I suppose the best way to start with this review is to debate how relevant it is to people, especially keen followers of the X-Men lore. After 2009's X-Men Origins film, fans can be forgiven for thinking of The Wolverine as a sequel, the next step in the iconic mutant's timeline. Not so. Set some years after X-Men The Last Stand, we find Logan in Japan. Also, being set after the 3rd X-Men film, this is the true next step in the saga. So is The Wolverine essential viewing for X-Men fans, or can it just be passed up?
Well to start, many considered X-Men Origins: Wolverine to be a bit of a flop. The majority of this opinion comes from well-read comic-book fans. I, for one, can agree, mainly because Origins is the one clear weak spot in the X-Men movie timeline. Without going into too much detail (that would take years), when the original X-Men hit cinemas in 2000, it was clear Fox had no idea how far they would eventually take the mutant franchise as, with a little nit-picking, faults can be found in regards to what happened when and who met who when. This really is nit-picking though, don't get me wrong, these 'faults' don't ruin the whole experience. The same can't be said however, for the first solo outing for Logan, X-Men Origins. Coming from a reader of comics it can be quite frustrating at how obscure Origins is in the whole timeline. If you compare the largely enjoyable X2 with the latter, both Wolverine origin stories in their own right, X2 comes out head and shoulders above it's companion due to one, being a more well-constructed film, and two, it just fits like a glove when it comes to Logan's vastly complicated life, and how he ends up in Japan.
So with the anti-Origins rant over, I can get on to giving you my verdict on The Wolverine. Firstly, it has an intriguing story. If you're going to the pictures expecting an all-out action flick then you won't be disappointed as such, just don't expect it every 5 minutes. However, this is where, I believe, director James Mangold has got it right. During the film, I never got bored, and at the same time I didn't feel like I was being overwhelmed with action and endless shaky cams (trust me it's possible). I got the impression that Mangold was knew that it was important to take some time out to explore Logan's character and his inner self. All in all, I think he struck a comfortable balance. One moment Logan is enjoying 'the peaceful life' and finding himself on the edge of a tranquil Japanese lake, the next his knack for encountering trouble and unexpected brawls lands him in the middle of a spectacular fight-scene set atop the famous Bullet Train (you couldn't really have a film set in Japan without it). The Wolverine also has helpful, subtle nods towards the previous X-films, in the form of dream visions of Famke Janssen's Jean Grey. These spectral appearances also do a very good job in showing that, beneath that impenetrable adamantium shell, Logan's past and memory (or lack of it in some cases) could be the final twist of the knife.
The knife in question is his immortality. It turns out living forever isn't all it's cracked up to be. Before I go any further, this is what makes The Wolverine quite hard to review, because the story is basically one big secret. You think you know the general gist, you've seen the trailers, they want you to think it's all about Logan finally getting his wish and being released from immortality's grasp. To an extent that much is true, it's the who, when and why and how that is hidden from you. Personally, I thought it was cleverly done, and utilises the Japanese setting well, dropping an unknowing and slightly naïve Logan into a web of intrigue with the Yashida Clan, Japan's equivalent of the mob. This brings me nicely onto my next point, and you can read this both as a negative and a positive, The Wolverine doesn't feel like your average superhero movie. In fact it didn't feel like a superhero movie at all when I watched it. I don't feel like I'm criticising it when I see this as The Wolverine is a well constructed film, it just never feels the need to cram the screen with hundreds of mutants at a time, a la X-Men Origins. James Mangold never falls into this trap and the film is better for it.
So far this review's looking pretty peachy for The Wolverine yeah? Not so I'm afraid. I said the director succeeded in avoiding the 'too many mutants' trap. Unfortunately, I really do feel he copped out on the ending. Obviously I can't go into detail why, but I personally feel it could've been dealt with in a smoother way. Mangold may have struck the right balance with his mutant-count, but sadly, for me, he does descend into the same old 'big end battle' we've come to recognise as all too familiar these days. End battle sequences aren't a bad thing per se. Take Avengers Assemble for example, a film that needed it to satisfy fanboys and general movie-goers alike. It was a massively enjoyable film all-round. With The Wolverine, a film that spent the best part of 2 hours weaving an intriguing plot involving at least 3 different parties, all set with a beautiful Japanese backdrop, to end on a battle which is essentially just 'kill all the bad guys and get the girl', it just felt out of place somewhat.
All that said though, I did enjoy The Wolverine. It provided something different (mostly) than other superhero movies do. That is partly why I rate The Dark Knight so highly. It paid just as much attention to the normal human beings and the general public in the city of choice, as it did to the title character and his nemesis. The Wolverine is a well-crafted movie, but not essential and not ground-breaking. A solid 7/10.
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