The Wolverine

Wolverine doesn't fit well in Japan, and it was beautifully evident throughout the whole 130 minutes. It started with a fantastic retreat in Nagasaki, continued with a solid romance in the style of The Last Samurai, and ended with dull action scenes and a "surprising" outcome reminiscent of B-movies from the 1990s demons. Logan is a likable character with a suitably dark past, but so far no one has been able to exploit it properly. Either it's an action flick or an attempt at a mysterious adult blockbuster that is awkward to the point of being unappealing, and appropriately disparate. (11/23/2013)

It's a shame, but The Wolverine didn't do it for me. Not that this movie was outright bad, but I enjoyed it a little less than the last Origins and a lot less than the first two installments of the saga. Hugh Jackman tries really hard, he loves Logan and knows what fans want to see and hear. But unfortunately, the futile script makes it difficult for him. The plot was inspired by the excellent comic book by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller, but it basically took only the names of the characters, Japan and a few situations. It did not use the powerful yet simple story. Instead, the film is at times overwrought and at times too simple, the intimate moments between Wolverine and Mariko are probably the best, and of the action scenes I liked the one on the express train the best. The rest was pretty much short and stout in terms of imagination or Wolverine's rampage (the school ambush scene from X-Men 2, where Wolverine is at his most Wolverine-like, still leads in this regard). Apart from the opening in Nagasaki, this time there were no moments to remember, which the previous film was in fact full of. And where did the fun go? Who knows... A few good lines (about three) and nothing else. The ending was ridiculous, and clearly the best moment of the whole film came in the middle of the credits. Actually, I think Wolverine was filmed just for that scene and so Marco Beltrami could compose another good soundtrack. (07/25/2013)

No, it hurts, but it doesn't work this way either. Hood made Wolverine into a generic cliché hanger, whereas Mangold tries to turn him into a modern intelligent blockbuster that works with intimacy, emotions, realism and the mythology of the character. The result is terribly unbalanced - a dark and engaging prologue, followed by the middle part of the film, where romance and Logan's inner contemplation dominate. This part is slow, it emphasizes non-existent meanings and thereby only repeats what Singer was able to better develop in an incomparably smaller space. How many words, how many motives, how many enchanted quotes... and what does it all amount to? Hollow bamboo, Logan as a romantic hero for the third time. I would rather keep quiet about the finale. If I was comforting myself until then that Mangold was hiding the trump card for the end, I was wrong. It was as if someone remembered that this was supposed to be a comic blockbuster, after all, and it miserably ground all the illogicality and exaggeration into an apathetic climax that turned the would-be-adult delusion into a dismantled sonata. It is a grind. The action grinds. The humor grinds. The claws grind. Jackman doesn't grind, but he doesn't spice up this diet sushi enough to keep us from forgetting him quickly and without feeling guilty, as if he is useless. Unlike other Marvel films, the concept here is completely lacking, and both spin-offs are tonally shift away from the main series and do not create anything coherent. As a result, you will spend two hours in the movie theatre snorting during the scene after the credits, saying to yourself: "Was this necessary? Give us what we want!" (07/24/2013)

I am glad that another Wolverine movie has made it to the cinemas and I think that the fans feel the same. The studio must be quite satisfied. With $55 million in the first weekend in the US alone, it is a pretty good result considering the $100 million budget. Depending on how much the film earns internationally, the basic budget will be recouped during the first week. That is good and it only pleases me that good movies based on comics still attract attention. I'm not saying it's great, but it's good. "Wolverine" is a good movie, sometimes a bit pathetic and other times too chambered, but as a whole, it is good. The fans, both comic book fans and X-Men movie fans, will leave satisfied. More: http://www.comics-blog.cz/2013/07/221-wolverine-2013-70.html (07/30/2013)

Compared to a more recent origin story, Logan's purification has the exact opposite effect, but when it comes to a rating, I see it as virtually identical. This time, I understand the criticisms and objections, but I balanced on the edge of my seat for two hours in the cinema and devoured every minute. And yet, our wild Kuzuri doesn't have to just fly on the roof of a train or slice enemies. It's enough for him to wander around, frown, protect Mariko, and search for himself. Because that animal inside him audibly purrs, even when he's asleep. (08/11/2013)