Love and betrayal in Japan

Film reviews

The Wolverine (3D)
English (U/A)  ¬¬¬¬
Director:  James Mangold
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Tao Okamoto, Will Yun Lee

There is an ongoing rivalry between DC and Marvel fans. DC fans boast of the Batman while Marvel fans speak of the X-Men and Wolverine. The Dark Knight series by Christopher Nolan carved out a milestone for DC fans with Batman Begins making top 100 on IMDB’s “movie-meter”.

The Wolverine is one of the better Marvel movies that fans can proudly speak of. Set in Tokyo, the plot has a number of tempestuous turns and is a level above other movies of the same genre in that it is notably unpredictable. Based on the 1982 comic-book Wolverine by Frank Miller and Chris Claremont, the story delves deep into Wolverine’s (Hugh Jackman) character in a way other X-men movies haven’t.

Indestructible and impossible to destroy, the Wolverine has an incomprehensibly rapid healing power along with retractable claws made of “Adamantium” that can carve out an enemy’s insides before one can say “snikt”.

The movie begins with a nightmare-ridden Wolverine living outside of society forcing himself to lose the afore-mentioned title and embrace his birth-name Logan once again. A trip to Japan to say goodbye to an old friend on his deathbed evolves into an adventure that  is a lot less sanguine than what it starts out to be. Wolverine has fights with members of the Yakuza clan to protect Mariko (Tao Okamoto), and defeats them several times, ruling out their option for death by harakiri. Subtle, sarcastic humour is apparent throughout the film, guaranteed to entertain a viewer.  

Jackman, who was on a 6000-calorie diet to embody the role, breathes life into it, making the actor’s character precariously close to becoming synonymous with Wolverine’s.  
Award-winning director Darren Aranofsky, who was previously hired to direct the movie, was replaced by James Mangold. Although it is a pity that Aranofsky could not take up the job, it has little effect on the cinematography with Mangold doing a tasteful job with a low number of shots-per-scene that allows a competing even with Christopher Nolan.

The Wolverine has more hits than misses, which makes it worth watching. The story involves the cliche of a damsel in distress but is rescued from predictability with Wolverine as the saviour and not an average prince charming. Something fans would miss in this Marvel movie is the absence of a guest appearance by the executive producer and story-writer Stan Lee, who usually appears in an amusing and inconspicuous role.

The Wolverine is to have a part-three which is evident from the captivating cut-scene during the credits. Although the Wolverine movies had a rocky start with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, this part is big bounce back. Whether you or one for The Avengers or The Justice League, or if action and superheroes simply entertain you, this movie is worth your time.