-Men movie, this piece feels very much like a classic Gaijin in Japan story, which helps us to further understand Logan’s feelings of isolation. You could also view The Wolverine as a tale of an out-of-place samurai, something which is hinted at in the film and is furthered by the marketing in Japan referring to this as The Wolverine: A Ronin Story.

The setting also gives us glimpses of the rich history and culture that Japan has to offer and allows us to see a myriad of landscapes, ranging from snowy mountaintops to the bustling streets of Tokyo. The setting is expertly captured for the most part by some excellent camera work, with scenes being shot to give us the full effect of the setting; such as using handheld cameras for the street fighting scenes and wide landscape shots when we get to the mountains. The most notable usage of frenetic camerawork is an enjoyably over-the-top fight scene on Japan's famous bullet train.

The story also manages to include other famous Eastern staples such as ninjas, the Yakuza and the samurai so if you’re a fan of Japanese cinema and culture, you really are in for a treat.

Of course it’s not The Wolverine without Hugh Jackman and even though the role is now very familiar to us, credit should be given his portrayal of our favourite mutant. Utilising a surprisingly pained expression and an impressive physique, he manages to show us a brilliantly balanced mix of despair and rage which was sometimes lacking in other films in the franchise.

It has to be said though; he couldn’t have done it all by himself and we’re treated to an array of excellent supporting characters including veteran actor Hiroyuki Sanada and newcomers such as Tao Okamoto. Tao plays the character Mariko, the love interest to Logan and the daughter of Master Yashida, the man who has summoned Logan to Japan. Mariko, like Logan, feels isolated and apart from the world around her and it’s this that connects them as the tale unfolds. In her first ever film role, Tao plays the part with a vulnerability and sensitivity that will surprise you and is thoroughly believable as the woman who can help Logan move on from past events.




The standout for me though was fellow newcomer Rila Fukushima who plays Yukio. We meet her early on in the film as she brings Logan to Japan and discover very quickly that although slight, she is more than capable of handling herself. And it’s not just her physical skills on show as we find out that she is more than simply an employee of the Yashida Corporation; that she serves as sister and protector to Mariko in a part that, if handled poorly, would have been incredibly tedious to witness. Thankfully though, Rila plays the part perfectly with balance of traditional Japanese values and a sense of mischief that makes her very endearing.

Another actor who should be mentioned is Famke Janssen, reprising her role of Jean Grey. It’s hard to explain her role in the film without spoiling the plot but I can happily say that her addition only deepens your love and understanding of the Logan character.

Unfortunately though, the film is not without its flaws – most of which start to surface in the final third. While the script is fairly simple yet tidy initially, it starts to get quite clunky in the final half hour or so and feels as though more time could have been spent constructing a more suitable finale.

This is furthered by some downright silly action in the last act that makes you wish you could go back and rewatch the earlier, more impressive street fight scenes. Without ruining the story for you now, an obvious plot twist which joins in with the later action leaves you feeling like you’ve seen it before and more than a little short-changed.

Something which really did bother me was the language in the film. It utilises both Japanese and English to suit the scene but somehow all I found myself asking was why two Japanese people would speak English to each other when they were by themselves. It made no sense to me and only made me question the film’s scriptwriting team.

The single worst thing about the film was the 3D. It looked like it had been retrofitted for purely monetary gains, never felt like it was needed and didn’t do anything to enhance my viewing pleasure. All I can say on this point is that if you can, try to see it in 2D.

Of course these are just small niggles in what was a thoroughly entertaining and more surprising heartfelt instalment in the X-Men universe. The unique story coupled with beautiful scenery, an excellent supporting cast and berserker rage suited only to our favourite hero make this a film that anyone can enjoy – though I suspect that die-hard Wolverine fans may enjoy it a little more.

Flickering Myth Rating - Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

[jo]

www.liveforfilms.com/2013/07/17/review-the-wolverine/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+liveforfilms%2FqdPt+(Live+for+Films)

Review: The Wolverine


Posted by David Hughes in Action, Comic, Drama, Film, Headline, Review, Sci-Fi, Thriller | 0 comments



Chris Claremont and Frank Miller’s four-issue series Wolverine was the first time fans of the X-Men comics really got to know everyone’s favourite claw-carrying Canadian. But despite the presence of Wolverine’s two Japanese lady friends, Mariko and Yukio, James Mangold’s new stand-alone film The Wolverine bears a less than uncanny resemblance to the classic Claremont/Miller story. Neither does it have the feel of an X-Men movie – or, mercifully, the train wreck prequel X-Men Origins: Wolverine. What The Wolverine feels like, most of all, is a James Mangold film – not necessarily a bad thing, unless the film in question is Knight and Day.

The film opens in a prisoner of war camp just outside Nagasaki, on August 6th 1945, the fateful day on which America dropped a nuclear bomb on the Japanese city, thus winning the war in the Pacific, while losing its moral authority. Logan (played, for the sixth time*, by Hugh Jackman), who somehow knows what kind of bomb is about to be dropped just by identifying the bomber as a B-29, saves a young Japanese officer, Yashida, from the blast, while Logan shrugs off the shockwave like a sunburn. Seventy years later, Logan is moping about the Yukon woods, mourning (and dreaming of) his beloved Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), one of the casualties of X-Men: The Last Stand, when Logan is visited by a blast from the past: Yukio (Rila Fukushima), an expert sword-fighter with candy-coloured hair, who has come with a message from the dying Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi), now a billionaire industrialist. Before Logan can say, ‘I’m not going to Japan!” he is off to Japan, specifically Tokyo, where he finds a new Yashida to save: the beautiful Mariko (Tao Okamoto), the old man’s granddaughter and heir to his fortune, who is being targeted by Yakuza-backed ninja – and a statuesque beauty (Svetlana Khodchenkova) with a poisonous kiss (a bit like Poison Ivy) and a fondness for green garments (actually a lot like Poison Ivy). Forced on the run after a gun battle, Logan suddenly becomes aware that his healing powers are no longer working – adamantium skeleton or no, he can be injured, or even killed!

Any film that opens with its hero surviving a nuclear explosion better have other weapons in its arsenal, and The Wolverine has a few. Moving Logan to Japan increases his sense of alienation, and provides the opportunity for lots of martial arts mayhem – not to mention a knife fight at 270 mph on the roof of a speeding bullet train. Robbing Wolverine of his powers is another good move: a superhero who won’t use his special powers (as in Man of Steel) is boring; one who can’t, like Wolverine, opens the character up to all kinds of mortal peril, and his character to dramatic possibilities. Do Logan’s superpowers define him? Is he more than the sum of his adamantium parts? And should he think twice before getting into another bar fight?

Some critics seem to be disappointed that The Wolverine doesn’t have the scope, scale or sense of fun of stand-alone Marvel movies like Iron Man, Thor or Captain America, or the dark grandeur of the Dark Knight films. But Wolverine isn’t that kind of hero, and The Wolverine isn’t supposed to be that kind of film. Wolverine’s mood is dark and brooding, but the film often manages a lighter tone, and even though the supporting characters could use some fleshing out, Wolverine himself is fleshed out nicely. At heart, it’s the story of a superhero’s search for meaning again, after everything he loves has been taken away from him, and taken on its own terms, it’s a success. Set somewhere between The Last Stand and Days of Future Past, it sets the stage for the next full-blown X-Men movie (especially in the post-credits taster), and helps erase the memory of Wolverine’s last stand-alone adventure. At last, Wolverine has been given the film he deserves.★★★★



*including his cameo in X-Men: First Class


David Hughes


The Wolverine is released in 2D and 3D on July 25th.

[jo]

whatculture.com/film/the-wolverine-review.php

The Wolverine Review

July 17, 2013
Shaun Munro

Rating: 3 Stars of 5


Heavy lies the crown on director James Mangold’s head; not only does he have the usual cavalcade of comic book fanboys ready to rip him limb from limb if he doesn’t deliver on his promises, but with a fan-base that has already been burned once – by way of Gavin Hood’s flaccid prequel, X-Men Origins: Wolverine – the stakes are double deadly for The Wolverine.

Though perhaps not the authoritative take on Logan’s classic comic book excursion to Tokyo that many had hoped for, Mangold still finds star Hugh Jackman at his grizzled best, and accompanied as he is by a few breathless set-pieces, that seems to just about be enough.

Here we find Logan (Jackman) still haunted by the events of Brett Ratner’s X-Men: The Last Stand, in which he was forced to kill his love, Jean Grey aka Phoenix (Famke Janssen). Her death at his hands weighs heavily on him, as he is lured to Japan by Yukio (Rila Fukushima), who claims that her boss, Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi), is dying and wishes to say farewell to the man who saved his life during World War II’s Nagasaki bombing.

However, when Logan arrives, he finds a bizarre proposition awaiting him – an offer to be relieved of his regenerative “curse”, an offer that soon enough becomes a reality as Logan finds himself stripped of his powers by the deadly Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova), while struggling to protect Yashida’s prized granddaughter, Mariko (Tao Okamoto), from assassination.

The Wolverine is a movie that begins well, though not necessarily as it means to go on; the opening act does a sublime job of building both world and character, as Logan is jetted off to Tokyo and the array of Yashida family members are introduced. Meanwhile, Jean Grey makes her presence known through a few perfunctory if pleasant flashbacks which hammer home the central thematic point – death is always going to surround Wolverine, and there’s not much he can do about that.



