The Wolverine (2013)

Overall: 13
I'm going to follow my last review's confession with another this week: I like movies based on the books by Jane Austen. Sure they are all love stories based in a culture that is somewhat foreign to the modern man, but they ARE well told stories. The movies based on Austen's books usually do a good job of bringing me into the mind of the protagonist, which is remarkable when you consider that the protagonists are always women with a vastly different world view than my own (a young-ish father of four living a middle American life).

What does this have to do with The Wolverine? The Wolverine is largely a love story based in the Japanese culture. In other words, it is also a love story about a character from another time, with a vastly different world view and in a different culture. As I said previously, I like well told stories. *Movie Trailer Voice* In a world where many comic movies have relied on the viewers past experience with the characters for connection, The Wolverine takes the time to tell a real character-driven story rather than loosely tying together several flashy fight scenes. *Voice Out* It is not perfect, and definitely has some aspects that did not work for me, but overall this film was well worth watching.

If you are wanting a typical comic movie, this flick may not be for you. Honestly, half of the group I went to see this with (10 people) didn't like it, but I really liked it.

Entertainment: 5
The Wolverine is a comic movie that does not feel like a repeat of all the same old fight scenes and problems. It is character-driven, and somewhat intimately delivered. While a little predictable, I enjoyed myself watching it.

Writing: 5
As I stated previously, this film is very intimately written for a comic flick. The characters have depth, and are consistent. There are far fewer cheeseball lines than you normally get from comics, and the ones that remain are generally reasonable. Everything tied together appropriately--something that I find immensely satisfying. *No spoilers* The only item that really bothered me was that I found a couple of the reveals a little too predictable.

Presentation: 3
I have mixed feelings on the presentation. Most of the visuals were great, with parts being visually stunning (like the opening scene in the Japanese prison camp). However, a couple of the characters and scenes felt cartoony and out of place (read the Viper character, the adamant warrior, and some of the scenes with the ninjas). The acting was very good--as usual, Jackman truly is Wolverine--but that was somewhat offset by the cartoonish way Svetlana Khodchenkova played Viper. Also, the action was taken to a level of silliness that lost me toward the end of the movie, which is disappointing considering how gripping I found the action at the beginning. Were it not for these presentation issues, I think this would be one of my top comic film movies. As it is, it is still a great show.