Hugh Jackman has portrayed Wolverine on screen six times over the past 13 years and is still believable, especially from a physical standpoint, as the tough as nails mutant. Jackman is, without question, the most popular actor to emerge from the X-Men films and if he can maintain his physical prowess, he could portray Logan/Wolverine for many years to come. Jackman headlines his second film as the titular character in the recently released The Wolverine, which is based on the 1982 Wolverine limited series by comic book legends Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.
The Wolverine finds Logan struggling with the loss of Jean Grey (Famke Jannsen), his former lover who he had to kill in X-Men: The Last Stand. He has isolated himself in the Yukon, but is tracked down by a young mutant, Yukio (Rila Fukushima), who possesses the ability to foresee other people's deaths. Yukio came in search of Logan on behalf of Yashida (Haruhiko Yamanouchi), Logan's old friend who is dying (Logan and Yashida's backstory is told via flashbacks throughout the film). Logan reluctantly agrees to accompany the young woman to Japan.
Yashida feels indebted to Logan and offers him the chance to become mortal once again in exchange for his mutant powers, which will be transferred into Yashida's body in an attempt to save his life. Logan refuses, but struggles with wanting to be "normal" again, and the old man dies shortly thereafter. His death eventually sets up a power struggle within the family between Yashida's son, Shingen (Hiroyuki Sanada), and his granddaughter, Mariko (Tao Okamoto). Soon thereafter, the Japanese mob, Yakuza, attempt to kidnap Mariko, who is saved by Logan and an inevitable romance begins to blossom between them. However, after being shot, Logan realizes that his healing power is not working as quickly as it should. As a result, he understands that what he thought was a dream featuring Yashida's doctor actually occurred and the young woman, known as the mutant Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova), placed something inside Logan's body which is now inhibiting his powers.
In addition to Logan's reduced mutant abilities, he continues to be burdened by nightmares of Jean and finds himself in the middle of a family feud, which results in mistrust. Furthermore, the Yakuza are not far away and a large electromagnetic suit of Japanese armor, known as the Silver Samurai, is being built to do battle with Wolverine. With the odds stacked against him and not knowing who to trust, Logan is challenged like never before.
I generally like the talkative sequences in superhero films more than the action sequences and the first part of The Wolverine features many such scenes. So, I should have been pleased, but I was not. The low key tone of the majority of the first half of the film felt boring and was, at times, poorly edited. However, the action sequence aboard the bullet train was terrific. In addition, the second half of the film is an improvement over the first half and is loaded with action, especially during the extended final act. Jackman delivers another solid performances as the beloved Wolverine, complete with a ruthless demeanor towards his enemies which is juxtaposed with just the right amount of sarcastic humor.
The Wolverine is a better film than X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but it still does not live up to the potential of the iconic character or the talent of Hugh Jackman, who has proven himself to be one of the most versatile actors in the movie industry. The source material is rich, but does not translate as well on screen for some reason. Perhaps the behind the scenes changes with screenwriters and directors are to blame, with the lack of cohesion serving to diminish the overall product. In any event, I would bet on another feature film starring Wolverine, with Hugh Jackman leading the way. Maybe the third time will be the charm.
For those who have not yet seen The Wolverine, make sure you stay for the credits, which feature a great teaser for X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Director: James Mangold
Screenplay: Mark Bomback and Scott Frank
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