The Wolverine

It is somewhat befitting that Wolverine, the poster boy for the X-Men whose regenerative powers allow him to live beyond a conventional human lifespan, has always been played by Hugh Jackman ever since his first on-screen appearance way back in 2000. In the 13 years since X-Men hit cinemas we’ve seen countless superheroes come, go and assemble, yet Jackman and Wolverine have remained a constant presence in our multiplexes. You have to tip your hat to the Aussie actor, who despite his stature and handsome features (many forget Wolvs is supposed to be a 5”3 ferret man) has managed to inhabit the character to the point where the two have become virtually indivisible.

Which makes it an even bigger shame that The Wolverine doesn’t live up to its star’s talent and charisma, because despite lessons have clearly been learnt from the disappointing X-Men Origins: Wolverine, there is something aloof about Logan’s latest solo outing. Paradoxically, in a summer where we've already been treated to Iron Man 3 and Man of Steel, adamantium turns out to be the weakest bond. 

The first issue is mainly a narrative one. Despite being inspired by the popular series by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, the plot for the big-screen adaptation feels threadbare and more like an excuse to relocate our clawed protagonist to the Far East, just so that he can square off against a series of Yakuza thugs armed with knives, blades and assorted sharp objects. Admittedly, Japan makes for an exotic setting and a welcome diversion from past scenarios overpopulated with fellow mutants, but the novelty does wear off pretty quickly. Also, the curveball we were supposedly thrown in the trailers, i.e. that Logan would become once again mortal and therefore be bereft of his healing ability, turns out to be a damp squib (or is that squid?).

Secondly, there’s no getting around the fact that, hairy protagonist aside, there are no interesting characters to keep us gripped throughout. Tao Okamoto is a gorgeous presence as Mariko Yashida (one of Logan’s true great loves in the comics), but her modelling background means she is cornered whenever she needs to convey emotion. The villains don’t fare any better, with Will Yun Lee required to do little more than shoot arrows from buildings, while Svetlana Khodchenkova’s Viper brings to mind ugly memories of Batman & Robin’s Poison Ivy. Meanwhile, Famke Janssen is back as the ghostly apparition of Jean Grey, just in case anyone had forgotten this is an X-Men film. Why she has to wear a skimpy negligée in all of her scenes is never made clear but what the hell, we'll go with it...

And what about those afore-mentioned blade-on-blade scraps? There is an exhilarating sequence set on top of a speeding bullet train that will keep you on the edge of your seat, but fails to linger in memory like the similarly-themed Spidey vs Doc Ock tussle in Spider-Man 2. A stand-off with an army of ninjas in a snowy village starts off promisingly but ends just as things start to get dicey, while the final showdown with the Silver Samurai is likely to turn off fans of the comic, given the character’s lazy big-screen treatment.  

All of which leads to the conclusion that what The Wolverine lacks in mainly is direction. James Mangold is a perfectly competent filmmaker, but with Darren Aronofsky originally attached to the project, one can’t help but wonder how the movie would’ve turned out with the Wrestler and Black Swan director at the helm. A visionary auteur is always more likely to produce a more inspired and satisfying piece of work, even if it happens to be just a tentpole superhero film.

Nevertheless, the mid credits sequence alone is almost worth the price of the cinema ticket and based on what we glimpse in the space of a minute is enough to get one pumped for next year’s X-Men: Days of Future Past. And the best thing is, it’s shaping up to be Wolverine’s best on-screen adventure yet. Roll on 2014.

2/5