For a good 40 minutes, Mangold has this down pat; one sizzling set-piece is quickly succeeded by another – the latter an utterly ridiculous battle atop a 300-mph train – and Mangold does a firm job covering all the angles while nailing the requisite impact under a PG-13 banner.

However, when Logan is brought to a standstill, so too is the movie. Once the man is forced to examine his vulnerability, the film loses much momentum and doesn’t ever fully recover; seeing Logan without his badass, Devil-may-care attitude isn’t all that fun to watch, nor is his episode spent shacking up with Mariko particularly engaging.

I, for one, have just about had enough of tentpole movies depriving our heroes of their toys and forcing them to spend the rest of the film prising them back from the enemy; it worked well for James Bond and Bruce Wayne, but for Tony Stark and Logan, it is only fitfully successful at best.

Act two slows down and deals with Logan facing his own mortality, which should be fascinating, but the film’s failure to place him in much palpable danger drains it of the inherent tension – and that’s not whether Logan will live (we know he won’t die), but whether Mariko will.

Instead, this scenario is wasted on relatively forgettable dialogues – all the more so because we know exactly how this romantic pairing is going to end – and some truly peculiar, even eccentric attempts at humour, notably as the two are awkwardly forced to check in to a “love hotel” together while attempting to lie low.



Naturally, the meat of the action takes place in the film’s final act, though oddly goes entirely the other way, shooting too far off the beaten path into balls-out absurdity. A bout of ridiculous body horror feels particularly misjudged, topped only by a late-day plot twist that renders much of the first act relatively inert, or worse still, nonsensical (and sure to annoy us all on repeat viewings, if we will be so inclined).

As such, it’s hard to be all that invested in who Logan finally ends up clashing claws with, while the Viper – who received much attention in the film’s marketing – is somewhat underused in the finale despite a decent build-up.

There’s much to like in James Mangold’s take on X-Men’s mutton-chopped superhero – it’s visually striking, Jackman is as great as ever, and the supporting turns are passionately performed – but little mistaking the overall wonkiness of the enterprise, which fleets gingerly from the water-tight intensity of the opening reel to soggy soap opera and then, finally, chaotic cartoonishness.

One can’t help but feel Darren Aronofsky’s R-rated interpretation might have been more interesting; after all, wouldn’t the 3D presentation have been better employed with Logan’s spikes protruding through the countless goons’ bodies? Instead, the prohibitive editing feels as inorganic as it ever has in the X-Men franchise; why make a movie about a guy whose job it is to stab lots of people to death if you’re not going to carry that through to its reality?

Though leaps and bounds ahead of Hood’s effort, most will end up expecting more from such a long-gestating and seemingly considered take. However, a tantalising, roof-raising mid-credits scene does indeed promise plenty for the future…

[jo]

www.thehollywoodnews.com/2013/07/17/the-wolverine-review/

The Wolverine Review



Posted on Jul 17 2013 - 11:19pm by John Sharp


Director: James Mangold.

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Rila Fukushima, Tao Okamoto, Hiroyuki Sanada, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Hal Yamanouchi, Famke Janssen.

Running Time: 126 minutes.

Certificate: 12A.

Synopsis: Set some years after X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, the immortal Logan (Hugh Jackman) now wanders the wilderness, haunted by dreams of his lost love and his former self. When he is summoned to Tokyo by an old acquaintance, he is drawn into events that could change his life – and maybe even end it.

After the misguided mutant mucus that was X-MEN: ORIGINS, THE WOLVERINE is a smart, slick and surprisingly funny caper that does something remarkable; it adds layers to a character appearing in his sixth film. Logan has appeared in half a dozen movies now (including a fleeting but memorable scene-stealer in FIRST CLASS), and for him to still be growing is quite something. Jackman never rests on his laurels, as he could simply coast through these affairs getting by on his looks and easy charm. But it’s apparent he cares deeply for the character and, more importantly, for the fans. He wants to make the best possible WOLVERINE stand-alone film for us, and with director James Mangold has done just that.

It’s a film that exists in an established universe but can be enjoyed on its own merit. It helps if you’ve seen the third film in the trilogy, but if you haven’t, there is enough subtle exposition to fill you in. Our hairy hero is plagued by dreams of his past traumas and, in particular, visitations from his true love, Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), whose ethereal presence is a reminder of the cinematic world our protagonist inhabits. We join Logan in self-imposed exile, all beardy and brooding. After meeting sword swinging badass Yukio (Rila Fukushima), business picks up when he is convinced to journey to Japan. Dying tycoon and old acquaintance Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi) wants more than a farewell, and in return offers Logan the chance to become mortal.

