Wolverine a Fascinating Study of the Man behind the Mutant

DVD Release Date: December 3, 2013
Theatrical Release Date: July 26, 2013
Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, some sexuality and language)
Genre: Comic book/Sequel/Action
Run Time: 126 min.
Director: James Mangold
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Rila Fukushima, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Hal Yamanouchi, Famke Janssen, James Fraser, Tao Okamoto

Truth be told, it wouldn’t have taken much for The Wolverine to surpass its thoroughly lackluster predecessor, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. After all, when the film’s leading man admits it was, well, awful, you know there's a major problem.

What is surprising, however, is how much better The Wolverine is in every possible way. Not only has Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables) officially awakened from the zombie-like slumber that plagued his performance last time, but the clawed one's storyline is just as compelling as the special effects—imagine that.

It turns out Logan still isn't good at keeping a low profile and staying out of trouble. Retreating to the Yukon wilderness, a seemingly perfect place for avoiding unpleasant interactions with his fellow humans, mutant and otherwise, Logan can't seem to shake his inherent need for justice.

This becomes quickly apparent when he stumbles across a bear suffering badly from an arrow wound. Rather than calling it a day after putting the poor animal out of its misery, Logan immediately makes his way to the local watering hole to find out who was responsible. Needless to say, that person probably regretted his actions after experiencing the Wolverine's razor-sharp claws.

Making these proceedings interesting is a feisty little redhead who has been watching Logan every step of the way. She's been instructed by her employer to bring the Wolverine to Japan to say goodbye to the dying man he heroically saved from a nuclear blast in Nagasaki years ago. It eventually becomes clear to Logan that saying no to Yukio (newcomer Rila Fukushima) is going to be difficult. So, reluctantly, he boards the private plane.

Of course, the real reason for Wolverine's visit to Japan is far more complicated than paying his respects to Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi). But it's during his journey across the ocean when Logan is forced to confront his own demons. Already haunted by dreams of his beloved Jean (Famke Janssen, X-Men: The Last Stand), who he was forced to kill, Logan now must struggle with whether to accept Yashida's offer to remove his "curse" and make him mortal. Thus, we get a revealing glimpse of the man behind the mutant.

Beyond the thoughtful character development, what also helps The Wolverine stand apart are a pleasing aesthetic quality and stunning action sequences that actually feel fresh (especially the nail-biter that happens on top of a moving bullet train). Instead of countless action scenes that are all flash but serve no particular purpose (as in so many comic book movies), there's a lot more imagination invested here.

That said, no one will mistake The Wolverine for a perfect movie. The third act is so haphazardly strewn together and rushed from a storytelling perspective that it diminishes some of the goodwill established in the beginning. Overall, though, the positives far outweigh the negatives with The Wolverine, a vast improvement that not only plays to Jackman's acting chops but serves as an enticing lead-in to what’s next for the X-Men.

CAUTIONS (may contain spoilers):

• Drugs/Alcohol: Some social drinking and scenes taking place in a bar
• Language/Profanity: One f-bomb, a single use of a--hole, a few instances of sh-- and he--, plus a singular exclamation of God's name.
• Sex/Nudity: Jean shows up regularly in Logan's dreams, and she's wearing a white negligee that exposes cleavage. They kiss on several occasions. It’s implied that Logan and Mariko sleep together, but nothing is shown but kissing. Mariko's ex-fiancé is briefly shown being entertained by two women dressed in very skimpy attire. Viper wins over the affections of several men and when she kisses them, she poisons them. We briefly see Wolverine's backside in a non-sexual context.
• Violence: While mostly bloodless, the action scenes can be very intense and realistic-feeling, especially for younger viewers. People die and are injured in all sorts of gruesome ways, by gunshot, sword, stabbing, strangulation, suicide, Wolverine's claws, you name it. Wolverine's transition from mutant to human is a bit disturbing, as is pretty much anything that Viper does. There are also lengthy action sequences that involve stylized sword-play and a gory moment where Wolverine attempts to remove a defect from his own heart by cutting his own chest, reaching in and grabbing it out. A bear is shot with an arrow, and we see it whimpering as it's slowly dying. Wolverine takes pity and puts it out of its misery.

Christa Banister is an author and full-time freelancer writer, specializing in music, movies and books-related reviews and interviews and is the author of two novels, Around the World in 80 Dates and Blessed Are the Meddlers. Based in Dallas, Texas, she also weighs in on various aspects of pop culture on her personal blog.

Publication date: July 26, 2013