The Wolverine Let The Claws Do The Talking - Rate & Review "The Wolverine"

[ConnorKon-El]

I liked how Logan was at his most badass, yet also his most vulnerable at the same time. Really liked how they used Jean as well.

Making Logan vulnerable upped the stakes and made me as an audience member more invested.

 

[Infinity9999x]

Do you find that

Spoiler

Yashida is also partially based on comic Shingen? I know I do and it helps me appreciate the movie a little more.

YMMV.

[BLACKOUT]I got that, but I think it would have been much tighter storytelling to keep all the Shingen traits...with Shingen.[/BLACKOUT] What made me love the original story so much was how it was just as much an emotional/spiritual battle for Wolverine as it was physical.

When he goes to fight Shingen at the end of it, there's so much riding on that fight. Shingen nearly broke Wolverine mentally, and he DID break him physically (with a damn wooden sword to boot). But Wolverine realized the only way to regain his honor was to challenge Shingen in battle, despite knowing that if he killed him, he might lose Mariko forever.

The fight with Shingen in this film was good, but imagine if it had that emotional backing behind it. I love good action, but what elevates a fight sequence to me is the story behind it (a good fight scene should further the story just as much as a good dialogue scene). That's why the ending sword fight between Liam Neeson and Tim Routh in Rob Roy is still my all time favorite sword fight in a film. Sure, there are tons of other fights that are more flashy, but the animosity between the two men was built up so well that the ending fight was truly superb.

I wish they had done that in this film. And I do think it was truly a missed opportunity that they didn't make Shingen the villain he could have been, and instead decided to opt out for a more visually spectacular ending.

I'll always take good storytelling over spectacle. While it was visually exciting to see Wolverine fighting a giant robot, I would have traded it for an ending fight with Shingen in a second as the true climax.

 

[ConnorKon-El]

[BLACKOUT]I got that, but I think it would have been much tighter storytelling to keep all the Shingen traits...with Shingen.[/BLACKOUT] What made me love the original story so much was how it was just as much an emotional/spiritual battle for Wolverine as it was physical.

When he goes to fight Shingen at the end of it, there's so much riding on that fight. Shingen nearly broke Wolverine mentally, and he DID break him physically (with a damn wooden sword to boot). But Wolverine realized the only way to regain his honor was to challenge Shingen in battle, despite knowing that if he killed him, he might lose Mariko forever.

The fight with Shingen in this film was good, but imagine if it had that emotional backing behind it. I love good action, but what elevates a fight sequence to me is the story behind it (a good fight scene should further the story just as much as a good dialogue scene). That's why the ending sword fight between Liam Neeson and Tim Routh in Rob Roy is still my all time favorite sword fight in a film. Sure, there are tons of other fights that are more flashy, but the animosity between the two men was built up so well that the ending fight was truly superb.

I wish they had done that in this film. And I do think it was truly a missed opportunity that they didn't make Shingen the villain he could have been, and instead decided to opt out for a more visually spectacular ending.

I'll always take good storytelling over spectacle. While it was visually exciting to see Wolverine fighting a giant robot, I would have traded it for an ending fight with Shingen in a second as the true climax.

Same here. Though Wolverine vs. MechaRobot was fun but it lacked any emotion behind it, at least none until

Spoiler

it was revealed who was in the suit

 

[Snikt]

Another thing, I liked the third act...actually had no problems with it. Yeah it was a little cartoonish. But we knew it was coming.

Still not too sure how I feel about

Spoiler

Wolvie losing his adamantium claws. I should've known something was up because Mangold said in an interview he loves the bone claws, "something primordial" as he put it. But I have a feeling he'll get a little help from Magneto in DOFP in getting those claws back

 

[Loki882]

I think that a more human Wolverine is better. In X1/X2 his powers had limits (Rogue nearly killed him twice and a police officers sidearm knocked him out). In X3/Origins, they made him a god. The bone claws and weaker healing makes him more vulnerable, but also more dangerous since he'll have to think know.

 

[Marvel]

10/10

I just loved The Wolverine. I thought it was very well written and the impressive cast really delivered! Hugh Jackman finally gets a full film to bring the character to the next level. It’s been delivered in flashes before but this entire movie is the Wolverine that I wanted to see. This is the character that I grew up with and have enjoyed since youth. Mangold should be commended for giving the film a subdued yet intense flavor. I think they captured the vibe of the classic Japanese story from the books wonderfully. They delivered an intelligent plot that featured the fantastic grounded in a believable reality. One of the difficulties with the character is placing him in situations where he is in true danger. That wasn’t an issue here as they managed to intelligently do this on numerous occasions in a smart fashion. I was very impressed with the many great moments and fine character arcs in this one. The action is dark, perfectly suiting the character and the PG-13 rating was pushed right to the edge if not beyond it.

