Saturday, July 27, 2013

The Wolverine: A more than pleasant surprise (Review)


Look, I'm not going to claim to be some comic book aficionado here, and never will. So when I say that The Wolverine was one of the best experiences I've ever had going to see a comic book film, realize I'm not beholden to the comic book lore of this character. The film's setting, the action sequences, and the characters offered enough to win me over from the opening shot of the film until the theater went dark. Specifically, I'm a softy for any film that uses the backdrop of Japan, and namely Tokyo for a primary mise-en-scene. It just never gets old and gives an American made film an aura that's sadly missing from a lot of summer blockbusters. Secondly, Hugh Jackson and the rest of the cast do not disappoint in any way. There's something of a side-kick character Wolverine is forced to deal with early in the film, named Yukio, played by Rila Fukushima, and her introduction won me over from the get go. Another great addition to this cast is Hiroyuki Sanada (Some of you may have remembered him from Danny Boyle's 2007 film Sunshine) playing the son of a very important central character you'll meet in scene one of this film. I could keep gushing about the international cast but I'll leave it up to you to decide for yourself if the credit I'm giving is realistic. 

Without getting into spolier filled territory I'll just underline the central theme of the film's story (at least how I viewed it anyway) deals with the concept of immortality and mortality, along with which is the better side to be on at the end of the day. It can be an obsession for some and the films central character, Yashida, certainly would fall into that obsessive category. Additionally, the opening scene should serve as a reminder about the horrors of nuclear weapons that have indeed been used on humanity in reality. Not something you'd expect to necessarily be reminded of in the context of a Marvel comics film but I took something away from the haunting visuals in the beginning of the film.


What really makes this film flow well and have a good pulse is the action scenes. The fight choreography is top notch as you see Wolverine and his allies fend off the bad guys. I never felt the camera necessarily moved too fast for me too keep up with the action which is something I'm learning to really appreciate in this era of JJ Abram's neck break style for camera movements. Even a high speed train sequence that you'd think may be completely nauseating for the eyes seemed well within acceptable limits for my own. There's also something of a 007/James Bond vibe peppered into this film. Maybe I've just watched too many of those thrillers but between the train sequence I alluded to, some of the specific shots of cars racing through the mountains, the slightly over the top action set piece for the film's climax made me think of some of those movies. And that isn't a bad thing at all here, whether it was intentional or unintentional. Another positive I need to mention is the witty dialogue, mainly being uttered out of Hugh Jackman's mouth. This film has no shortage of humor and well-timed one liners, something that prevents itself from being too serious. I'd honestly say it's the personality of the Wolverine character, brought to life so well by Jackman that may be a reason why audiences have yet to fully embrace a character like Superman. Let's face it, the straight-edged persona doesn't usually translate into witty and well-timed spots for light comedy in a script. I had to see this film to look back on Man of Steel and realize there was a bit of charm that was missing. there. (And I was too kind about it in a past review) This is simply an ass-kicking comic book film for my money and wish the majority of films of this genre could all live up to a similar frenetic energy...


Nonetheless, for as many good things The Wolverine has going for it I need to be fair and mention some of the drawbacks as well. There's some dream sequences that have Wolverine wishing there was some way he could still be with Jean Grey. (And before I go on, I must say that Famke Janssen should get an award for getting better with age, or at least maintaining because she looks wonderful in this movie) I felt like there was one or two too many of these dream moments and it bogged things down a bit for me. I understand the need for this to serve a purpose in the character arc for Wolverine but maybe not to the degree it was used here. Also, as larger than life as the film's final action sequence was, I found myself preferring the action scenes that came before it. I'm not saying it was bad or served to leave a bad taste in my mouth before the credits rolled, I just preferred act 1 and act 2's action sequences better. That's about all I can hurl at this film for negativity though, and that should say a great deal considering they're really just minor quips at best in my book.

The bottom line is this movie should satisfy the young and old. The opening scenes should draw you in enough to care about what's building plot wise until the very end. I found it to be the most satisfying comic book film I've seen since the first Iron Man (Yes, I know that will stir the pot as far as Batman enthusiasts go) Lastly, yes, stay behind for the credits because I think that will really serve to make you leave the theater with a smile. A job well done to director James Mangold and all involved! Nuff said.


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