2h 6m
Director: James Mangold

It's easy to think that comic book characters seem a bit silly but I would point out that by giving the characters super powers you are really imbuing the writers with them because it enables story telling unimpeded by anything but imagination. Now the writer can do whatever they want!

Check out this premise. So it's Wolverine from the X-men in modern day Japan with Samurai and Yakuza. "Take my money!", I hear you say.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), this I reckon, is the second best X-men movie after Logan. It depicts The Wolverine as he is in the comics and it plays with themes of mortality which might make some viewers feel a bit uncomfortable.

The writers really do take the fact that Logan (Wolverine) is practically immortal to fairly extreme levels in this flick. Rather than choosing to let the character waltz through the film in easy mode, they hit him with a nuclear explosion, run him through with samurai swords and shoot him quite a few times.

Logan (Hugh Jackman - I refer to him as 'Huge Ackman' as it's easier to remember!) begins the movie as a directionless wanderer but he is soon tracked down and invited to Japan to be offered a cure for his immortality by an ageing soldier (Yashida) who he saved when the bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.

They have to nerf Logan a bit for this movie since he's practically immortal so Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova), Yashida's oncologist, finds a way to prevent him healing which ups the ante somewhat.

Logan considers the offer but ultimately refuses, the old man dies and Logan gets caught up saving his granddaughter Mariko from kidnap by the Yakuza at his funeral.

Eventually, they capture Logan and try to steal his immortality. The twist is that Yashida is still alive and wants the powers for himself.

Some of the action sequences in this movie are truly epic.

There's a scene where Logan is fighting baddies on top of a bullet train (going 300mph apparently) and the action ensues whilst the characters dodge obstacles which will kill them if they don't move fast enough.

At the funeral where the Yakuza try to kidnap Mariko (the love interest), there's quite a bit of cool melee which eventually collapes into a chase sequence.

If you're squeamish you might not like the scene where Logan pulls out his own heart.

It's a superb film but it's not for the feint hearted. Quite a few of the combat scenes are brutal, as you can imagine with the super-soldier with long, sharp, bladed weapons on his fists literally tearing through the opposition.

The cinematography in this flick is very eye catching but you'll soon start taking it for granted as the captivating narrative washes over you.

If you're a fan of the MCU then you've probably already seen it. If you want to know what this Wolverine character is all about then this throws you in at the deep end. It's great! I really like it but that's because I think it does a decent job of putting the Wolverine you see in the comics on the big screen!



Trailer: