Fun Movie

Rating: 7/10 (28 July 2013)

Wolverine is the 6th installment of X-men series with Hugh Jackman reviving his role as the title character. Loosely adapted from the famous Japanese arc by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, characters are more or less different from the original comics particularly Silver Samurai and Viper.
Synopsis: Wolverine is shown living a secluded life, somewhere in northern America, over the guilt of killing Jean Grey (in The Last Stand). He is approached by a mysterious Japanese girl, Yukio, who wants to take him with her to Japan. As the plot unfolds, it's Yukio's boss Yashida who wants to meet Wolverine. Half a century back, Wolverine saved Yashida's life during Nagasaki nuclear tragedy. As a token of appreciation, Yashida wants to give Wolverine back his "Mortality" - a thing Wolverine craves most. However, Yashida dies unexpectedly and this sets into motion a chain of unexpected events involving her Grand-daughter Mariko (also his company's heir).
Overall, the movie is darker than previous X-Men movies and appears more mature. GIven the original story-line was too big to be scaled down in a single movie, the script is quite decent. But it lacks the action we want from a X-men movie. Hugh Jackman as the central character gives an excellent performance. However,some parts of the movie needed more character development.
Gorgeous Svetlana, as Viper, is shown as the main antagonist for most part of the movie. However, her lack of screen time leaves us unsatisfied. Changing the original comic story by making Viper a mutant is useless, if you don't want her to fight like one. Wolverine and Viper are not seen dueling much on screen and that's a bone of contention for me. Also, if Wolverine and Mariko were given more time together, their bond could have been explained better. Finally, I didn't like the finale as it wasn't as exciting as the Bullet Train fight sequence, or the funeral massacre.
The Wolverine is a good installment for the X-men series raising the bar of X-men standard/theme. But it doesn't quite make it to the top of my list. X2 still remains my favorite, followed by First Class.