Review of The Wolverine (2013) by Liv H — 07 May 2014

After 2009's highly disappointing "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," I was convinced that Wolverine couldn't really carry a film all by himself. Well, truthfully I began to suspect that none of the X-Men really could--after all, the series is called "X-MEN," not "X-MAN"--but, to date, Wolverine was the only character given the "Origins" treatment. He's just not as interesting when he doesn't have his eclectic group of teammates to play off; I've remarked before that he's a bit too much like Superman, what with his vast arrays of mutant powers that render him nearly invulnerable, so when he was placed front and center by his lonesome, the proceedings just seemed rather...well, lacking. Why should we get invested in a fight between hero and villain when we know the hero is invincible?

And yet, 2013's "The Wolverine" was a far better example of what the franchise's signature mutant can do even without his cronies by his side. It turns out that you can make Wolverine more interesting; you just have to limit his powers. Now admittedly this is problematic by its very nature, as the film has to construct a deus-ex-machina just to make the audience believe its hero is in any kind of danger. But hey...baby steps.

In a wise move, "The Wolverine" is actually a follow-up to the last "X-Men" film rather than the "Origins" one. This is a good thing, as after "Origins" and "X-Men: First Class" (which, admittedly, is a superb film), I don't think we need to take any more steps backward at this point (though I'm very curious to see how the upcoming "Days of Future Past," which deals with both the past AND the future, will play out). The "X-Men" movie franchise has been going on since 2000; I don't think we really need to see any more origin stories.

After the climactic events of "X-Men: The Last Stand," Wolverine, aka Logan (Hugh Jackman), has gone back to his loner ways, drifting about on the outskirts of civilization. He's haunted by visions of Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) whom, as you may recall, he was forced to kill during the events of "The Last Stand," as she'd been corrupted by her out-of-control telekinetic powers.

One day he is approached by Yukio (Rila Fukushima), a precognitive mutant with a connection to Logan's past. He's convinced to come to Japan to see a man whose life he once saved back during World War II. (Yeah, Wolverine's also immortal, in case you forgot that...) However, upon arrival, Logan suddenly finds himself thrust into action as he is forced to defend the man's granddaughter Mariko (Tao Okamoto) from Yakuza assassins. Ordinarily this would not be an issue, but when his powers are weakened by a mutant named Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova), suddenly the task looks like it's going to be much more difficult.

This is Logan at his most vulnerable, both physically and emotionally, and that makes the movie far more easy to get invested in. The plot is a little murky, as it turns out different people are after Mariko for different reasons, and I'm not quite certain why Viper goes to the trouble of suppressing Logan's abilities...especially since, as it turns out, he's essential to her scheme. But at least it gives the audience the sense that now, finally, maybe Wolverine may truly be in trouble.

The action scenes are kinetic and well-done, with the best taking place on top of a moving bullet train. And now that we know Logan can be hurt, the stakes feel raised. Jackman is in fine form in his signature role, growling and wise-cracking when appropriate, but never going overboard in either department. This is his fifth outing as the mutant, and there's something encouraging about the fact that he really seems to enjoy it. Ennui hasn't set in yet, and though he'll obviously eventually have to be replaced, he looks like he can go at it for a little while longer.

"The Wolverine" doesn't reach the heights of some of the previous installments in the "X-Men" franchise ("X2: X-Men United," "X-Men: First Class"), but it's a serious upgrade over "Origins," and it has reinvigorated my faith in the character of Wolverine. I still think he works better as a team player rather than a solo act (and it looks like he'll go back to doing that in "Days of Future Past"), but "The Wolverine" proves that it is, in fact, possible to make a successful movie about an "X-Man" on his own.