BEFORE: Much has been written lately about the under-performance of some of this year's films, like "R.I.P.D." and "The Lone Ranger", two big-budget action-packed films that coincidentally also have ties to comic books. But it's films like "Iron Man 3", "Man of Steel" and now "The Wolverine" that appear to be keeping Hollywood funded. I am not at all surprised - isn't that what superheroes do, save the day?
This would have been a great way to close out July, but I'll be honest, I was out at a beer event last night, so when I got home I was in no shape to watch a film. But that worked out for the best, because after waiting another day, I was able to sneak out right after work to see this one in the theater, and keep my chain going, since Robert De Niro from "Limitless" was also in "Hide and Seek" with Famke Janssen (last seen in "Goldeneye").
THE PLOT: Summoned to Japan by an old acquaintance, Wolverine becomes embroiled in a conflict that forces him to confront his own demons.
FOLLOW-UP TO: "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (Movie #537, "X-Men: First Class" (Movie #1,100)
AFTER: Just like with "Man of Steel" and "Dark Knight Rises", they managed to cherry-pick some of the better Wolverine stories from the past to cobble this one together. Namely, Wolverine goes to Japan ("Wolverine" limited series, 1982), loses his healing powers (umm, tried several times in the comic books) and displays his alternate claws (seen after X-Men #25, 1993).
As a fan of the comics I have to wonder why this was set in the movie X-Men's present, as opposed to years ago, since Wolvie first met Mariko and Clan Yashida back in the early 1980's. I would have set this film in the past, right after the events of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine", but this is instead set after "The Last Stand", so our hero can pine/obsess over the death of Jean Grey. This makes him a broken, tortured soul, and ultimately sympathetic and fragile, which is a nice counterpoint to his indestructability. (the one thing his power can't heal is...sniff...his heart!)
Of course, he has been to Japan before, as seen in the opening scene of this film. So how come when he goes back in the present day, he doesn't seem to know any of their customs? I supposed this is easily explained away, since he only remembers fragments of his past. Marvel manages to sweep away lot of continuity errors by saying "Oh, someone messed with his brain" or "the adamantium experiments and berserker rages turned his mind to Swiss cheese".
The film put a new spin on the Silver Samurai character, one I haven't seen before, but the rest was pretty predictable. You just know he's got to get his healing power back somehow, you just know he's going to find a way to triumph over the villains, and the pieces are going to go back into the box for next time. It's like when James Bond turned Japanese or got married, you just knew it couldn't last.
NITPICK POINT: They did reveal in the comic book a few years back that Wolverine had bone claws, long before he had metal ones. After Magneto removed the metal from his body one time, they resurfaced. Which sort of makes sense, since he has some kind of extra muscles that push his metal claws out and also retract them - they were part of his body that did the same for his bony claws. But the bone claws are differently shaped than the metal ones - so the metal didn't cover the bones - so where did the bone claws go? Were they behind the metal ones? Did they disappear when he had the metal claws, and do they return when he loses them? Am I overthinking this?
I am adding extra points, however, for the last few minutes of the film - do NOT leave the theater until you have seen the final scene, which takes place after some of the credits. This is the most exciting five minutes I've seen on screen this year, as it essentially serves as a teaser for the next X-Men film, "Days of Future Past". This film will bridge the gap between the team seen in "First Class" (Prof. X, Magneto, Mystique, Beast, Banshee, Havok) and the team last seen in "Last Stand" (Prof. X, Rogue, Storm, Shadowcat, Iceman, Colossus, etc.).
The original "Days of Future Past" storyline depicted a terrible future in which mutants were hunted and killed by giant Sentinel robots, and the consciousness of Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat) was sent back in time to inhabit her younger body, so she could tell the X-Men they needed to prevent a political assassination, to prevent that future from coming true. It looks like in the film they'll be sending Wolverine's consciousness back to the past in order to do something similar.
Hmm, all the X-Men characters, past and present, in one film, plus giant killer robots AND time travel? This movie isn't even finished shooting yet, but I want to buy a ticket!
Also starring Hugh Jackman (last seen in "Les Miserables"), Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Will Yun Lee, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Brian Tee.
RATING: 8 out of 10 ninjas
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