Where great flicks like THE DARK KNIGHT and the more recent IRON MAN 3 didn’t include emotionally complex roles for women, Khodchenkova has a ball with her malevolent mutant, Viper, and is always engaging. Similarly, in what could have been a simpering damsel in distress, Mariko creates a believable story arc as a solid love interest, and Hiroyuki Sanada lends real gravitas to proceedings with his stern turn as Mariko’s father – and he’s got the moves, too. His intentions may be somewhat predictable, but we completely buy him as a cold-hearted monster.

But let’s not forget this is an action movie, and the set pieces are superb. From the chase through the streets of Tokyo shot guerilla-style to thrilling effect, to the final climactic confrontation, it’s balls-to-the-wall adventure. The CG is used sparingly and only when absolutely necessary, such as the flagpole sequence atop a bullet train. This is what action cinema should be – exciting, creative and well paced, and it is testament to Mangold and Jackman that when Logan ends up in mortal combat at 200 miles per hour, you care about the character. Compared to the overlong denouement in MAN OF STEEL, the action scenes feel fresh, serve a dramatic purpose and have some much-needed levity.

Jackman has long been vocal about how keen he was to bring Chris Claremont and Frank Miller’s 1982 mini-series to the big screen, and it is worth the wait. For him to break out two career-defining roles within seven months of each other (the other being his Oscar nominated turn in LES MISERABLES) is nothing short of remarkable. Logan is already one of the most recognisable and best-loved movie characters of recent years, and the team behind THE WOLVERINE have made the film he has deserved for a long time.



THE WOLVERINE will be slashing his way into cinemas on 25th/26th July in the UK and US respectively.

>>>For him to break out two career-defining roles within seven months of each other (the other being his Oscar nominated turn in LES MISERABLES) is nothing short of remarkable.<<<


And if luck holds, it could very well be a yearlong triptych - with PRISONERS waiting in the wings! Take that, Robert Downey Jr and Tatum Channing -LOL! Or Leo D, Brad P, and George C



Jo

[jo]

www.comingsoon.net/news/reviewsnews.php?id=106584

Movie Reviews


The Wolverine
Reviewed by: Edward Douglas
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Movie Details: View here


Cast:
Hugh Jackman as Logan / Wolverine
Rila Fukushima as Yukio
Tao Okamoto as Mariko Yashida
Famke Janssen as Jean Grey
Will Yun Lee as Kenuichio Harada
Svetlana Khodchenkova as Viper
Brian Tee as Noburo Mori
Hiroyuki Sanada as Shingen Yashida
James Fraser as Allied POW
Hal Yamanouchi as Yashida
Garret Sato as Dying Yakuza
Luke Webb as Allied POW
Ken Yamamura as Young Yashida

Directed by James Mangold

Story:
James Logan AKA Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) has been haunted by nightmares after the death of Jean Grey (Famke Jansen), so he takes up an offer to go to Japan, invited by Kenuichio Harada (Will Yun Lee), an old friend he saved during World War II who is now dying of cancer. Once there, Logan is asked to protect Harada�s granddaughter and heir Mariko (Tao Okamato) as he gets caught up in a deadly web of crime and betrayal just as he�s mysteriously losing his healing powers.

Analysis:
As the summer starts winding down and we start getting to the dregs of summer, here�s one nice late summer surprise for those who may have already tired of "superhero" or "comic book" movies. Hugh Jackman�s return as "The Wolverine," this one directed by James Mangold ("3:10 to Yuma," "Walk the Line"), feels like it has very little in common with that popular genre, instead inserting the Marvel Comics character into a blend of Asian film genres that creates something that not only works in context with what came before but also stands on its own.

Based loosely on the 1982 mini-series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, the film opens with a prologue involving Logan saving a Japanese soldier from the atomic bomb at Nagasaki before shifting to Canada where Logan has gone to pot following the death of Jean Grey (in "X-Men: The Last Stand"), still haunted by his involvement in her death. When he finds a dying bear in the woods that�s been poisoned by a hunter, he looks for the man responsible, the one portion of Mangold�s film that�s taken almost verbatim from the comics.

After that, it quickly branches off and diverges with many choices made that make for far stronger storytelling. For instance, Logan first meets Yukio, Harada�s fiery assassin, when she comes to Canada to deliver a sword from her master. As one might suspect from the pedigree of the screenwriters--two of them, Christopher McQuarrie ("The Usual Suspects") and Scott Frank ("The Lookout") have directed strong crime-thrillers themselves--it�s obvious the main reason "The Wolverine" works as well as it does is because a lot of thought was put into creating a complex story and therefore, a richer film, even though it�s sometimes hard to keep track of all the characters. Once they get to Japan, the attention paid to maintaining Japanese rituals and tradition throughout also proves that Mangold was the right man for the job of directing.

