The Wolverine

"The Wolverine", the sixth entry in the Marvel comics movie franchise of "The Uncanny X-Men" might well be the biggest surprise of the summer, considering that the last stand alone Wolverine movie, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" almost nearly destroyed one of the 21st centuries most iconic screen characters.

"X-Men" has taken the reverse action against its Marvel counterpart "The Avengers" in that we first got the original trilogy of "X-Men" films which featured the group of superhero mutants including Storm, Cyclops, Professor X, Rouge and countless others as well as most notably Wolverine who at this time is the only one to have his own stand alone features. This is not shocking as Wolverine has the best backstory out of all the "X-Men" and with thanks to star Hugh Jackman is the most charismatic. After the original "X-Men" trilogy ended with the ho-hum "The Last Stand" it was with great anticipation that we got 2009's "Origins". "Origins" was to tell the story essentially of how Wolverine came to be who he is: a man who lives seemingly forever and due to scientific experiments has obtained an adamantium skeleton which gives him the ability to heal from any type of injury whether it be a broken leg or surviving an atom bomb attack. The movie failed on basically every level and came off as more of a weaker version of "X-Men" with uninteresting supporting characters including fan favorites "Deadpool" and "Gambit" and even Jackman came off as bored with the role and just in it for the fat paycheck that he surely got.

Whether it was the success and goodwill that 2011's franchise reboot "X-Men: First Class" got upon release or that just enough time has passed since his last stand alone outing Jackman is back in full mutton chop and wife-beater shirt mode with "The Wolverine". While there are definite connections to the original "X-Men" movies I consider this to be more of a standalone adventure. Other than a few cameo scenes from one "X-woman" in particular Jackman/Wolverine is the only recognizable face here as the rest of the cast is rounded out by Japanese actors as the story is set in present day Japan. This is probably the biggest reason why the movie succeeds, "Origins" made the unfortunate mistake of casting Ryan Reynolds aka "box-office poison" to partner with Wolverine as the before mentioned "Deadpool" and the movie was so focused on getting the audience to like "Deadpool" it took away from Wolverine.

The story for "The Wolverine" first takes place moments before the atomic bomb drop in Nagasaki, Japan during WWII. Wolverine/Logan saves the life of a young Japanese soldier who, fast forward 60 years later has become a giant corporate billionaire dying of cancer and wants to repay Wolverine for what he did for him so many years prior, but is it to good to be true? Wolverine is found in rural Alaska by one of the billionaires employees, who also happens to be a kung-fu master with psychic abilities. She's played by Japanese actress Rila Fukishima who will definitely give "Pacific Rim" star Rinko Kikuchi a run for her money in the "hot geek Japanese chick" race. Once Wolverine is convinced to take the trip back to Japan he gets involved of course in the conflict between the Japanese mafia and the billionaires family. While the overall the plot is by no means "based on a true story" after the CGI madness that was "Man of Steel" and even good movies such as "Pacific Rim" and "Iron Man 3" its nice to see regular good old fashioned real fight scenes here and the overall story is generally based in somewhat reality other than the kind of sloppy ending which comes off like the end of a bad James Bond movie, but even that is redeemed with a surprising twist that is very satisfying.

Director James Mangold, known for more adult fare such as "Walk the Line" and "3:10 to Yuma" was an odd choice especially after original choice Darren Aronofsky was such a brilliant one but had to drop out. Mangold doesn't do anything groundbreaking here but he keeps the action moving swiftly, most notably a scene taking place on a bullet train going full speed is one of the better action scenes of the year. "Everyone you ever love will die" is a phrase used throughout the movie, when you actually think about that phrase and how it connects with why Wolverine is a grumpy introvert and reluctant hero, it makes this a true origins story, even though Wolverine's other mainstay: a cigar is surprisingly and disappointingly absent.

Jackman was able to sing and dance through the French Revolution in "Les Miserables" because of Wolverine, he owes his career to the character. He is a very charismatic actor who can both be funny and serious, just like Wolverine. This movie requires the main character to carry the film and Jackman succeeds in bringing his signature role off of life support and back into the consciousness. It will be interesting to see where the character goes from here as its the rare character that the actor can actually age with, not saying I want to see him yelling "get off my lawn!" to a bunch of young mutant punks but it could be interesting.

**As with any Marvel movie be sure to stay for the end credits as you get a great sneak peek at next years "X-Men: Days of Future Past" which collides both group of X-men from original franchise and first class. I love that Marvel does this with all their movies, its a reason to go to the theater and their sneaks are usually effective in getting the fanboys excited and this peek is no exception, its better than most trailers can even hope for.