The Wolverine

****
Dir. James Mangold

After a mediocre summer of flashy blockbusters and over bloated action movies, The Wolverine is a refreshingly compelling comic book film and a nice addition to the X-Men franchise. Being more of a character study than an explosive epic between heroes and villains, James Magold's adaptation of the comic book miniseries by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller delivers quality entertainment for fans and casual moviegoers alike.

Opening in WW2 Japan as the nuclear bombs are being dropped on Nagasaki, the first heroic feat we see Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) perform is saving a young soldier named Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi) from being annihilated. As his instant healing abilities enable him to be unharmed by the massive blast, the image we see of him here is both gloriously mythological and dynamic in its execution. This intro provides a solid gateway into the film's overarching plot.

The story then shifts to years later as our hero has been hiding in the wilderness for some time (this takes place after the events of X-Men:The Last Stand). Struggling to cope with the death of his former lover Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), Logan's nostalgia and internal struggles are portrayed here through a film noir style which Mangold executes brilliantly. As his animalistic instincts guide him, Logan is torn between his destiny and his longing for a normal life. We then meet a warrior named Yukio (Rila Fukushima), who informs Logan that Yashida is on his deathbed and wishes to say goodbye to him and thank him once more. Grudgingly, the washed-up mutant soldier accompanies her to Tokyo.

From there, the film is centered around the struggles and civil disputes within Yashida's corporate empire. As Logan finds himself in the middle of this conflict, he is determined to protect Yashida's granddaughter Mariko (Tao Okamato) from the capitalistic monsters seeking to kill her; while confronting his own demons in the process.

Unlike the failure of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, this film is a much more thoughtful examination of the character. The main question posed to Logan is would he be better off a mortal. Having lived for over a hundred years and watched all his loved ones perish, death appeals more and more to him every day. While this flick contains plenty of action, the heart of the conflict is more internal and symbolic.

James Mangold (Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma) demonstrates his understanding of both comic books and film noir. Whether it's his utilization of the cinematography by Ross Emery or the juxtaposition of Wolverine's nightmares with his not so different reality, this is quality storytelling.

Furthermore, the screenplay by Mark Bomback and Scott Frank correlates well with Mangold's vision. With solid pacing and well crafted dialogue, one of its highlights is the romance that ensues between Logan and Mariko. Rejecting the love at first sight cliché, this is instead a nicely developed relationship which provides a good subplot. Even with an excess of supporting characters and a ridiculous conclusion, the story provides the basis for the film's entertainment and intrigue.

Needless to say, Hugh Jackman's fifth time portraying this pop-culture icon (not counting his cameo in First Class) is as stellar as ever. His embodiment of the character is especially great here as the film centers around his internal conflicts. Okamato, Fukushima, and a list of other Japanese actors and actresses also deliver compelling performances in their respective roles. While a couple of the villains were slightly less developed than others (a seductive assassin named Viper is pretty much the Marvel version of Poison Ivy), the cast is very effective nonetheless.

While the X-Men franchise has had its ups and downs, The Wolverine has a lot to offer and definitely ranks among the better films in this series. Although I still like First Class and X2 better, this one's worth seeing. Also be advised to stay for a post-credits scene which you don't wanna miss.