Wolverine roots...I suppose, but nothing spectacular.

Rating: 6/10 (24 July 2013)

I am a fan, have been for decades, but not what you'd call a comic book geek (compliment intended). With that, I don't know where or how this movie coordinates or deviates from the comics. So my review is primarily movie-goer or cinematographic-based.
It was a good movie, solid cast. I really enjoyed the Japanese actors and what they brought to the movie. I think they gave the movie the bump up to 6.5 stars (from 5.5 where it would have been if it the rest of the movie were like the beginning) I hope to see more action movies from Ms. Fukushima and Ms. Okamoto could do well in many genera's. The Wolverine...can't die. And apparently neither can the Wolverine movies. Mr. Jackman does a great job as Wolverine but not his best (I mean it objectively, I'm sure he did his best). I feel the writers have relegated themselves to simplistic one-liners which maybe is supposed lend credibility to the "wildness" or simplicity of the character but I think with a little better writing we could get a better storyline and more exciting climactic lines. Giving us a real Wolverine punch when he finishes a foe.
Also I think if they wanted to add a more authentic Japanese flavor they should have hired Japanese cultural consultants. And maybe even just as an adviser, Quentin Tarantino.
The fight scenes were good, very good...a little blurry but I guess that's how the cinematographers, choreographers, producers, editors, etc...create the intensity by allowing the human mind to fill-in the gaps.
The music was good, a few times it was powerful (appropriate, timely, etc...) but other times it was weak. A little more Japanese flavor I think would have lent credibility to the setting flavor. Try a Japanese flute (the Shakuhachi).
Basically to sum it up: If you want to produce a good Wolverine roots movie, write it as Wolverine not as Wolverine the X-man. Too many ties. I'll probably always go see a Wolverine movie in the theater (and thus support them) but this one was not great (I liked X-Men Origins: Wolverine better). And I'll probably still add it to my movie collection but I'll wait a while and get it at a discount.
Parts I had a problem with ******* Spoiler Alert ******* The bear...come on don't skimp with the intro of the bear, get a real bear! The part where the bear is dying...okay fine "design a dying bear" but where the bear is walking they should have used a real bear. I know Bart the bear is dead but he has successors (Little Bart who did a great job in Game of Thrones) is doing well in the movies. And the bear peeing on the tree...why? Lame. And you didn't need to "introduce" poison with that whole scene (Bear, dead bear, bar brawl, poison) to let the audience know there was such thing as poison arrows (weapons). Cause if they were trying to tie it in with Viper...that was so tenuous you could have put me in the movie with a churro and I would have made as much sense as a lead-in.
And again I loved Rila as Yukio in this movie (especially her fight scene with Shingen) but she slices a bottle...and it doesn't "fall" in half until seconds later? Booo...hiss. The chair fine, the bottle should have been shown first and then the chair.
Ninjas...I know they are "NINJAS" (emphasis intended) but when they are killing people, and there were two times I counted at the Yashida estate...they did it right in front of guards who were apparently sleeping while standing.
This is where I show my lack of comic geekness but how does he (Wolverine) get adamantium back on his bone claws? Did he ever get his adamantium coated claws cut off like that in the comics?
The parting line with the silver samurai was weak. I loved the big ole Silver Samurai (Samurai are just cool). But the parting line...weak. Try this, "You had your life and the only good of you that will live on is your granddaughter. You wanted me to come to say good-bye...well sayonara bub (Toss him off the edge)." Or something like that, just the "You wanted me to say goodbye...sayonara" was not a punch or even a slap.
And instead of kissing Mariko at the end (which is somewhat disrespectful in public in Japanese culture)...perhaps he could have kissed each of them on the cheek and said, "My two favorite Japanese women." or something.