I do not begrudge the heavy lifting of James Mangold to try to helm the sophomore Wolverine feature starring Hugh Jackman to the silver screen. James Mangold is a very able director, with films such as the terrific Cop Land and the remake of 3:10 to Yuma under his belt. But...he has to direct a film that Darron Aranofsky stepped away from (much to my disappointment). He has to direct a film based on one of the best Wolverine stories ever, a mini-series written by Frank Miller when Wolverine was getting on top of his popularity but before he was buried under overexposure and an abused and convoluted backstory. AND he has to direct a film that acknowledges but tries to bury two horrible X films, X-Men 3 directed by that hack Brett Ratner (which butchered the Dark Phoenix story) and X-Men Origins Wolverine, which the studio hack assembled title alone told you all you needed to know about the bloated mess it would be. The only thing it was missing was "Rises" somewhere in there, but you know some suit suggested it. Hopefully someone punched him in the face.
Anyway, the good. Hugh Jackman owns Logan, hands down. He has from the first X-Men movie and now slipping into the claws, he does it just like the rest of us put on a comfortable pair of shoes. Claws, check, ok, ready to rock.
The film opens in WW2, where Wolverine, operating as an agent in Japan, saves a Japanese officer who tried to give him the same just before the atomic bomb drops. Later, in the present day, Wolverine is recovering from the events of X-Men 3, clearly just as depressed about that mess as we are. Feeling you, brother. He is visited by Yukio, a swordswoman acting as a messenger to this officer he saved, who is now a rich head of a corporation, with a beautiful daughter, Mariko, standing in as heir apparent. The gentleman offers Logan a chance to relieve him of his burden of regenerative "immortality" to allow him a normal life, wanting to take on that "burden". Logan refuses and tries to leave, which plunges him into this world of Japanese corporate and organized crime intrigue.
The pluses? This is a thoughtful film that gives Hugh Jackman some meatier stuff to do, more than growl, snarl and hack-slash. He does with a vengeance all that is asked of him, showing the heart and soul of Wolvie, as well as the muscles and claws. The supporting cast also brings it, without a dud in the bunch.
And the train fight scene is badass.
The minuses? Well, for one thing, Wolverine in the comics in this story is far more up on Japanese customs and culture than he is here, and it seems discordant. Especially since they are going with post ret-con Wolverine who has been around forever. The original mini-series took place at a time this stuff had not been established for Wolverine, and it feels off.
Too many mutants where it isn't even necessary. Yukio is no mutant, she is just a very skilled swordswoman and freelance black operative. To make her a mutant, to make Madame Viper a mutant, when in the comics, again, she is just a black ops type (working for Hydra) cheapens both of them. THEN, they turn the Silver Samurai from a mutant to just some hulking robot/cyber suit thingie...
...it is amazing that the movie is enjoyable as it is with some of the WTF choices they made with it.
This is a good one, even though it may not have the right to be.
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