The Wolverine

Hugh Jackman is back, and badder than ever as the most popular superhero in Marvel's stable. Mutant might be the more appropriate term so as not to confuse with the Avengers and dozens of other "superheroes", but either way, Jackman is The Wolverine. Since 2000, there have been six films featuring this character, and a seventh on the way. Fans just can't seem to get enough, evident through the cool $55 million take on opening weekend. With a production budget at a meager $120 million, it has surpassed that globally at about $157 million and counting as I write this. People love the idea of an emotionally tormented, reluctant hero with rage issues, regenerating powers, and retractable indestructible claws. It's cool to the core. And Jackman is so perfect for the role from his bushy sideburns and cigar to the bulging muscles in his arms. It's the Marvel home-run of casting (Downey Jr. wasn't so bad either).

As with most X-Men films, we are given a taste of back story to start us off. Nagasaki, a week or so before the end of WWII. You can guess what happens. The story finds our hero in the Yukon, enjoying his manly life of solitude as the epitome of a survivalist. He only walks into town to get more whiskey and batteries for his radio. He sleeps on the ground with just a blanket, and has long hair and a thick, shaggy beard. Does it get any more manly? If you don't catch my rhetoric, the answer is simply "Doubtful". Wolverine is pulled out of the wilderness by a young Japanese woman who has a spotty gift for seeing the future, but her job is to bring Logan back to Japan where he saved a young soldier's life all those years ago. Wolverine doesn't age by the way, he's over a hundred years old. The adamantium claws and skeleton was the result of a rogue military science experiment. Come on people, keep up on your Marvel lore.

Anyhow, Wolverine meets this wealthy, elderly Japanese man who promises him mortality in exchange for his regenerating powers to help with his own ailing conditions. Wolverine ponders this, and finds himself involved with the Yakuza and political powers in Tokyo. He is given a taste of humanity as his powers are sapped by the evil, and terribly cast Viper. She's a mutant with an immunity to toxins, and can spit venom that behaves exactly how she wants it to. It's gimmicky and cheap, and she doesn't make a very compelling baddie. Played by Svetlana Khodchenkova (I know, right?), she couldn't be more unrecognizable. This was a wasted opportunity to create a rich side character and the casting director should have gone a tad more mainstream. Maybe not A-list, but definitely a friendly face and some acting talent. This was definitely the biggest mistake of the film.

Wolverine then claws his way through countless Yakuza until he is nearly killed. Nearly. The third act starts with some serious gusto, then fizzles as we meet the final nemesis, the Silver Samurai. His existence is a bit of a head scratcher at first, but makes perfect sense as the battle scene comes to a conclusion. Stay through the credits to get a taste of the next X-Men endeavor, which is slated for a summer 2014 release and gives a pretty clear glimpse of the next threat to the X-Men. None other than... Peter Dinklage. I know, me too.

X-Men: First Class didn't count, as Wolverine had a very small cameo, but his previous headlining film, X-Men Origins: Wolverine was a bit of a disappointment. No fault of Jackman, he portrayed the character well, the story was just lackluster and poorly executed. The Wolverine comes with a fresh attitude, centering fully on our protagonist and his curiosity to tempt his own fate. The animalistic instinct to ponder ones own mortality is too much for a creature that can't be killed. It's a bold move, that doesn't just put him in the stratosphere above all other mutants or superheroes, but makes him seem deeper and more relatable. He is just plain cool, and the director nailed the character aspect of the story.

Jackman is right in his element, seemingly at home with the mutton chops and white tank top. He's a very macho and charismatic character actor, and for my money, I think he does the best work as Wolverine. The bulk of the supporting cast are Japanese, and there is a lot of traditional samurai/ronin/ninja action, which is a fresh change. No disasters here (except the bombing of Nagasaki), just good old fashioned sword/knife/bow and arrow/Wolverine claw fighting.

James Mangold as a director hasn't done a film like this before, stopping just short in the action genre with 2007's 3:10 to Yuma. His earlier work of Girl, Interrupted, Walk the Line, and one of my underrated favorites, Copland are much more serious fare, but he's hitting his blockbuster stride after the 2010 Tom Cruise bomb, Knight and Day. He doesn't do anything fancy, but definitely blows away Gavin Hood's 2009 Origins: Wolverine film with more attention to the post-production detail. The Silver Samurai is cool, if not a bit irrelevant.

Marvel, although separated by studios, is a veritable goldmine of story ideas. People will never grow tired of superpowers, just as they seemingly never grow tired of zombies, or vampire love stories. Running the Avenger universe concurrent with the X-Men universe is a smart idea ripe with crossover potential. 2014 brings a third part of the universe with Guardians of the Galaxy, a lesser known band of heroes led by one of my current favorite funnymen; Chris Pratt. They will do battle with the massive red creature named Kronos, who you will recognize from the end of The Avengers. I wish I was involved with the Marvel film idea discussion right now, they are making millions hand over fist, and it won't stop anytime soon.

Back to The Wolverine. It's better than the last one, but really only because of Jackman's ability to own the character and make it believable and real (as much as it can). The bad guys were a bit underwhelming, particularly the poorly cast Viper. All in all though, the action was fun and full of fights, particularly the one on top of the train. I could have done without the one liners though, bub. 7/10.