All these factors come into play at Harada�s funeral when all breaks loose as Japanese criminals make a play to kill his heir and granddaughter Mariko, leading to a jaw-dropping Hong Kong-style gunfight and chase through the streets of Tokyo and onto a moving bullet train. This is just one genre style Mangold ably plays with over the course of the film as we get Kurosawa-like samurai swordplay and a whole lot of ninjas with the results being far more violent than many other PG-13 superhero movies. The action slows down enough to spend some time establishing the romance between Logan and Mariko, something that happened off-panel in the original comic book series, which gives a welcome respite from the adrenaline-filled action scene leading up to it. Instead of the love triangle between Logan, Mariko and Yukio from the comics, they instead use Jean Grey�s ghost as the "other woman" that threatens to ruin Logan�s attempt to be happy with Mariko.

There�s no question Hugh Jackman really knows this character inside and out and his continuing growth as a dramatic actor greatly helps to give the material far more cinematic depth than most summer movies. While we still get lots of great Wolverine one-liners, this may be the first movie where you really feel Wolverine�s loneliness and pain from living for decades, despite it being a running theme through all the X-movies.

To Mangold�s great credit, he gets solid dramatic performances from his mostly Japanese cast despite them working outside their comfort zone in English and some may be surprised that neither Rila Fukushima, who is a lot of fun as the feisty Yukio, nor Tao Okamoto as Mariko, have acted in a movie before. They both hold themselves well when acting opposite Jackman and the far more experienced actors like Hiro Sanada. It may be a little odd for those who know his work seeing 32-year-old Will Yun Lee playing the older Harada.

The only time the movie really falters in a big way is in the third act when it awkwardly transforms itself into a straight comic book movie, more in the vein of Singer�s first "X-Men" movie, which is also where Mangold seems the least comfortable. Svetlana Khodchenkova's Viper is the type of comic-booky femme fatale we�ve seen way too many times and she�s nowhere near as good at is as Rebecca Romijn as Mystique, joined by a large seemingly robotic Silver Samurai, which all leads up to a climatic sequence that may be a little hard to swallow. Although things do fall apart by the end, stick around through the credits for a sequence that will give you even higher hopes for Bryan Singer "X-Men un-reboot" out next year.

The Bottom Line:

Fans of the character disappointed by "X-Men Origins" who have been clamoring for a great Wolverine movie, one that lives up to Bryan Singer�s early "X-Men" movies, should be thrilled. Those just wanting a solid, well-made action film might be surprised by how much depth Mangold brings to the mix. The results are the best comic book movie of the summer and one that rarely feels like a comic book movie.

ComingSoonNet and sister site SuperHeroHype are two of the fanboy favorite sites! Great endorsement of the movie from ComingSoonNet !! smiley-bounce016

[jo]

There�s no question Hugh Jackman really knows this character inside and out and his continuing growth as a dramatic actor greatly helps to give the material far more cinematic depth than most summer movies. While we still get lots of great Wolverine one-liners, this may be the first movie where you really feel Wolverine�s loneliness and pain from living for decades, despite it being a running theme through all the X-movies.

I'm glad someone has acknowledged how much Hugh has evolved as an actor since he came on the scene 13-14 years ago in Hollywood. Over the years, he had shown depth as a dramatic and well-rounded actor in movies like The Fountain, The Prestige, Australia, even Origins:Wolverine...and of course the movie that opened everyone's eyes to Hugh's versatility and acting agility, Les Miserables. Had DDL's movie not been on the subject of the beloved and historical icon Abraham Lincoln, Hugh would have had much better chances at that Oscar statuette. I am even more elated that his dramatic depth is now recognized in an action/comic book movie, a rarity in Hollywood! He is not the brooding kind of superhero, but a very human character whose character arc as Wolverine is surprisingly deep.

Who would think that when the comic book first appeared that it would eventually be iconized on film decades and decades later, as a much loved superhero? But I believe much of that can be said to be due to Hugh Jackman's growth as an actor and his commitment in developing the character in film history!


Jo

[jo]

More disdain from the British critics!


www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/jul/18/the-wolverine-hugh-jackman-review


www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/the-wolverine/5058438.article?blocktitle=Latest-Reviews&contentID=1479

[jo]

This UK review understands comic book/supehero tales --

www.sfx.co.uk/2013/07/18/the-wolverine-review/

The Wolverine REVIEW


Nick Setchfield at 02:49pm July 18 2013

4 Stars of 5



Release Date: 25 July 2013
12A | 126 minutes
Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox
Director: James Mangold
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Tao Okamato, Will Yun Lee, Rila Fukushima

Six films in, Hugh Jackman is indivisible from his adamantium-laced alter ego.

It’s easy to forget just how contrary his casting once seemed: a charming, matinee-handsome song and dance man cast as a feral badass, as if John Barrowman had landed Conan – and aced it. Now a medal winner for long service superheroics, Jackman’s eclipsed the snarly, stunted comic book original to become the definitive incarnation of the blade-knuckled mutant.

