“The Wolverine” continues Marvel’s dominance on the Silver Screen. (Poster property of Marvel & 20th Century FOX)
By: Jacob Elyachar
13 years ago, an unknown Australian actor named Hugh Jackman made his silver screen debut playing one of Marvel’s iconic heroes: Wolverine of the X-Men.
After the original X-Men trilogy, a solo film and a cameo in the relaunched X-Men series, Jackman returned to play the feral superhero for a sequel that was heavily influenced by the classic 1982 mini-series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller.
So was it worth the wait? Read on to find out…
Warning…. SPOILERS ARE AHEAD!
The Wolverine focuses on how Logan, who is still scarred from his experiences in X-Men: The Last Stand, retreated from civilization and retired from superhero life.
However, he is tracked down by the assassin Yukio (Rita Fukushima), who brings Logan to Japan to meet a dying technology giant Ichiro Yashida (Haruhiko Yamanouchi), who Logan saved during the Nagasaki atomic bomb dropping during World War II.
After Yashida states that he can take away, Logan’s healing factor and make him mortal, the former X-Man finds himself protecting Yashida’s daughter, Mariko (Tao Okamoto) from her greedy father: Shingen Yashida (Hiroyuki Sanada), a rival gang and the mutant bio-terrorist known as Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova), who all want to get their hands on Yashida’s empire.
The Wolverine’s success is due to the remarkable screenplay, incredible fight scenes and a great ensemble of actors.
Screenwriters Christopher McQuarrie, Mark Bomback and Scott Frank inserted their knowledge of both the X-Men comics and previous films plus added some hysterical zings and comedic moments that made The Wolverine a thoroughly enjoyable action film. Fans will definitely like how Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) re-incorporates herself into Logan’s life and the film’s twist on the classic Wolverine villains: Viper and the Silver Samurai.
Another important factor were the film’s impeccable fight scenes. Between the Yashida funeral, the bullet train showdown and the final fights against Viper and the Silver Samurai, this film will satisfy hardcore action enthusiasts.
The third and final factor in the film’s success was The Wolverine’s cast. It was great to have Hugh Jackman and Famke Janssen reprise their roles as Wolverine and Jean Grey (for the possible second to last time). Several cast members including Rita Fukushima and Svetlana Khodchenkova successfully adapt their comic book characters to the big screen. In addition, fans would be happy to see Mariko Yashida develop a backbone courtesy of Tao Okamoto.
Final thoughts and grade: The Wolverine took the best parts of the X-Men film franchise and delivered a high-quality spin-off that has something for every movie lover. In addition, stay after the credits as two familiar fan-favorites return to brief Wolverine of the things to come for X-Men: Days of Future Past. A
