The Wolverine (2013) (Movie Review)

   It’s been long debated who the greatest comic book super hero of all time is, there are those who say it’s Batman, some say Spider-Man, others say Wonder Woman, most say it’s Superman, and, really it’ll always be up for debate. Truthfully, it'll always come down to personal preference, and for me, my personal favorite superhero is none other then Wolverine. This is the guy who stands apart from other hero’s, and just seems to have everything I want from a great character. Wolverines the ultimate outsider, and his greatest battle is the one within himself. He’s more wild, out of control, and doesn’t always have a code in which to fight his enemies ... more often then not, he’ll just waist them. 

Yet, underneath his beastly, bad-ass persona, is a warrior with a conscience to do what is honorable, and in the end, he’ll always be there for his allies. While he’s admittedly been overplayed as the main lead in the movies, I’ve still always felt he disserved his own stand-alone films, just as the character has had his stand-alone comics outside of the X-Men. The first attempt at a solo Wolverine film was the 2009 movie “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, which was disastrous, and didn’t do this iconic superhero justice at all. Thankfully in 2013, my favorite hero was given a second chance to shine in his own stand alone film simply titled “The Wolverine”. Strait to the point, this movie is to me what “X2: X-Men United” was for everyone else. Most people would regard this as just an average good superhero film, but I personally love “The Wolverine”, as I think it’s one of the best films in the series, and a more then satisfying film for my favorite superhero.

  Back at the end of “X-Men 3: The Last Stand”, Wolverine was forced to kill Jean Grey, who was taken over by the Phoenix force, and threatened to nuke San Francisco. Unfortunately, that also meant killing the woman he loved, and this decision would leave a damaging impact on his soul. Years have gone by, he’s left the X-Men, lives like a bum in Canada, has frightening dreams of a ghostly Jean Grey haunting him, and has completely forgotten what it means to be a hero. During this time, his memories have slowly begun to resurface, and one particular memory involves a Japanese solder he rescued way back in World War 2. Soon, he’s approached by a young, sword wielding Asian girl named Yukio, who insists that Wolverine go to Japan to meet the very man he saved all those years ago.

The man’s old, and at deaths door, so he wants Wolverines healing powers, and has the means to take them. This would give Wolverine the chance to live a normal life without the burden of immortality. The man’s also the leader of Japans most powerful company. If he dies, leadership will pass onto his granddaughter Marico, which will make her a target to be assassinated by her wicked father, who aims to take the company for himself. Through a series of events, the old man apparently dies, the assassins make their move, and Wolverine takes on the role of a watchful guardian, and protector for Marico. Together, they race through Japan fighting off Yakuza criminals, armed ninja’s, and a deadly female mutant named Viper, who’s immobilized Wolverine’s healing powers. Now our hero finds himself in his most vulnerable position ever, yet a healing journey has actually begun, because the more he commits to protecting Marico ... the more it heals his once broken soul. Over time, a relationship blooms between the two, secrets are discovered, and Wolverine finds himself rediscovering what it means to be a hero once again.

  It’s a simple and straight forward premise for Wolverine, as opposed to a complicated origin story, and it focuses more on his personal journey, rather than just a series of random action scenes. I really love the tone and pacing of this movie. Much like “Spider-Man 2”, it doesn’t feel like a typical comic book film, in fact it really feels like a martial arts movie, one that just happens to feature a comic book character. There enough solid action highlights, which are perfectly in-sync with the simplicity of the story, and it felt like a return to form for the franchise, as "X-Men" wasn't always about flashy Summer spectacle. More than anything, I love the location of Japan, which actually feels like a character in of itself. I love the surroundings, I love the colors, I love the culture, and it really helps separate this film from the other X-Men movies. I’ve always been a fan of martial arts cinema, and it’s great to see one of my favorite comic book hero’s in this kind of setting. The visual style in this film is also fantastic, as it looks like a Japanese comic or anime that’s come to life in live action. 

        

  On that note, the characterization of Wolverine is one of the absolute best in any of the movies, and I honestly think its one of Huge Jackman’s best portrayals of the character. He’s still tough as nails, but he’s also more grateful to the people he meets, he’s more honorable, witty, and very observant of what’s going on around him. Whenever he talks to a character regarding their personal backgrounds or Japanese culture in general, he’s very open to what they have to say, and it sticks with him. This movie also makes good on killing Jean Grey back in “X-Men 3: The Last Stand”. I initially hated that, but without that ending, this movie just wouldn’t have worked as well as it did. I think it’s awesome how Jean Grey makes these ghostly appearances throughout the film, and I like how she acts differently whenever she reappears. It really depends on what Wolverine is feeling, like it’s a part of his subconscious, and it further highlights that inner conflict he’s going through. Plus, it’s just great to see Famke Janssen reprise her signature role from the previous films.  

   I also really like the supporting cast, I mean I went into this movie just for Wolverine, but I’d really like to see more of these side characters. Marico is a mostly average girl friend character, but she’s very easy to like, and she just has this warm presence. Actress Tao Okamoto is very passionate in the role, she’s incredibly beautiful, and I’m not sure why, but for me, Wolverine has always looked better with an Asian girl for a love interest. Which reminds me, let’s talk about Wolverines bad-ass little side kick Yukio. She’s a mutant who receives visions of the future, and a skilled sword fighter. Honestly, it’s an exhilarating glee moment whenever she pulls out her swords and gets into the action. Despite her young age, she’s actually a perfect side kick to go along with Wolverine, and I love how the two work off each other. Actress Rila Fukushima also gives one hell of a good performance in the role, has great chemistry with Huge Jackman, and I want to see them together in more movies. 