The Wolverine – note the definite article – wants to be just as definitive. Forget 2009’s solo movie – this film certainly has, consigning it to the status of an embarrassing relative, banished to the attic and never spoken of again. Surprisingly, there’s more connective tissue to the equally dismal X-Men: The Last Stand. Logan’s in self-imposed exile in the Canadian wilderness, not so much living down his association with Brett Ratner as dealing with the aftermath of slaying Jean Grey. Bedraggled and Manson-bearded, Jackman’s impressive as this haunted, conflicted figure, delivering a darker, more internalised take than we’ve seen before.

Soon the film’s stripmining one of the more acclaimed arcs of the comic books, summoning Wolverine to Japan and ensnaring him in the criminal dynasty of the Clan Yashida. There’s a touch of Highlander as he confronts the sudden possibility of mortality – who wants to live forever, bub? – while his mission to protect mob daughter Mariko edges him closer to classic Sergio Leone hero, a noble, unknowable outsider as gallant as he’s savage.

And in a sense he really is The Man With No Name now. We first encounter him unwilling to be called Wolverine: “It’s not who I am anymore,” he declares, trying to outrun his own legend but on an inevitable trajectory to reclaiming it.

The film buys the fanboy cred of the classic comics but takes liberties with the source material. Yukio receives a cute, cool Harajuku Girl makeover that will doubtlessly inspire a stripy-stockinged army of cosplayers. Viper, meanwhile, plays like something out of Joel Schumacher’s Gotham, Lady Gaga with a lizard tongue and outlandish mutant powers. It’s a strange blast of camp in a movie pursuing a more sinewy vision.

Tao Okamato is Mariko, subject of a slow-burn romance with Logan. It’s a first time performance by the former Japanese supermodel and she acquits herself well: vulnerable, wary, hidden behind her gaze. Ultimately, though, this Mariko lacks the emotional resonance of her ink and paper counterpart, and her story feels diluted, compromised. You sense the filmmakers have one eye on seeding a sequel rather than delivering a true dramatic punch here.

Director James Mangold makes the most of Japan, from the busy neon blaze of Tokyo to the alien kitsch of Pachinko parlours and love hotels. There’s a setpiece fight atop a hurtling bullet train, overhead power cables slicing perilously close to flesh. No music cues, just the sound of the train and the wind and deadly, rocketing momentum – you can almost see the comic book speed lines.

Most of the film’s action feels admirably physical, more about genuine stuntwork than the kind of weightless digital bloat that fills the average summer blockbuster. For all the pre-bout talk of a more vicious, hard-edged take, this is a surprisingly bloodless enterprise. Mangold’s more ingenious: at one point Logan stabs a man through a door and all we see is a screaming, distorted face through the glass.

It’s a sturdy, grounded film, handsomely assembled – the fabulous opening is pure Empire Of The Sun, all barbed wire and bronze heat haze – but it loses its spark in the third act. There’s a confusion of characters, no truly focused threat. The climax serves a showdown with a Boss Level supervillain that wouldn’t feel out of place in an Iron Man movie. It’s a crushingly generic ending for a movie that tries hard to carve a smarter, fresher niche in the superhero canon.

Nick Setchfield

[jo]

Respected film commentator Drew McWeeny( of HitFix, and formerly Moriarty at AICN) praises how Hugh has evolved as Wolverine...and likewise why The Wolverine has put the franchise back on track --


www.hitfix.com/motion-captured/review-hugh-jackman-makes-a-nice-return-to-form-in-james-mangolds-the-wolverine#4O8sRGAe1ewQV0Tf.99

Review: Hugh Jackman makes a nice return to form in James Mangold's 'The Wolverine'

There seems to be plenty of gas left in the 'X-Men' franchise

By Drew McWeeny Thursday, Jul 18, 2013 8:55 PM

B rating


From the very beginning, Fox's "X-Men" series has played fast and loose with the source material, and enjoying the films has required the viewer to set aside any preconceived notions about the characters and the world. When Bryan Singer made the first "X-Men," this current wave of superhero movies was still in early days, and it seemed like the key to making a comic book film was somehow muting the more overtly "comic-book" elements and making things "gritty" and "real." Looking back at that first film now, I'm amazed by just how much it feels like the film just barely holds together, carried along by a certain excited energy and by the charisma of the cast.

The one breakout star from that film was Hugh Jackman, who was not Fox's first choice for the role. I thought it was evident immediately that he was not the same Wolverine that I'd grown up on, but that he brought a great, no nonsense gruffness to the role that made it okay that he's about a foot and a half taller than the character. The attitude was right, and the first time his claws went "SNIKT," it felt like we had turned a corner in terms of comic-books on the big screen.

