The Wolverine

Rating: 7/10 (16 August 2013)

A follow-up to the 2009 feature starring the eponymous hero, THE WOLVERINE is a significant improvement over that film. The sequel is better written and, despite its comic-book origins, manages to remain at least somewhat within the realm of believability. But the main factor which makes THE WOLVERINE successful is the attention to character this time around. The hero has decided he doesn't want to be a hero anymore, and the plot revolves around our protagonist's quest for a life of meaning even though he's not at all sure he wants to go on living at all.
The movie starts off with a flashback to a Japanese prison camp in Nagasaki just before an atomic bomb decimates the whole city. An American prisoner—yes, that would be Wolverine—saves a young Japanese soldier from being killed in the conflagration. The years go by, and in the present day Wolverine receives an invitation from the Japanese soldier's family to visit him in Tokyo. The years have been kind to the former soldier, who went on to found a huge technology corporation worth millions. But now that he's dying of old age, he claims he has found a way to take Wolverine's mutant powers of healing from him. But though he's world-weary and ready to be done with life, Wolverine can't bring himself to agree to the strange offer. And so the old man dies. And that's when things start to get really interesting.
The story works because it not only incorporates the necessary high-level action required for a summer blockbuster, complete with ninjas, serpent-like women and huge armor-plated samurai warriors, but also due to its inherent dependence upon characterization. This time Wolverine isn't just a fighting machine with a bad attitude, but a wounded man trying to rediscover a purpose in life.
Hugh Jackman deserves a lot of the credit for making the plot work. Jackman is eerily well-cast as the iconic Wolverine. He doesn't just look the part, but he captures all the nuances and subtleties involved in essentially becoming another person when on screen. Jackman has the strength of personality to carry the film, and he deserves even more credit or making one of Marvel's least likable super heroes into a genuinely appealing character.
Fans of the original X-Men movies should really enjoy THE WOLVERINE. It ties up some loose ends from that trilogy and eclipses the mediocre 2009 Wolverine film. While it's not one of the best super hero movies, it is quite good, and very much worth your time and money on a lazy Saturday afternoon.