   Now, if the movie has any real short comings, it would probably be with the villains. I don’t hate any of them, but they certainly don’t hold a candle to other villains from the series. The malevolent Viper is our main antagonist, and has toxic powers ranging from poisoned fingernails, to acid spit. The performance is mega camp, and the character herself is about as generic as they get. 

In fact, I honestly don’t understand what her motivations are, or what she even hopes to gain from anything she does. Having said that, I’ve loved snakes ever sense I was a child, and the concept of an attractive villain with snake like capabilities and persona is actually really fun ... at least on some level. Then there’s Marico’s greedy father Shingen, who has no problem killing his own daughter, just to become chairman of his family company. For the most part, I actually really liked this character, and Hiroyuki Sanada’s performance is very good, but unfortunately he comes off like missed potential. The character is virtually abandoned, and killed off way too soon, and I just feel like they could have done more with him. There’s actually a moment in which Wolverine spares his life, which could have led to a good reformation scene, and it would have added some emotional depth to the ending to see him turn good, reuniting with his daughter. Unfortunately, he’s just killed off and forgotten like an extra.

   

  Back to the positives ... the action scenes in this film are outstanding! Honestly, I think these are some of the best of the whole series. There’s no over blown effects, no obvious CGI backdrops, and every action takes place in front of the camera. The sets, locations and props are all interwoven into the fight choreography, and it’s a very impressive display of physical talents and stunt work. It’s also really cool to just see traditional sword fights.

In the previous Wolverine movie, the fighting came off like dirty street brawling with no rhyme or reason. In this movie the fighting is all done with expertly choreographed grace and rhythm, but with just enough urgency to make the danger feel real. Wolverine vs Shingen is honestly one of my favorite duels in the X-Men series. One of the stand out fights takes place on a built train, where Wolverine is stuck on the roof of a fast moving vehicle while fighting the Yakuza assassins. It’s exhilarating, creative, and lasts just long enough without over staying its welcome.

   Then there’s the climax in which Wolverine battles a giant metal robot called The Silver Samurai. This admittedly is the only part where the film really feels like a typical comic book movie, and it’s very out of place with the overall tone and feel of what led up to this. Having said that ... this is still a pretty awesome final battle. Seeing Wolverine go up against a robot soldier three times his size is nothing short of bad ass, and the indoor location of this giant tower is really cool as it allows the characters to cover a lot of ground. Not to mention, The Silver Samurai poses a real threat to Wolverine, and he’s the only adversary who can actually cut through his metal claws. Now this portrayal of The Silver Samurai is nothing like it’s source material, which might bother some fans. In both the comic books and the cartoon TV show, The Silver Samurai was actually one of Wolverines most interesting and iconic foes, but I’m all for changes in the movie, as long as it’s done with purpose. See, there’s a twist reveal as to who’s in The Silver Samurai’s armor, and while it’s very predictable, it still works for the story, and while I would have preferred something closer to the original, I still thought this variation was okay. 

    Before I get to my final verdict of the movie, lets first talk about the un-rated extended cut titled "The Unleashed Extended Edition". If you’re going to watch this movie, I highly recommend watching this extended cut over the theatrical version. It’s honestly one of my favorite extended cut’s I’ve ever seen of a movie, and it's the only version I ever watch of the film. Obviously there’s more action and bloodshed, but there’s also more conversations added back into the film that actually carry a lot of meaning, and help develop both the story and the characters further. This extended cut also puts my favorite action scene of the whole movie back into the film, in which Wolverine battles the Black Clan ninjas in the abandoned village. In the theatrical cut, it just showed Wolverine getting captured, but in the extended cut we see the full fight, and it is firkin awesome! There’s ninjas driving motorcycles on rooftops, chain whips, explosions, Yukio drives this massive snow plow and literally shreds the villains in her path ... it’s just crazy awesome! The setting is also really cool, and it’s just a real treat to see both Wolverine and Yukio take on this armed clan of ninjas.

   Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the mid-credit scene, which at the time was one of the most exciting mid-credit scenes I'd ever seen. Two years after the events of the film, Wolverine finds himself at an airport, where he sees a TV advertisement for Trask Industries, which foreshadows the villain of the fallowing X-Men movie “Days of Future Past”. Then completely out of the blue, Wolverine is confronted by his arch enemy Magneto, who’s played once again by Ian McKellen. Interestingly enough, Magneto is actually asking for Wolverine’s help to battle something evil that’s on the horizon. Then I really lost my mind as none other than Professor X, played again by Patrick Stewart, arrives on the scene. Yeah, after being nuked by Phoenix back in “X-Men 3: The Last Stand”, it was a real thrill to see him alive, and in person once again. Now, how the heck did he survive, and how did this come to be? Well, neither the movie, nor the series as a whole really explains this, which is annoying, but the payoff was just too cool to glance over. 

  In the end, I know most fans have written this movie off as a comic-book movie that came and went, but for me ... “The Wolverine” is personally one of my favorite films in the "X-Men" series. It’s an exciting martial arts action thriller, and a worthy stand-alone outing for my favorite superhero. It may not break any new ground, and it's admittedly not as finely crafted as the later 2017 picture "Logan", but even with that said, I genuinely have a little more fondness for this one. 

The characters journey is still engaging enough without being as emotionally draining, and the action exciting enough to make the film worthwhile. I think common summer movie audiences might be put off by the films lack of big spectacles, but I sincerely found this film to be a refreshing off-set to all the overly explosive and derivative pop-corn films that we so often get. It was a fine improvement over the previous “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, and a good lead-in to what we'd eventually see in "Logan". Things only get better next time, when I review “X-Men: Days of Future Past” ... but that's for another review. 

                                           
Thanks for reading my review of the 2013 comic-book movie “The Wolverine” ... and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!