'The Wolverine' review by Captain Raptor
The X-Men films have a unique progression of quality: 'good-great-bad-awful-good'. It's interesting because although The Wolverine comes as the sixth installment of a wealthy and established franchise, it's still got a lot to prove - the sideburned stabber's first solo outing misfired on all cylinders and First Class, the franchise's revitalization featured Wolverine for all of six seconds, so it's been 10 years since audiences last saw a fully entertaining starring Ol' Wolfy. Something must be done.
And something has been done. Admirably, The Wolverine is almost a complete re-invention of the series. Gone are the one-liners, gone are the litany of appearances from other secondary Marvel characters (there are a few, but certainly no fan favourites or big names), gone are the destructive and adrenaline-packed showdowns (at least comparatively); The Wolverine is almost certainly the smallest-scale X-Men film to date (No saving the world this time, just some vengeance and desperation), and definitely the moodiest and most serious. It's a total change from Origins: Wolverine, and in this respect it works spectacularly. Hugh Jackman slips into his role like a comfortable and well-worn shoe, providing a strong foundation to allow the change to occur, and the darker and far less comical nature of the film never feels jarring when anchored by Jackman's solid performance. There are a few attempts at humour, but half of them fall flat, and the other half are about stabbing, so they don't really lighten the mood. Because Wolverine is a melee fighter, all the action is up close and personal, which coupled with his new-found vulnerability makes for much more tense and engaging fight scenes.
The seriousness of the film is both a hindrance and an improvement. By getting darker, The Wolverine manages to stay fresh and avoid the trappings of some previous installments, but it also lacks the humour (and in some senses, the fun) that elevated the good films (in particular First Class) to greater heights. Wolverine is clearly left, right and centre in this film, and the only returning character (apart from an unmissable post-credits scene) is an ethereal Jean Grey, who never really impacts the film that much. This is a more plot-driven venture, but most of the new characters are only OK, not great, and the actress playing the Viper is going a bit overboard in her performance. Hugh Jackman certainly gives his most dramatic portrayal of Wolverine in this film, and he completely succeeds in carrying the film on his shoulders and gives a really subtle performance (we all know that Logan isn't much for speaking his feelings, but Jackman makes them perfectly evident through some great delivery of lines and grunts). The film moves along at a slow(ish) pace, which works here in a more serious film to build the tension and add more drama to the proceedings. The design department, particularly costume, has done a good job, and despite some of the new characters being a tiny bit bland, they are for the most part well presented and well acted.
I've very few complaints to make about any area of the film - everything is done competently, and the film entertains from start to finish. However, there's some spark missing. The lack of humour and over-the-top action strays it away from classic comic book fare, which shows confidence and makes for an interesting change, but nothing has really been supplied in replacement. Regardless, The Wolverine is a tense and fully enjoyable action film, with Jackman continuing to ace the part, and it's certainly a step in the right direction for the upcoming Days of Future Past.
And something has been done. Admirably, The Wolverine is almost a complete re-invention of the series. Gone are the one-liners, gone are the litany of appearances from other secondary Marvel characters (there are a few, but certainly no fan favourites or big names), gone are the destructive and adrenaline-packed showdowns (at least comparatively); The Wolverine is almost certainly the smallest-scale X-Men film to date (No saving the world this time, just some vengeance and desperation), and definitely the moodiest and most serious. It's a total change from Origins: Wolverine, and in this respect it works spectacularly. Hugh Jackman slips into his role like a comfortable and well-worn shoe, providing a strong foundation to allow the change to occur, and the darker and far less comical nature of the film never feels jarring when anchored by Jackman's solid performance. There are a few attempts at humour, but half of them fall flat, and the other half are about stabbing, so they don't really lighten the mood. Because Wolverine is a melee fighter, all the action is up close and personal, which coupled with his new-found vulnerability makes for much more tense and engaging fight scenes.
The seriousness of the film is both a hindrance and an improvement. By getting darker, The Wolverine manages to stay fresh and avoid the trappings of some previous installments, but it also lacks the humour (and in some senses, the fun) that elevated the good films (in particular First Class) to greater heights. Wolverine is clearly left, right and centre in this film, and the only returning character (apart from an unmissable post-credits scene) is an ethereal Jean Grey, who never really impacts the film that much. This is a more plot-driven venture, but most of the new characters are only OK, not great, and the actress playing the Viper is going a bit overboard in her performance. Hugh Jackman certainly gives his most dramatic portrayal of Wolverine in this film, and he completely succeeds in carrying the film on his shoulders and gives a really subtle performance (we all know that Logan isn't much for speaking his feelings, but Jackman makes them perfectly evident through some great delivery of lines and grunts). The film moves along at a slow(ish) pace, which works here in a more serious film to build the tension and add more drama to the proceedings. The design department, particularly costume, has done a good job, and despite some of the new characters being a tiny bit bland, they are for the most part well presented and well acted.
I've very few complaints to make about any area of the film - everything is done competently, and the film entertains from start to finish. However, there's some spark missing. The lack of humour and over-the-top action strays it away from classic comic book fare, which shows confidence and makes for an interesting change, but nothing has really been supplied in replacement. Regardless, The Wolverine is a tense and fully enjoyable action film, with Jackman continuing to ace the part, and it's certainly a step in the right direction for the upcoming Days of Future Past.
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