The Wolverine (2013)

I rented this movie from my local library and while I was a little skeptical (considering X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which I hadn't seen but I heard was bad), it didn't disappoint. We get more Wolverine action while he travels through Japan, plus lots of Yakuza fighting and beautiful scenery in the land of the rising sun. We even got the Silver Samurai. The nearly all-Japanese cast didn't hurt either. And considering I'm interested in Japanese culture, especially their pop culture, this really delivered. It sure outdid X3 and gave Wolverine his own movie in an exotic land. I don't remember a lot but I did enjoy this. It's probably good for a single viewing. Maybe two if you're big on Wolverine. But I was satisfied.

Though the final confrontation does get a little silly (no doubt caused by studio interference), this small-scale story features some of the best action in the series, by using less wire-work and keeping it mostly practical, as well as a more realistic tone. Jackman also turns in what was perhaps his best work as the character up until this point. The story is appropriately tragic and was, at the time of its release, arguably the closest the character came to being 'comic accurate' on the big-screen, sans yellow suit (aside from its deleted scene, of course.) You can really see what they were going for here and when it works, it really works. The 'Unleashed Extended Edition' on Blu-Ray adds a lot to the experience, with additional blood and violence bringing the violence closer to the original intent. It does feel like a lite version of 'Logan (2017)', but in no way reaches the quality of that, while still being tethered to the studio's idea of what a commercially viable 'X-men' film 'should' be. It's an entertaining and interesting film, all the way until it's rather clunky and disappointing finale, but it still remains leagues better than the eponymous hero's first solo outing and is, I think, a little underrated. 8/10

Don't get me wrong, Logan is great but this is far more enjoyable and less soul draining. We follow Logan to Japan where he is invited to say farewell to an old friend he once saved, however he is now embroiled in a family where power, money and immortality are at stake. James Mangold had a really easy job, just make it better than the abysmal X-Men Origins: Wolverine. He did that and then some. The balance between Logan's haunted past and the Yashida family affairs was perfect. The dream scenes with Jean Grey highlight how tainted Logan really is, how he struggles to let go of his past. It's a story about love, forgiveness...and badass swordplay sequences. Those of you who know me, know that my weakness in films are those that are set in Japan. I don't know why, it just is. James Mangold made Japan look beautiful, it was colourful and modern. Hugh Jackman, once again, is Wolverine. His physical prowess is ridiculous, clearly you don't want to have an arm wrestle with him...his veiny veins of vein-ness might just pop (seriously though have you seen them!?). Hiroyuki Sanada gets to wave a sword around, that's bonus points right there. The action sequences were thrilling and well filmed, I'm thankful that we as an audience are able to see everything and not be plagued with shaky cam or frequent jump cuts. The bullet train scene was damn fun to watch. The combination of modern and traditional Japan was well balanced and did not feel forced. The Viper was memorable enough to be classed as a good villain, maybe not the best choice of actress but it certainly wasn't a bad performance. Everything just felt fresh, it's what the franchise really needed. The third act does stumble into typical superhero blockbuster territory but that is to be expected, it couldn't stay mature forever I guess. Some of the slower scenes did drag slightly as well, but if anything it adds to Logan's character development. The Wolverine was fresh, bold and exciting to watch. It should be appreciated a little bit more.

Story close to style of comic, sadly I just found it boring, lots of running around & a bit predictable. Typical Wolverine story, bad guys will keep pushing the hermit-guy & force him to slice them up, the big villain will beat him up badly but he'll just win in the end. The nuance this time is all the Japanese stuff, but its all the cliched stuff thats been done a million times.