I disagree with those that say the villains are poorly utilized. Viper may have been one dimensional but I consider her a throw away tool when the entire plot is taken in to consideration. Yashida was perfectly utilized and his actions not only drive the film but flesh out everyone's motivations perfectly. Shingen was everything the character needed to be.

The true strength in the supporting cast is both Mariko and Yukio. Amazing renditions both.

That bullet train scene DID live up to the hype. Short but oh so sweet!

The only thing I didn't like...

Spoiler

was leaving him with bone claws. Man, I hate those bone claws. They really need to fix that for Days of Future Past. Even if it's just dialogue saying he had Magneto help craft the adamantium back to his claws.

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

I don't know exactly what I'd give this on a 1-10 scale, but I highly enjoyed it.

I'll be honest, the biggest knock I have on this movie is just the fact that Logan's Japan story isn't one of my particular favorites, but a lot of that is because I'm a fan of the X-Men as a group, not as individual characters.

As a film, it nailed it. As an adaptation to the comic run, it obviously made some very drastic changes, but I felt it kept with the comic book very well, including taking a few sequences directly from the comic book, or at the very least being heavily influenced by.

As someone who is a big fan of X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I am very glad to see that those movies are obviously not being ignored with

Spoiler

the pictures taken from Logan and Storm at Alkali Lake, the obvious subplot with Jean Grey, and the reference to Kayla, on top of the credits scene with Magneto and Xavier.

Glad to see a dark and brutal Logan that has sometimes gone missing. It was very character driven, not a lot of huge set pieces, minus

Spoiler

the bullet train and the mech samurai

. Probably the only thing I didn't really care for in the movie was the

Spoiler

mech samurai

at the end. As someone said, it felt real "X-Men Origins" and I can see that. It took the movie in a different direction, and was probably the one aspect of the film that I felt really strayed from the comic.

I was a fan of Yukio and Mariko, even Viper didn't bother me too much. The fanboy in me heavily enjoyed Jean's appearance, although

Spoiler

I know they were Logan's dreams / visions, but by the end it did kind of bother me the focus on Jean calling Logan to be with her, when she should be spending her afterlife with Scott

All in all I'm real happy with the movie. And even if you're a person who hates X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (which I'm not) I think you have to acknowledge that the series is back to "good" status, now that we have 4 movies out of 6 that are good, at worst. And if you're someone like me, you still feel the series in 6 for 6

Tentative rankings, just cuz:

01.) X-Men: First Class
02.) X-Men: The Last Stand
03.) X2
04.) X-Men
05.) The Wolverine
06.) X-Men Origins: Wolverine

And again, I'll reiterate, The Wolverine is only as low as it is because I prefer the X-Men as a team as opposed to individuals and the particular story that they adapted, while I like it and recognize it's importance to Logan's story, it's not one of my personal favorites.

 

[Snikt]

10/10

Spoiler

was leaving him with bone claws. Man, I hate those bone claws. They really need to fix that for Days of Future Past. Even if it's just dialogue saying he had Magneto help craft the adamantium back to his claws.

Glad you liked it. And I could totally see everything in your spoiler tag happening .

 

[Loki882]

I always liked the bone claws and thought they were more badass than the metal ones. Magneto and Logan having to work together is going to be fun.

 

[Marvel]

Even though I liked the movie...I was a little lost there. Like, I can sit here and fill in the blanks for myself and make it all work, but at the time it just came of as ....WHY? And even now, it still feels a bit clunky.

I can understand how [BLACKOUT]Yashida wanted to build an adamantium suit in the event Logan wouldn't agree to transferring his healing factor and Yashida needed to defeat him. Except, he ends up sending Harada and the ninjas to capture Logan. It just seems a little weak narratively given that this is part of what put his company into financial trouble thus driving Shingen to his own crazy antics.

Also we're not really told HOW this transferring procedure works, so there's no suspense around it when Yashida starts drilling into Logan's bone claws. I was like, wait, is he sucking out the adamantium? Oh wait, he's de-aging, so it's the healing factor. [/BLACKOUT]

Taking time to explain certain motivations yet letting the audience sort through minor points was VERY smart in my book.

Spoiler

Yukio said that Yashida kept one eye in the past and one in the future. So, having a massive Silver Samurai made from adamantium serves both purposes. It was a life support armor that extended his life and a tribute to the original Silver Samurai concept.

