The Wolverine

 

Ok, we get it! Hugh Jackman looks great without a shirt! For some of you, that’s all you will need to know about The Wolverine.  Tell your spouse or girlfriend that Hugh spends half of the movie naked from the waist up, and I promise she’ll agree to go see this with you.

 

Seriously though, The Wolverine has a lot going for it: evil Samurai, ninja warriors, witty dialogue, beautiful women, girls with swords, sexy cars (can you say Audi corporate sponsorship?) and a heavy dose of muscle-rippling, face-scowling action sequences.

 

What it lacks , however, is a tightly-written, fiercely compelling story.  Maybe it was just me, but the story failed to gel in way that left me wondering if I had missed something critical when I went to the restroom.  Don’t get me wrong…the story is not terrible, but To Kill A Mockingbird it is not.

 

The best thing about The Wolverine is that we get to see Logan come to terms with who he is. (Maybe now, his nightmares will end.) For years, we’ve seen Logan struggle with his identity, his purpose, and his immortality. This movie does in two hours what the original comic book took years to accomplish…finally giving the Wolverine some clarity in these areas. "I'm a soldier," he finally declares. "I've been hiding too long."

 

Here’s a few more things to note about The Wolverine:  With the exception of Viper, who sucks the life out of every scene she’s in, the cast is great.  Yukio, who first appears in the Wolverine #1 comic book, is played by Rila Fukushima and is terrific!  The visual effects are solid, the script is good, and the action is violent, but not overly bloody. 

 

Special Bonus for Reading This Blog:  Make sure to stay in your seat through the credits. As with a lot of the superhero films these days, we are rewarded with a bonus scene that sets us up for X-Men: Days of Future Past which is due out next year.

 

I love the Wolverine character and I have for 27 years.  If you are a fan of the X-Men franchise, you will enjoy this latest installment.  It’s not as good as Iron Man 3, but in my ordinary opinion it's well worth the price of admission.