Now, thirteen years later, here we are with Hugh Jackman playing the part for the sixth time, and at this point, it feels like he is very possessive of the role. Fox has treated him like the cornerstone of the whole "X-Men" universe from that first film on, and Jackman's become a key player in helping decide where the character is heading. He has been very vocal about wanting to adapt Frank Miller and Chris Claremont's acclaimed story arc in which Logan went to Japan, and now with the help of screenwriters Mark Bomback and Scott Frank, James Mangold has finally brought that story to life, and Jackman seems more engaged by the role than he has in years.

The film opens with a scene that reminded me a lot of the sequence that kicked off that first film with Magneto at the death camp. Here, it's the tail end of WWII, and Logan (Jackman) has been captured by the Japanese. They're holding him in a well in a rural area, and when the perfect quiet of the morning is shattered by the spotting of incoming bombers, everyone bolts into action. Only one soldier, Yashida (Ken Yamamura), spares a thought for Logan, unlocking his cage and telling him he's free. Yashida goes to join the other officers, who are committing seppuku, but when it's his turn, he hesitates. He watches a strange bomb fall on the city across the harbor, and when a mushroom cloud erupts, he is frozen by the sight. It is Logan who grabs him, runs him back to the well, and then shields him from the blast's effects using his own body. When Yashida finally looks, he is shocked to see Logan scorched, burnt, his hair gone, horribly disfigured. He is even more shocked when all of the damage starts to re-knit itself, leaving Logan no worse for the wear.

When we catch up with Logan in the modern day, though, he's seemingly unchanged, physically the same. Inside, though, he is as damaged as he's ever been, still grappling with the emotional fallout from killing Jean Grey (Famke Jannsen) to save the world. When he dreams, he sees Jean each night, and each night he vows to her that he will never hurt anyone again. Even as he's rocked by these visitations, this haunted voice from his past, he finds himself drawn into violence, even living in the middle of nowhere. He is incapable of staying out of conflict when he sees some wrong being done. Before he really falls of the wagon and kills someone, he is approached by Yukio (Rila Fukushima, or as I like to call her, the Japanese Christina Ricci), who turns out to be a trusted employee of the much-older-now Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi). He's dying, and he has a plan for how he can get what he wants and Logan can have what he wants: a normal life again.

It seems like once you've made a few films in a superhero series, you have one of a few moves you can make with a new film. You can keep piling on more and more villains, or you can figure out a way to have your hero lose or renounce his powers. It never lasts, of course, but it seems like one of the few tricks filmmakers know to try to mix it up for the hero. In Logan's case, his mutant power of healing is the thing that Yashida is interested in, and he makes it sound at first like it's a benevolent offer, an attempt to fix something that has tortured Logan for decades.

Quickly, Logan finds himself caught up in plots he barely understands when he meets Yashida's granddaughter Mariko (Tao Okamoto), who is set to inherit Yashida's entire empire when he dies. There are numerous agendas in play, though, involving a mysterious doctor named Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova), as well as Kenuichio Harada (Will Yun Lee) and Shingen Yashida (Hiroyuki Sanada), and by the time Logan figures out whose side he is on, he may already be too late.

While the script is definitely built on the framework of the Miller/Claremont run of issues, it is not a direct adaptation. Mariko and Yukio benefit the most from the adaptation, with both of them given more weight and with a stronger sense of connection between the two of them. One of the things that works best about setting the film in Japan is that it finally gives Logan enemies who he can fight with his blades without feeling guilty about it. Mangold doesn't try to hammer you with non-stop action, but when he does stage a fight scene, he works hard to try and make it count. The loss of Logan's powers is more a red herring than anything else. Ultimately, the movie deals with Logan's realization that he will never fully escape his role as a weapon, and instead of running from himself, he learns how to aim that rage at the right target.

If Hugh Jackman was not doing strong work, none of the rest of it would matter, but his dedication to the character is still obvious, and he brings some nice shades to the way he's playing Logan now. One of the things that has always felt underexplored in the films is the idea of Logan as a nearly immortal figure. Even if he doesn't lose the people close to him to acts of violence, he still has to face a life where he stays the same and everyone else grows old and disappears. Watching him grapple with what that means is the strongest thread in the film, and Jackman handles it well. I also really like the work that Rila Fukushima does in the film. It's hard to believe she had not been given formal weapons training earlier in her life, because she handles herself with a great natural sense of comfort in the fight scenes, making Yukio a very convincing badass.

I do think there are some missteps here. I like the idea of what we see happen in the third act of the film, but I'm not sure I buy the way it's executed. I think Viper is a strangely undercooked character whose powers are unclearly defined, meaning it's hard to know what to expect from her in various scenes. But for each of the missteps, there are a handful of things they got completely right, and on the whole, it's one of the better superhero films that Fox has made. I would urge you to stay seated at the end of the film, since Fox wisely uses the end of this film to bait the hook for "X-Men: Days Of Future Past."

