Decent. The script was over-packed. That archer guy could have been cut out entirely and the movie would have benefited from it. Third act was kind of a mess, with lots of hasty exposition.
But still, the fight scenes were good and Logan was well-characterized. Plus it had the cajones to actually change the status quo for Logan's character, even if just a little.
Also, that end credits scene was clearly written in an afternoon and goofy as hell.
"Logan...a great peril approaches our kind. A peril of....grandiose vagueness!!"
And do you think there was any way they could have made
professor X
's return any less dramatic? When he first comes zipping in he might as well go "Meep meep!"
Honestly, when will the folks at Fox realize that the only way to make a really great Wolverine movie would be to unfetter it from the confines of a PG-13 rating? You mix a dude with claws with an army of yakuza and ninjas, you tend to expect something on the scale of The Bride's swordfight with the Crazy 88's in the first "Kill Bill". Instead, your left with NO dismemberment and very little bloodshed... it all becomes quite underwhelming.
James Mangold wouldn't be the first director I'd think of to do a superhero movie. What he's brought to The Wolverine is actually quite a pleasant surprise. The opening was totally unexpected and I mean that in a good way. From that utter seriousness of the intro, the atmosphere turns slow and brooding and for the most part it stays that way.
Logan isn't a happy camper. Like literally, he lives in the forest. It's set after the affairs of X-Men: The Last Stand which I suppose he wants to forget as much as we do. Things get disrupted however and this leads to him meeting Yukio who invites him to Japan.
I was really impressed with how the cinematography helped create the mood The Wolverine was going for. There's a lot of rain falling and it always finds its way into the frame to go along with Logan's depression. Japan is in a bad place as well so it's always raining too.
When we get to our first fight scene, it's not bad. There's maybe a little too much shaky cam that to me just looks like it's trying to hide things instead of convey tension or stress. All the same it's pretty enjoyable and actually one of only a few fights in the movie. This is not a fight heavy movie, or at least it doesn't seem like it is.
I'm glad that they introduced a way to raise the stakes for Logan. The guy has claws and he heals practically instantaneously. How can you beat him? By reducing his powers and getting to the people he cares about.
So, does that mean we have a love story? Yes we do, a small one. It's nothing too crazy though. I would rate it as OK. Just OK. In terms of believability and motivation it gets a slight pass but nothing more than that
The biggest disappointment for The Wolverine would be its final fight scenes. Remember when I said that it keeps its slow and brooding atmosphere for most of the film? It pretty much just abandons everything it built up and feels like any other comic book film. The potential for a cool showdown was there, it's in Japan! There was definite potential for a cool set up but they dropped the ball for some cheap action.
Hard to believe that Hugh Jackman has been playing this role since 2000 but he pulls it off. Dat body though right? He's seriously ripped and apparently followed a bodybuilder regiment for filming by not drinking 36 hours before. Geez, talk about dedication. Overall, he does a pretty good job at portraying Logan's dour mood.
There is one of the baddies I have to call out on for just being silly. Her outfits get more and more ridiculous until the finale and even more disappointing is that we are "treated" to the tired girl fight trope with her involved.
At the end of the day, The Wolverine is pretty good despite its disappointing third act. James Mangold did a great job at making an interestingly different superhero movie and I don't think the finale takes all of that away. I'm sure that comic book movie fans would have wanted more action but I was impressed with this result. Wolverine doesn't have to just be someone to throw into action scenes and slice and dice everything in a blind rage. In The Wolverine, he was given reasons all accompanied by a beautifully built mis-en-scene.
Don't watch if you're looking for a story. There is no real tension in the movie other than the action scenes, which are totally forgettable too, maybe except for the train scene.
Ultimately it's boring, which is one of the worst things that can be said about a superhero movie. It wasn't a bad movie, it looked cool at times, but the action and story didn't hold up.
Jackman is a very good action star but is badly supported in this movie especially by the viper and the not so good cgi'd robot. Basic story and overall a fun movie.
the plot sufficed. didn't go anywhere action movies haven't gone a thousand times before but it does a decent job of entertaining. performances are great throughout and the only real gripe in this movie was that godawful shakycam fight scene at the funeral.
I expected more from Mangold and from a movie following the excellent First Class. It's staggering how many times filmmakers have made a Wolverine-focused movie that is mediocre at best and even more staggering how they continue to rake in money. That being said this is thankfully way better than Origins, and probably sits somewhere around or just below X1 in terms of quality, which may be good enough for some people but still left me wanting more. They really should have rebooted the franchise with Matthew Vaughn at the helm when they had the chance. Still though, I'm hopeful for DoFP, and this wasn't completely devoid of value. Just make sure you watch the unrated version, because I can't imagine how they possibly trimmed that down to PG without losing the spirit and flow of the film.
The addition of Viper was totally unnecessary and the acting was a tad corny. The story was okay, but overdone, but it's still a decent film and entertaining enough.
Add your comment
Comments 1 - 15 of 30
Ann_R
The post credits scene was the best part of the movie.MrDoog
Same shit, different movie.ThomasFTB
Decent. The script was over-packed. That archer guy could have been cut out entirely and the movie would have benefited from it. Third act was kind of a mess, with lots of hasty exposition.But still, the fight scenes were good and Logan was well-characterized. Plus it had the cajones to actually change the status quo for Logan's character, even if just a little.
