TV spots for the Wolverine have proclaimed: “X-Men fans rejoice! This is the Wolverine film you have been waiting for.” And, indeed, X-Men fans, it is. The Wolverine is an ambitious film that packs as much of an emotional punch as it does an action one, staying true to the title character’s nature.

 

Unlike the widely despised X-Men Origins prequel starring Logan, the Wolverine takes place after the events of X-Men: the Last Stand. It begins with a portrait of the X-Men’s most famous team member (once again portrayed by Hugh Jackman) as a shell of who he once was. Broken, lost, and living in the woods, Logan now laments the deaths of many of his friends, especially that of Jean Grey, the woman he loved, killed, and who now haunts his dreams. In the midst of his depression, Logan is drawn out by his innate sense of honor and justice to get retribution for a bear that has been wounded by careless hunters. It is here that Yukio (Rila Fukushima) confronts Logan with request from Ichirō Yashida, a man he once saved during the Nagasaki bombing in 1945, to come say goodbye before he dies. In Japan, Yashida offers to repay his life debt to Logan by taking away his healing factor and, thus, his immortality. Logan refuses, and, after Yashida dies, becomes mixed up in the family drama of the Yashidas and protects the man’s granddaughter, Mariko. However, he must protect her without the help of his healing power, which has been neutralized by Yashida’s villainous mutant doctor, Viper.

 

As an X-Men and Wolverine fan, this is a powerful film that not only delivers as an exceptional standalone film for the character, but also perfectly captures the true essence of the man known as the Wolverine: a man who is forever scarred by the incredible loss he has endured. Everyone he loves dies, but he cannot, so he must carry that burden with him forever. The film successful challenges this thinking by introducing Mariko (Tao Okamoto). She is a character that represents redemption for Logan, a woman under attack of dangerous forces whom he can save. Director James Mangold very successfully conveys this to this audience in a number of quiet scenes between the two that are quite palpable. 

 

Of course, no superhero movie is worth its weight in adamantium without the action. Much like this year’s Man of Steel, Director James Mangold does an excellent job of injecting the film’s fight and action scenes with tense emotion and consequence, something that is so often lacking in other films. In fact, such scenes are mostly used to highlight the Wolverine character as much as the quieter ones. Scenes where Logan takes on Mariko’s corrupt father and must fight an army of ninjas work to give depth to Wolverine, to show the audience his limits, his abilities, and his will. The climactic fight alone is filled with consequence (and I really do mean that) and the character’s will to live despite his long life’s tragedy.

 

It’s clear the filmmakers involved have done a fabulous job of bringing Wolverine back to life with this film, enough cannot be said for the film’s cast, lead, of course, by Hugh Jackman. Mr. Jackman has had this character down since the very first film, and that remains the same with this outing. He just gets the character. It’s unbelievable. It’s my opinion that no other actor in a comic book movie has EVER portrayed a character better than Jackman has with Wolverine. The film’s supporting cast is nothing to ignore, though. Rila Fukushima as Yukio is a strong performance as is Tao Okamoto. Hiroyuki Sanada shines as Mariko’s father, Shingen Yashida. 

 

The only two jarring flaws I see here are with the Viper and Kenuichio Harada characters. I thought Svetlana Khodchenkova was decent in the role, but I would have liked to see more of an effort to develop her character more. It is never made quite clear in the film just why she is a villain. What is her motive? There is some explanation given, but not much, and there could definitely have been more done with that. Will Yun Lee’s Harada is the most disappointing. In the comics, Harada is the Silver Samurai and a very complex and compelling character. Here, we only get glimpses of this brilliance and the identity of the Silver Samurai is changed to better serve the plot. For my money, I would have pushed this character far further into the forefront than he ended up.

 

But these changes and decisions about characters can be explained: this is a Wolverine movie. This was about Logan’s journey, and, in that, this film is incredibly successful. Not since X2 has Wolverine been given such depth, and it makes for an incredible viewing experience. Wolverine fans should indeed rejoice because we have been given a film we always wanted and a film that the character deserves: an epic character study with claws!

 

Oh, and make sure you stick around (as always) for an after-credits scene. I won't spoil what happens, but rest assured, it will BLOW YOUR MINDS!