SAVIOR OF MY SUMMER
The 2013 summer movie season has been awful. Iron Man 3's character executing plot twist (and anti- disability message), the horror show that was Man of Steel, Pacific Rim being entertaining, but not engaging, and the news of Zack Snyder not only making a sequel to Man of Steel but turning it into Batman vs. Superman (potentially) has left me weak and damn near hopeless. The only thing that I had left was James Mangold's The Wolverine. If this movie fell flat this would be the worst summer superhero movie season in recent memory. I glad to say that was not the case. This film satisfies on multiple levels and exceeding expectation in almost every area.
As the summer begins to dwindle, the blockbuster genre goes to sleep as we watch crafty, quiet challenging, engaging independent films begin to wake up. The Wolverine tricks us; because its both. It has the intense action, hero snarling, and bombastic "final bosses" that are common in blockbusters, but this film also has the stillness, emotional weight, and character study of many independent films. Unfortunately, it is trying to satisfy these two masters that makes The Wolverine crack under the pressure, however briefly.
The plot of The Wolverine is lifted (some times panel for panel) from the 1982 Wolverine Miniseries written by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. The filmmakers mine characters from other "Japan Stories" to flesh out the script. Logan (Hugh Jackman) is living in the Canadian wilderness haunted by his actions at the end of X-Men: The Last Stand. It is here he is approached by Yukio (brilliantly played by Rila Fukushima) who convinces Logan to accompany her to Japan in order to see a dying old friend: Yashida, a Japanese soldier Logan saved during the US destruction of Nagasaki in WWII. Once in Tokyo, Logan is a fish out of water, a Ronin, thrown into a paradoxical world full of ninjas and samurai, honor and deceit, politicians and yakuza, respect and shame .
While the film has some great action set pieces (the bullet train) and fights (Logan vs. Shingen), the film really soars in its quieter moments. The friendship between Yukio and Logan and the blossoming romance between Logan and Yashida's Granddaughter Mariko, takes its time. Each character is allowed to develop genuine feelings, and eventually, have those feelings reciprocated and strengthened. Time is a rare commodity in a Superhero film, and it is welcomed refreshment to the painful cacophony of world ending "disaster porn" that has been normalized in the genre.
However, the film's biggest asset is Hugh Jackman. Hugh Jackman has been playing this role for 13 years with not signs of stopping. He has demonstrated both love and dedication to the character that is unrivaled. Hugh Jackman IS Logan "The Wolverine". Because of such a strong base, this film (Jackman's 6th outing) does not waste time with an origin or backstory. We already know, and care about Logan. Therefore, Mangold and Jackman are allowed to develop the character on screen. Taking Logan to emotional and psychological depths has more weight because we have been with Logan every step of the way though the last 5 films.
The film only falters in its climax. It is here that the elements of the blockbuster movie become so heavy handed that it seems forced, as if the filmmakers suddenly remembered they were making a "superhero film"; so they brought out the checklist: vampy costumed fem fatale (check) "final boss" battle (check) cliché plot "twist" reveal (check). This is such a drastic tonal shift that it does not fit with the rest of the film. In fact, I am of the mind that the films climax could have happened one or two scenes before; ending with a spectacular sword/claw duel. However these are minor complaints when looking at the film as a whole.
In the end, The Wolverine is an intimate character driven story that masquerades as a blockbuster tent-pole feature. Everyone should stay in their seats for the mid-credits sequence, complete with dual cameos that set up Bryan Singers X-Men: Days of Future Past, out in 2014. And while I know that film is going to be "turned up to eleven", I still want to see a third Wolverine film, as quiet and as brilliant as this one.