Also, that end credits scene was clearly written in an afternoon and goofy as hell.
"Logan...a great peril approaches our kind. A peril of....grandiose vagueness!!"
And do you think there was any way they could have made
DJPowWow
Honestly, when will the folks at Fox realize that the only way to make a really great Wolverine movie would be to unfetter it from the confines of a PG-13 rating? You mix a dude with claws with an army of yakuza and ninjas, you tend to expect something on the scale of The Bride's swordfight with the Crazy 88's in the first "Kill Bill". Instead, your left with NO dismemberment and very little bloodshed... it all becomes quite underwhelming.CinemaDump
James Mangold wouldn't be the first director I'd think of to do a superhero movie. What he's brought to The Wolverine is actually quite a pleasant surprise. The opening was totally unexpected and I mean that in a good way. From that utter seriousness of the intro, the atmosphere turns slow and brooding and for the most part it stays that way.Logan isn't a happy camper. Like literally, he lives in the forest. It's set after the affairs of X-Men: The Last Stand which I suppose he wants to forget as much as we do. Things get disrupted however and this leads to him meeting Yukio who invites him to Japan.
I was really impressed with how the cinematography helped create the mood The Wolverine was going for. There's a lot of rain falling and it always finds its way into the frame to go along with Logan's depression. Japan is in a bad place as well so it's always raining too.
When we get to our first fight scene, it's not bad. There's maybe a little too much shaky cam that to me just looks like it's trying to hide things instead of convey tension or stress. All the same it's pretty enjoyable and actually one of only a few fights in the movie. This is not a fight heavy movie, or at least it doesn't seem like it is.
I'm glad that they introduced a way to raise the stakes for Logan. The guy has claws and he heals practically instantaneously. How can you beat him? By reducing his powers and getting to the people he cares about.
So, does that mean we have a love story? Yes we do, a small one. It's nothing too crazy though. I would rate it as OK. Just OK. In terms of believability and motivation it gets a slight pass but nothing more than that
The biggest disappointment for The Wolverine would be its final fight scenes. Remember when I said that it keeps its slow and brooding atmosphere for most of the film? It pretty much just abandons everything it built up and feels like any other comic book film. The potential for a cool showdown was there, it's in Japan! There was definite potential for a cool set up but they dropped the ball for some cheap action.
Hard to believe that Hugh Jackman has been playing this role since 2000 but he pulls it off. Dat body though right? He's seriously ripped and apparently followed a bodybuilder regiment for filming by not drinking 36 hours before. Geez, talk about dedication. Overall, he does a pretty good job at portraying Logan's dour mood.
There is one of the baddies I have to call out on for just being silly. Her outfits get more and more ridiculous until the finale and even more disappointing is that we are "treated" to the tired girl fight trope with her involved.
At the end of the day, The Wolverine is pretty good despite its disappointing third act. James Mangold did a great job at making an interestingly different superhero movie and I don't think the finale takes all of that away. I'm sure that comic book movie fans would have wanted more action but I was impressed with this result. Wolverine doesn't have to just be someone to throw into action scenes and slice and dice everything in a blind rage. In The Wolverine, he was given reasons all accompanied by a beautifully built mis-en-scene.
6.5/10
sushibar
Don't watch if you're looking for a story. There is no real tension in the movie other than the action scenes, which are totally forgettable too, maybe except for the train scene.Oneironaut
Ultimately it's boring, which is one of the worst things that can be said about a superhero movie. It wasn't a bad movie, it looked cool at times, but the action and story didn't hold up.stexdo
Jackman is a very good action star but is badly supported in this movie especially by the viper and the not so good cgi'd robot. Basic story and overall a fun movie.aniforprez
the mid credits scene was AWESOME.the plot sufficed. didn't go anywhere action movies haven't gone a thousand times before but it does a decent job of entertaining. performances are great throughout and the only real gripe in this movie was that godawful shakycam fight scene at the funeral.
6.5/10
chunkylefunga
I agree with Ann_R. The post credits scene was definitely the best part of the movie.lachyas
I expected more from Mangold and from a movie following the excellent First Class. It's staggering how many times filmmakers have made a Wolverine-focused movie that is mediocre at best and even more staggering how they continue to rake in money. That being said this is thankfully way better than Origins, and probably sits somewhere around or just below X1 in terms of quality, which may be good enough for some people but still left me wanting more. They really should have rebooted the franchise with Matthew Vaughn at the helm when they had the chance. Still though, I'm hopeful for DoFP, and this wasn't completely devoid of value. Just make sure you watch the unrated version, because I can't imagine how they possibly trimmed that down to PG without losing the spirit and flow of the film.Avijeet
Watchable movie .....Train Scene was superb and yes the little surprise in end credit ....
CSSCHNEIDER
A mixed bad of good, bad and terrible. Rila Fukushima and Tao Okomoto are easily the best things about the film.Aeon Rio
The beginning was promising. And then it all turned into a pile of horse shit.TheOnlyRogueAngel
The addition of Viper was totally unnecessary and the acting was a tad corny. The story was okay, but overdone, but it's still a decent film and entertaining enough.Showing items 1 – 15 of 30