Movie Review: The Wolverine

 The Wolverine   $$ 1/2    

 

PG-13

126 Minutes

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Tao Okamato, and Rila Fukushima.  

Director: James Mangold.

 

            This is the second movie about the Wolverine. If you are reading this review and thinking about watching the film you probably already know that Wolverine is one of the X-Men out of the Marvel super-hero universe. If not, I guess I just told you.

            The story takes place after the events of X-Men: The Last Stand. Logan (Hugh Jackman) has given up his role as The Wolverine over the guilt for having killed Jean Grey and is hiding out in the wilds of Alaska.

            He is tracked down by a mutant named Yukio (Rila Fukushima) in order to bring him to Japan so that her master may properly thank Logan for saving his life. After some convincing Logan agrees to go and discovers when he arrives that his WWII associate, Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi) has really asked him there in order to obtain Wolverines mutant healing ability to save his life. He offers a chance at mortality and the peace of a life of a person who eventually grows old and dies.

            Logan refuses and ends up getting involved in the family politics when he saves Yashida’s granddaughter, Mariko (Tao Okamato), from an Yakuza attack during Yashida’s funeral. The task is made more difficult when Logan discovers that his regenerative powers no longer work as they should.

            The main problem that I had with this film is that it drags. Logan is mourning the loss of his love, Jean Grey, and the rest of the cast aren’t much livelier. This film has a single emotion to it—morose. It felt more like a soap opera than a super-hero movie.

            Hugh Jackman does a reasonable job with his one allowed emotion in the movie. The rest of the cast are proficient enough in their roles that the audience isn’t spending any time noticing the acting quality of the film. All of the technical aspects were perfectly acceptable, but I have to advise you that this is not a special effects movie. The writing? Yeah, I have some problems with the writing and the directing, the combination of which left a story that is quite predictable in some parts and left me scratching my head in other scenes as to why the characters were doing what they were doing.

            To sum up the experience, the movie held my attention, but I didn’t find myself enjoying it or caring about any of the characters. I give it two-and-a-half Movie Bucks and recommend that you see it as a matinee or even wait for it to arrive at your local discount theater. 

 

                        Randy’s Rating System 

$$$$   = Full Price    See this movie right away and pay full price, it’s worth it.

$$$     = Matinee      Catch this as a matinee or other discounted showing.

$$        = Discount     Wait until this movie reaches a discount theater near you.

$          = Rental         Wait until this movie reaches your local video rental outlet.

0          = No Sale       Don’t see this movie at any price.