Movie Review: The Wolverine
I'll start out by saying that I am not a comic book fan, but I do love (for the most part) the X-Men films. My favorite characters are Wolverine and Storm, followed by Jean. So, there was no doubt that I was going to see this film. I'm a little late reviewing it, but, what's that saying? Better late than...
Oh, nevermind. :) On to the review:
Overall, this was a pretty good movie. Some of the reviews I read said that there was a lot of unnecessary action, and that's just hogwash. Very unlike the last 2 films I watched, The Wolverine neither has piles of action just for the sake of having seemingly never-ending piles of action (ST: Into Darkness) or action scenes that, while beautiful, extend past their welcome (Man of Steel). So, lets get to what worked, starting with:
Action Well-Paced & Well-Spaced: The action in this film was well-paced and well-spaced throughout the film. There wasn't too much and I didn't sit through any of the action scenes just "waiting" for it to end. Plus, it never hurts to see the Wolverine in action. :)
Wolverine & Jean: Wolverine dreams of and imagines Jean, and in a way it's like he's really interacting with her somehow. She had telepathic abilities, and so I'm thinking that these interactions were actually real. It was really nice to see Famke reprise her role, and it was even better to see Logan deal with the aftermath of his and her actions in The Last Stand. The only thing is, the fact that they never got to build up their relationship more in the first or even second (but, particularly the first) X-Men film still haunts this one. He loves her, truly, but they never spent any real time together. I guess I'll just have to settle for the old "love at first sight" cliche and leave it at that. I'm very interested in seeing where this goes, and in seeing The Phoenix reborn. :) In the interim, I wouldn't mind a little Wolverine and Storm, though.
The Story Sufficed: Wolverine saves a man, a soldier, in Japan and is offered the man's Samurai sword as a token of gratitude. Wolverine, being Wolverine, declines and tells the man to "keep if safe" for him, which the man does. Several decades later, the man is on his death bed and beckons for Logan to come and say goodbye. This is where the twists and the turns of the movie pick up. Logan thought he was just going to pay his last respects to a fellow former soldier, but he's in for a whole heck of a lot more than that. Almost all of the characters work out well, and all of the actors and actresses do their parts justice.
There's a mutant doctor that is a little cartoonish, in my view, but even she works out well enough. Seeing as my complaints are minor, I won't delve into them much. There's only one thing I'll mention. There's a guy in the movie who seemingly heals similarly to Wolverine, but apparently he's not a mutant? If his healing is due to the doctor's medical research, then I think that should have been covered a little better.
Getting back to the story, one thing I really liked was the fact it was given room to breathe. There were some very nice quiet moments between Logan and various characters, even a bear! It's always nice when an action movie can remember that it doesn't have to be all about the action.
So, there you have it. I walked away from this film with two thoughts really present in my mind. 1. No good deed goes unpunished. 2. Can't wait for Days of Future Past. :) There's a scene during the credits that I have literally been waiting 8 years to see. It's about time they got the old gang together and followed up on The Last Stand!
This movie was definitely better than X-Men Origins: Wolverine if you were disappointed in that one, as I was (but I liked his love interest, how he got his Wolverine moniker, and his story with Stryker, but that's another review, lol). I recommend seeing The Wolverine if you like the character, good action movies, the X-Men movies, and especially if you like all of the above.
Grade: A-
Final Analysis: This is a movie you can definitely sink your claws into. :)
Oh, nevermind. :) On to the review:
Overall, this was a pretty good movie. Some of the reviews I read said that there was a lot of unnecessary action, and that's just hogwash. Very unlike the last 2 films I watched, The Wolverine neither has piles of action just for the sake of having seemingly never-ending piles of action (ST: Into Darkness) or action scenes that, while beautiful, extend past their welcome (Man of Steel). So, lets get to what worked, starting with:
Action Well-Paced & Well-Spaced: The action in this film was well-paced and well-spaced throughout the film. There wasn't too much and I didn't sit through any of the action scenes just "waiting" for it to end. Plus, it never hurts to see the Wolverine in action. :)
Wolverine & Jean: Wolverine dreams of and imagines Jean, and in a way it's like he's really interacting with her somehow. She had telepathic abilities, and so I'm thinking that these interactions were actually real. It was really nice to see Famke reprise her role, and it was even better to see Logan deal with the aftermath of his and her actions in The Last Stand. The only thing is, the fact that they never got to build up their relationship more in the first or even second (but, particularly the first) X-Men film still haunts this one. He loves her, truly, but they never spent any real time together. I guess I'll just have to settle for the old "love at first sight" cliche and leave it at that. I'm very interested in seeing where this goes, and in seeing The Phoenix reborn. :) In the interim, I wouldn't mind a little Wolverine and Storm, though.
The Story Sufficed: Wolverine saves a man, a soldier, in Japan and is offered the man's Samurai sword as a token of gratitude. Wolverine, being Wolverine, declines and tells the man to "keep if safe" for him, which the man does. Several decades later, the man is on his death bed and beckons for Logan to come and say goodbye. This is where the twists and the turns of the movie pick up. Logan thought he was just going to pay his last respects to a fellow former soldier, but he's in for a whole heck of a lot more than that. Almost all of the characters work out well, and all of the actors and actresses do their parts justice.
There's a mutant doctor that is a little cartoonish, in my view, but even she works out well enough. Seeing as my complaints are minor, I won't delve into them much. There's only one thing I'll mention. There's a guy in the movie who seemingly heals similarly to Wolverine, but apparently he's not a mutant? If his healing is due to the doctor's medical research, then I think that should have been covered a little better.
Getting back to the story, one thing I really liked was the fact it was given room to breathe. There were some very nice quiet moments between Logan and various characters, even a bear! It's always nice when an action movie can remember that it doesn't have to be all about the action.
So, there you have it. I walked away from this film with two thoughts really present in my mind. 1. No good deed goes unpunished. 2. Can't wait for Days of Future Past. :) There's a scene during the credits that I have literally been waiting 8 years to see. It's about time they got the old gang together and followed up on The Last Stand!
This movie was definitely better than X-Men Origins: Wolverine if you were disappointed in that one, as I was (but I liked his love interest, how he got his Wolverine moniker, and his story with Stryker, but that's another review, lol). I recommend seeing The Wolverine if you like the character, good action movies, the X-Men movies, and especially if you like all of the above.
Grade: A-
Final Analysis: This is a movie you can definitely sink your claws into. :)