"The Wolverine"

I'm not going to write an in-depth movie review as in days past. Just a few thoughts about the "source material" of "The Wolverine" and a Sergio Leone review.

"The Wolverine" is allegedly based on the character's very first solo mini-series from back in 1982. Wolverine had become so popular in the pages of "The Uncanny X-Men" that he was given a six-issue miniseries by writer Chris Claremont and artist Frank Miller. If you're not a comic book fan, those names won't mean anything to you. That's fine, because after you read the story, you'll want to seek out their other work.



The mini-series sees Wolverine head to Japan for a cinematic and powerful adventure that explores his humanity and defines him as an honorable yet conflicted man, unsure of his mysterious past and at war with his bestial self, but possessed of a heroic nobility and honor. Do yourself a favor and get a print or digital copy of Wolverine, but only read it after you see "The Wolverine."

Why, you ask? Read on and you'll see.

The Good:

Hugh Jackman, though really too tall and too good-looking for the role, continues to embody Logan/Wolverine. He is the best thing about this film, which is how it should be. I believe Jackman is a great actor, so I hope that the next Wolverine film will give him a script he can really sink his claws into. He's fantastic in the action scenes and in the quiet moments.

The action, when it's happening, is exciting and fast-paced. There are a few scenes that offer something new in the realm of superhero action, which is refreshing.

The women are HOT. Yep, I know I'm married. My wife's okay with me writing this, as she think Jackman is hot. Whether it's the evil Viper, Wolverine's new love Mariko, his new friend Yukio, or old flame Jean Grey (Famke!!!), the women of "The Wolverine" are beautiful.

The story, while not up to par with the original Wolverine mini-series, is engaging and keeps your interest throughout.

The post-credit sequence is surprising and extremely well-done. It sets up the future of Wolverine's character in the films and the next X-Men film, due in theaters next summer.

The Bad:

The action is good, but it's far too intermittent and at times, it's got a serious case of shaky-cam, especially during some fight scenes.

I wanted more Wolverine action, i.e., slicing up the bad guys. In the same vein, I wanted to see a certain set-piece from the mini-series, in which Wolverine climbs the facade of a fortress-like building to get to save Mariko, taking out thugs and ninjas on the way up. The building is in the film...but no such sequence occurs. It's a shame, because how Wolverine gets inside in the film is pretty dull.

Though she is beautiful, the actress who plays the Viper overdoes almost every time she's onscreen. Her character is also poorly written and her powers are not well-defined or portrayed.

The Ugly:

Something happens to Wolverine (I don't want to spoil it!) that I found completely stupid and unnecessary. I imagine it will be undone in a future film, but it serves zero purpose and is just done for the sake of "being edgy," kind of like having Superman kill Zod in Man of Steel.

One thing that I didn't mind happening to Wolverine in this film gets telegraphed a little too clearly. I was glad it was undone, because it kept Wolverine from being able to "cut loose," but the way it happened was far too convenient and not really explained all that well.

This will seem a strange one, but hear me out. Every Wolverine film should be R-rated. If you know anything about the character from the comics, you know his stories are heavy on blood and violence. He's got unbreakable (most of the time!) claws in his hands...blood has to be spilled and is spilled often. That's part of the character's experience. Yet we get another PG-13 Wolverine movie, and while it is more violent than X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it still fails to deliver the goods.

Finally, there's a plot point that carries over from X-Men: The Last Stand that is far too integral to this film's plot. You will roll your eyes after the second time it comes into play in the film. It also sabotages something that's supposed to happen with Wolverine's new love interest, Mariko. It's one of the many reasons I had hoped this film would be set prior to the events of the X-Men films.

Overall: I give The Wolverine a B. It's worth seeing and worth seeing in theaters. If you've never read the source material, you'll enjoy it for what it is. Wolverine is, in my opinion, the most interesting Marvel character aside from Captain America, and this movie does a good job of showing what makes him so fascinating and fun.