Wolverine : Le Combat de l'immortel

This is basically a tale of two movies. I know Hugh Jackman wanted this movie to be an adaptation of the classic Chris Claremont/Frank Miller comic book mini-series. You can see bits of that story here. But then you have this other stuff, far removed from that story, that seems to be studio-imposed and ultimately hurts what could have been one of the best comic book movies to date. The good stuff, the stuff worth watching this for, are the slower, quieter parts of the story. The Wolverine and Mariko parts, basically. But all of the special effects-heavy parts and the loud, flashy action sequences suck and take away from the impact the movie would have otherwise had. There's probably no better example than the different climactic battle scenes. Wolverine vs Shingen is a much more powerful, emotional scene than the shallow, garish stuff with Viper and a guy in robot armor.

I don't really blame James Mangold. No doubt it was Fox's interference that caused the problems and also caused Darren Aronofsky to bail before filming. You can see a better movie underneath this one. But Fox didn't have the guts to make that movie. Probably felt it wasn't commercial enough. Needed more robots and CGI fights on top of a speeding train. Still, it's good enough to watch and enjoy most of it. It's certainly miles better than the last Wolverine movie. But I can't help but feel sad thinking about what might have been. They very well could have given Wolverine his own 'Batman Begins' but instead we get just another watchable popcorn movie with hints at something more substantial.

If there's one major element that truly sets this picture apart from any other standard "solid" comic book movie is the way through which the director communicates the experience of being Wolverine. His healing factor and the idea of out-living everyone you know is daunting and depressing. Finding purpose after facing true vulnerability adds so much to the character and FAR more than we've seen before. Tremendous visual and emotional imagery is presented throughout the movie and provides the viewer with greater insight into the hero and even the villains. This one screams quality from the opening through the amazing final act. I've seen it mentioned that the resolution deviates from the comic books but I honestly couldn't care less. What hits the screen more then works in movie form.

For those going into this flick expecting simple fun, prepare to enjoy but prepare to be surprised. Fun is not the only piece of this pie. In fact, I think movie fans of all kind will be stunned at how many levels this movie delivers upon. This is an action packed but surprisingly deep film that, for me, really delivers. The Wolverine will leave your movie-going senses on high and I honestly can't wait to see it again.

Some time after the events of The Last Stand, this sequel of sorts focuses on Logan/Wolverine as a tortured soul living in isolation and haunted by vivid memories of his lost love. Now, having reached an emotional impasse, he travels to Japan to visit an old comrade. Once there, he quickly gets caught up in a complex political power struggle that, for the first time in his life, makes him truly vulnerable. Jackman, not unexpectedly, is formidable in the lead, and there are lots of visceral action scenes, but that does little to compensate for the faults; film's tone is grim, its characters—sans Jackman—are unappealing, plotting is convoluted, subject matter turns ugly, and the pace lags heavily after a strong start. Jackman effectively spits, scowls, snarls, and flexes his muscles in what has become his go-to role, but he has almost no support; too long, too dark, and too serious to really be fun. **

Saw The Wolverine. Masterfully choreographed action and best train fight scene ever. The best Wolverine yet and Hugh Jackman delivers. Thoughtfully paced with a perfect blend of action and story. You don't need to know anything about the previous movies since this one can stand alone. The story may get in the way at times for those who only enjoy mindless action. I will go see it again without the 3D effect to see if that made any difference. The only drawback for me was the glare from theater stair's runner lights on my 3D glasses but that had nothing to do with the movie. They threw in a nice little surprise for the true fans just after the end credits started to roll.

2009's X-men Origins: Wolverine was received negatively by both critics and the majority of the fans of the character. Now the character has a chance to redeem himself with this year's the Wolverine and for the most part he does. This film has really tried to please the fans as it was loosely based on the beloved Japan story line from the comics and it is clear that the film has tried to fix the problems that were complained about in the previous solo Wolverine film. Despite taking place after the events of X-men: The Last Stand this film attempts to distance itself from the rest of the X-men characters and story and focuses solely on the Wolverine character and as a result this film feels very different to all previous X-men films. This allows for the best portrayal of Wolverine's character that we have seen so far and Hugh Jackman also delivers his best performance of the character to date. I really enjoyed the pacing of the film as well because although it was a face paced action film it wasn't afraid to slow things down and develop the characters and the relationships between them. However it never slows down for too long before it picks up the pace with another action scene. The action in this film is also very well done because every sequence is creative and has a purpose so it never feels like the mindless action we've come to expect in big budget summer films. Humour is also used effectively in this film as the writers take advantage of Wolverine's IDGAF attitude. However the film isn't perfect as there is one other mutant character that occasionally seems slightly out of place and some people might find her character a bit too over the top. Also from time to time it does feel like they are playing it too safe to insure that they don't make any of the same mistakes as the last Wolverine film. Overall The Wolverine, although not perfect, is a fun superhero film that gets a lot of things right about what makes the Wolverine character so popular.