While I've been less interested in the films in this series for a while now, "The Wolverine" feels like the course correction that they needed to make, a refocusing that once again makes me interested to see what happens with these characters.

"The Wolverine" arrives in theaters July 26, 2013.

[jo]

Another thumbs-up, this time from IGN --

www.ign.com/articles/2013/07/19/the-wolverine-review?abthid=51e88a37199d30bf66000012

The Wolverine Review


Scott Collura


Hugh Jackman brings us the Wolverine movie we've always wanted.




→ July 18, 2013 With his return to the title role of The Wolverine for the sixth time (with a seventh film now shooting), Hugh Jackman has proven that there's plenty of life left in the most famous X-Man. Unburdened by the type of reservations or fears that some other filmmakers and actors seem to have about the comic-book characters they're adapting, Jackman once again goes full in, embracing the Logan that fans first fell in love with in the pages of the X-Men. The result is, finally, the Wolverine movie we've always wanted.

Director James Mangold (3:10 to Yuma, Walk the Line) and his screenwriters smartly avoid the clutter of mutants and other pitfalls of the character's first solo film, creating a tale that is equal parts inspired by a classic storyline from the comics, a continuation of the X-Men film series, and a separate adventure all its own. Much like the character himself, The Wolverine is lean, mean, and fun.


Interestingly enough, the film serves as a quasi-sequel to the last of the "original" X-Men films, The Last Stand, which came out all the way back in 2006. When we first meet him here, Logan is living like a hermit in the Canadian wild, with the closest thing he has to a friend apparently being the grizzly with whom he uneasily shares the area. Wolverine is mourning the loss of Jean Grey, the X-Men teammate who he loved -- and was forced to kill in that earlier film -- and he has cut himself off from the world rather than have to face more loss.

(Famke Janssen, as Phoenix-like as ever, appears to Logan throughout the story -- as a dream, a ghost, or something else entirely perhaps -- as he struggles with the guilt
of what he did.)

But the film is a journey of healing for the character, as well as a meditation on the nature of life, death, and the notion of immortality. Soon, the ageless Logan encounters Yukio, the emissary of a dying old man whose life he saved decades earlier during World War II (we flashback to this moment, an intense recreation of the Nagasaki atomic attack). The old man, Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi), brings Logan back to Japan, where he offers to take the mutant's immortality away from him as a final gesture of thanks. It's a compelling situation to put Wolverine in, cursed as the character is to forever see those around him grow old and die.


In this age when superhero movies are increasingly concerned with universe-building, it's refreshing to get a film like The Wolverine that mostly stands alone. It's nice not having to worry about the bigger X-Men story or some kind of origin tale during the film (which isn't to say there's nothing here that points to the future of the Wolverine and X-Men franchises). For the most part, this is just a single adventure in Wolverine's long, long life. And really, it makes you feel that the Wolverine movie series could go on forever.

While the picture pulls liberally from the classic Chris Claremont/Frank Miller Japan storyline from the comics, it really plays more like a Bond movie than anything else, putting Logan in an exotic locale with entirely new characters to deal with, friend, foe, and love interest. (Of particular note are Rila Fukushima's Yukio, who in a sort of flip on Logan's powers is endowed with the unenviable ability to foretell death, Tao Okamoto's Mariko, upgraded from her damsel-in-distress comics counterpart, and Svetlana Khodchenkova's Viper, who spews venom like a fiend, quite literally.)

There's also a small but great beat in this script that I think is instructive for those who are looking to work in this genre. It involves the undying Wolverine starting to become a thing of legend -- via bedtime story! This is not only a cool concept but it also ties in perfectly to the film's bigger themes and the very notion of what makes Wolverine what he is. Note to all studios: This is the type of flourish that makes a good superhero movie -- not Gambit cameos that go nowhere.

As far as the action goes, a high-speed fight aboard a bullet train is a showstopper, but there are lots of ninjas and sword fights to also keep Wolvie in motion. And fanboys will find the deeper mythology of the character is intact as well. Still, The Wolverine does run into some problems as it nears its climax. The Viper is sexy and kick-ass, but kind of one-note. And a perhaps too cartoonish villain emerges during the finale, as does some CGI action that is more over the top than the rest of the film that precedes it.

But this story paints a deep and compelling portrait of Logan, a haunted character that Jackman still finds new ways to play all these years later. It turns out The Wolverine is the superhero movie surprise of the summer. He's still the best there is at what he does.


The Verdict

The Wolverine is a standalone adventure for the classic character that reminds us that there's more to this genre than universe-building and crossovers.