Review of The Wolverine (2013) by Ian P — 25 Aug 2014

A strange entry into the Wolverine/X-men mythos. I'd admit that it is superior in construction to the mediocre at best 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine', but I can't say I enjoyed it more. Despite being full of action, it ultimately bores because of its lack of soul and grounding to the rest of the X-men franchise. It does its fair share of things right, trying to go outside the box, but it will be remembered by me as a mixed bag.

As far as the things done right, the tone is a much welcome departure from 'Origins'. A much darker and more serious backing separates it from its very comicbooky previous chapter. This is necessary, as the premise of the film is adapted from one of the darkest storylines Marvel Comics has to offer: Chris Claremont's 'Wolverine' miniseries. As an adaptation, this film does a commendable job sticking to its source material. Some things are changed or left out, but it sticks as close as possible. This is both a blessing and a curse, as it covers both the good parts of the comic as well as not recognizing which parts won't translate to live action. This is a problem throughout the film. It sets up a gritty and (fairly) realistic world, and then fills it with ridiculous and completely unbelievable plot devices. Several of the action sequences are so far over the top that they are borderline surrealism. This was a big problem for 'Origins' as well, but as it was set in a much more obviously pretend world so it didn't stick out quite as much. All that said, I am capable of suspending my disbelief for a great portion of these things. Still, it was a distraction.

The acting is fairly strong; definitely a step up from 'Origins'. It feels like Jackman has finally at long last grown into his role of Logan completely. He seems to have a much stronger idea of how to interpret the character, accentuating his antisocial and animalistic qualities in a way that much closer resembles his comic counterparts true personality. The rest of the acting is fairly strong, although I did not enjoy Khodchenkova as the Viper, who was a primary offender of my 'ridiculous and unbelievable plot devices' complaint.

In addition to improved acting, the script is a step up also. More believable dialogue all around lends to the more realistic tone of the film. The story is a bit of a departure from past X-men films as it forgoes the usual straightforward storytelling and injects a bit of who-done-it thriller into its action. A fair number of twists and turns that do more to keep the viewer entertained than does the action. While it does take some turns, it doesn't really end up going anywhere unexpected. The most interesting portion of the story is the subplot of Logan facing his own mortality and his subconscious desire to die. It is an underlying theme throughout much of the film, but it is largely glanced over. Had this been focused on more, I feel it could have been a much more successful story. As the plot stands, it is a bit disjointed and never really comes together as it should. For the most part, it is one big action sequence that bludgeons you into desensitization within the first 30 minutes, leaving you bored by the same caliber action later in the movie.

Another big complaint I had with this film is its total disconnect from the X-men franchise before it. Outside of a few scenes with Famke Janssen, (and an after credits scene which was by far the best moment of the movie) there is almost no reference or interplay whatsoever to the previous films. Not only that, but it becomes unclear exactly how much Director Mangold expects his audience to know from the previous films, or even exactly where in the story occurs in the timeline of the franchise. A fan of the 'X-Men' movies will figure it out, but it is just sort of floating out there for the casual movie goer. A more fixed timeline location in the X-men mythos would go a long way towards making 'The Wolverine' feel like a real chapter in the saga.

When looking at 'The Wolverine' as a whole, it is solidly average. A big step up in tone, acting, directing and scripting are wholly negated by lack luster overall plot, over the top and seizure inducing action sequences and a frustrating lack chronology and structure within the X-men universe. It does break some new ground with Logans character and underlying psychology, but it ends up being less than the sum of its parts. Overall, I rate it identically to 'X-men Origins: Wolverine'. Decent but squarely unspectacular, and a bit of a let down.