Yashida clearly needed access to Logan's bone marrow. That proves a big problem when every bone is coated in adamantium. Thus, cutting the claws was the easier access point and the configuration of his drills were set up for those extraction points.

I also loved that Shingen pointed out that he covered for Yashida and he funneled billions to the project.

That's VERY smart writing even if it takes the viewer a bit of effort to pay attention.

 

[Mr. Dent]

Just found out this doesn't come out in Japan until September 13. That's stupid as hell. They should have pushed for a same-day release in Japan if not a week earlier than us in the states. And it doesn't even have a date in China. Fox showing they're brilliant distribution plans.

This is why Disney/Marvel are so much more successful with their films than Fox...they're savy. Iron Man 3 grossed $120m in China because they worked to get a deal with DMG on distributing the film in China. Fox will be lucky if they make more than double that overseas altogether.

 

[psylockolussus]

This is why Disney/Marvel are so much more successful with their films than Fox...they're savy. Iron Man 3 grossed $120m in China because they worked to get a deal with DMG on distributing the film in China. Fox will be lucky if they make more than double that overseas altogether.

Yeah yeah yeah we heard that comment from you before.

 

[Mr. Dent]

Even if that were true, doesn't change the fact that Fox are brain dead. Competition is showing them how to do these movies and they still don't get it. I still give them props on the movie itself though and the fact they're finally connecting the films and working with a bigger goal in mind. Not to mention the 2hr run time, that is the sweet spot and I didn't fully expect them to give it that. But they still suck at distributing these films.

I hope they work towards getting DOFP out within a week of release in the states in China and other asian markets. Considering the film has a world setting that only makes sense anyway. I WANT them to be successful with these X-Men films, and they're just not being savvy.

 

[psylockolussus]

Up to 68% .

 

[EliteF50]

Just got back, and I really loved it. The cinematography, acting, editing, fight choreography, character development, etc. was all top notch. Hugh Jackman's best performance as Wolverine by far, he knocked it out of the park. I wish the music was more memorable, it felt far too generic, but that's how most movies are nowadays, I guess. There are pieces of the third act I would've changed, as well.

Spoiler

-That shot of Viper running away and hissing was hilarious, a few people, including me, burst out laughing in the theatre
-I saw the "twist" of the old man being in the suit from a mile away
-Last shot wasn't satisfying enough
-Didn't like the sudden shaky cam during the action
-If the old man looked up to Logan so much, telling stories about him to his granddaughter and whatnot, why would he want to ruin that friendship/bond by stealing what Wolverine didn't want to give away?
-Viper was pretty cool for the first two acts, but it became ridiculous once she shed her skin. Also, maybe I missed it, but why did she help out Yashida?
-Could've used some more blood, imo

Overall though, I loved it. 9/10. My second favorite X-Men universe movie yet.

 

[Marvin]

Enjoyed the movie.

Two things that bothered me

I thought the depowering would simply up the stakes but for me it also lent itself to watching a film where wolverine hobbled against "civilians" as my pal put it, for most of the duration.

Second, this supposed berserker rage jackman keeps promising seems like an unattainable thing at this point, no matter how much he say's so. Would have loved to see this guy lose it against the final adversary there.

Spoiler

outside of those things, I would say the loose motivation of the various fathers and husbands were kinda red herrings.

Post credit scene stole the show though. Best one I've seen yet.

 

[EliteF50]

Agreed, super disappointed there was no berserker rage.

 

[psylockolussus]

I thought the rage was uncaged once and for all.

 

[danoyse]

Logan taking on the Yakuza on the bullet train before they ended up outside was the closest I've seen him to his mansion takedown in X2.

 

[Snikt]

He looked pretty unleashed against Shingen

 

[JP]

At this point I don't know what y'all want when you talk about berserker rage.

 

[Liam_H]

Him covered in blood with body parts lying around him after he's done.

 

[kguillou]

Just got back, really liked this movie, don't know if I loved it, may need another viewing to fully absorb it. It was a dark, noir drama and thats what I wanted out of a wolverine film. But man, that third act really did not fit in with the rest of the movie. Despite that though this was a true WOLVERINE ORIGINS film, one that got to his core and explored who he is as a character.

7.5-8/10 for me, again I need another viewing to fully absorb I think. A better third act could've easily elevated it for me.

 

[danoyse]

Random comment I saw on Twitter:

"I'm going to see The Wolverine. My wife is going to see The Hugh Jackman."

 

[EliteF50]

At this point I don't know what y'all want when you talk about berserker rage.

Pretty much this, but less... anime. No muscle bulging or anything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=mWzCqCgjla8&t=38