The Wolverine adaptation that fans deserve

Rating: 9/10 (21 June 2014)

The Wolverine gives us more reason to take X-Men films more seriously. First Class restored our faith while this one solidifies it as a serious force of filmmaking brilliance. Under the direction of James Mangold, this marks the best X-Men film since X2 and vastly superior to the terrible X-Men Origins. The Wolverine pits our anti-hero against 21st century samurai in Japan while discovering the limitations of his mutant curse. This film is an absolute blast from start to finish. Mangold takes what Bryan Singer and Matthew Vaughn laid out and turns it into his own, thus creating a whole other level to be reached for the next X-Men film. The film is paced awesomely and the story is very engaging, something that has somewhat plagued X-Men films from X2 on. This film fixes the wrongs and despite some plot holes here and there, this film is wildly entertaining. The action sequences are brutal, how Wolverine was meant to be seen. One thing Mangold does here is push the envelope. For a PG-13 film, this as close to an R rating as you can get. Wolverine was always meant to be seen as a savage character and as far as an on screen savage is concerned, this film does it right and isn't afraid to shy away from a bit of blood. The tone here is a lot darker than the originals, it is not meant to glorify anything here. We view Wolverine's world as he does, bleak, cold and brutal. Overall, The Wolverine is a fun, smart, action packed thriller that doesn't let up until the end credits roll. If you liked the other X-Men films, you'll absolutely LOVE this film.