The Wolverine

Logan, which released in 2017, is regarded as the film which finally did justice to Hugh Jackman's highly praised portrayal as the Wolverine. He first made his appearance in 2000 in X-Men but it wouldn't be until 2009 when he first had his own solo film and it was a disaster. This also came at a time when the X-Men films had run their course and unsure of where to go next until The Wolverine released in 2013. The age of Marvel films was at an all-time high and the director, James Mangold, hoped he could finally do justice to the popular superhero.

The story is adapted from one of the franchises more iconic stories sees Logan in Japan where he does battle with samurai and almost the entirety of this film is set there. This is a great decision and really gives this a unique quality which is so immersed with Japanese culture and history, whereas other superhero films can feel so bland in comparison still to this day. Kicking-off at a POW camp close to Nagasaki in WW2, The Wolverine sees Logan saving a young Japanese soldier who requests he meet him again in the modern day, now much older, as he fears for the safety of his family and hopes that Logan's immortality might be passed to him.

Mangold's direction during the opening act is great with an engaging setup and another top performance from Hugh Jackman, clearly committed to the role which made him the star he is today. The supporting cast which includes Hiroyuki Sanada, Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima and Famke Janssen are also great but it is Fukushima who really stands-out in a role I am surprised has never been used again since. Her chemistry with Jackman makes for a fun dynamic and it's a shame the character was not included or at least referred to in Logan. The film almost practically retcons the previous solo-outing, which is understandable, but I feel Mangold could have kept some continuity with his Wolverine films to bridge the gap. 

Visually The Wolverine is fast and dynamic, benefitting from being filmed in Japan, and offers a number of great action set pieces but alas that troublesome third act, which I reference in my write-up of Logan, does lose some of the film's momentum. It wasn't quite as bad as I recalled but does suffer due to a weak, underdeveloped antagonist with Svetlana Khodchenkova, and pitting Logan against a giant CGI robot feels like a studio mandated decision. 

The Wolverine is still a pretty decent film, not having seen the extended cut, and is one I'm glad I rewatched. Taking the less-is-more approach by pitting Logan against human enemies while he is vulnerable is a great decision and gives the whole thing a much more grounded and engaging tone almost until the very end. It still can't quite outshine what would follow but Mangold really does get off to a good start here and I wish we had one more film in-between to avoid there being such a jump in tone which are significantly different from each other. Nonetheless, The Wolverine holds-up nicely ten years on and one I can recommend even if you haven't been following the other films.