A Wonderfully-Made Film 8.5-9.0/10

Rating: 9/10 (28 July 2013)

Wow. This is the Wolverine film that should have been made in the first place. It is one of the most viscerally powerful comic-book films that I have ever seen. There are not just fantasy-like action sequences with flashy special effects; these are fantastically choreographed scenes that hit as hard as real life. And there are a lot of them. Even more importantly, there is a compelling story, a well-written script and a *superb* cast, all of which make this film something truly meaningful. I will admit that I have suggested that this character has been overexposed, but that was partly based on the messy, unnecessary X-Men Origins: Wolverine. But I have nothing but praise for any decision that results in a film this good.
The setting in Japan brings all sorts of elements into play that work great with the character of Wolverine. Of course, the accompanying aesthetic touches give this film a unique feel among comic-book adaptions. The pacing is right on; the action scenes are relentless, the poignant scenes are breathless, and the dialog is sharp. I find it to be very well-balanced overall.
There may have been a thing or two not quite on the masterpiece level, and I am still ruminating on the story and plot developments in my mind. But this is an incredibly well-directed film, with the cinematography, visual effects, sound and again, the cast all contribute to the greater whole.
There is quite a lot of violence, and a bit more gore-ish content than found in the typical superhero film. But this is Wolverine. More than anything else, this is just a wonderful film in and of itself, but I also think that it does a fine job of (1) making X-Men: The Last Stand seem better and more meaningful in retrospect, (2) setting up future X-Men films and most importantly one might say (3) erasing the memory of the Origins film.
As usual for me, I avoided 3D and saw this film in 2D. No regrets whatsoever about that decision. In any event, I highly recommend The Wolverine. As good as X1 and X2 were, and as much as I liked X-Men: First Class, this one might be my favorite X-Film yet. I enjoyed both Iron Man 3 and Man of Steel (really), but even at that, The Wolverine is arguably the best superhero film released so far in 2013, and possibly one of the best yet, period.