Finally the Wolverine movie we’ve all been waiting for.
No kidding this was just amazing. I can honestly say I didn’t think they would really be able to pull it off but this just blew me away. If it was only mediocre it still would have been an improvement on its predecessor X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but it’s so much more than that.
Instead of yet another pointless prequel the film makers made the very well thought out decision to set this film after all the events of the previous X-Men movies. Logan is alone, jaded and still haunted by the death of Jean Grey who appears throughout the movie via dream sequences exploring Logan’s inner turmoil as an immortal warrior surrounded by the death of his loved ones. And this is the crux of why I enjoyed this movie so much. Not only does it deliver great action and special effects but it’s also got a really great story at its core and delves into some really interesting themes at the same time. Essentially it manages to do what so many other movies strive but ultimately fail to do; it strikes the perfect balance between epic action and mature dramatic story telling.
I loved the fact that the movie literally starts with Logan withstanding a nuclear strike at Nagasaki; I loved the fact that after being burnt to a human cinder his hair grows back to its perfect trademark style. I loved the fact that there’s actual honest to god character development in this movie.
My biggest fear with going in was the concept of taking away Logan’s mutant healing factor. A common trope which I really grow tired off. ‘Hey you know that one thing you really like about this character, well we ran out of ideas so we’re just going to make him vulnerable by magically taking that away’ Ugh. But honestly it didn’t grate on me as much as I thought it would and I was actually on the edge of my seat going into the climatic final battle.
About half way through the movie as Logan was reminiscing about his nuclear encounter in the now rebuilt Nagasaki (I’m not sure reminiscing is the right word?) I was thinking to myself ‘Wow I’m really enjoying this, like a lot’ Which I think sums it up quite well. For a while now it’s just been so frustrating to watch Fox have their way with wolvie on the big screen. Hugh Jackman has always been the perfect fit for the role but pesky little things like the story and what not have seemed to get in the way, but not this time. They kept us waiting but they eventually got round to making a movie that truly does this character justice. Well done sirs. For 126 mins you managed to make me forget how much I resent the fact that Marvel Studios doesn’t have the rights to these characters.
Also with the absolutely tantalizing stinger this movies serves as a pretty great trailer for next year’s X-Men Days of Future Past. Which if you weren’t excited about already you will be after you see this movie.
stuartkent37 