Stillanerd’s Retrospective: The Wolverine (2013)

Believe or not, there actually was a pretty good Wolverine movie after X-Men: Origins; it’s just not the one you might be thinking of.

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During my retrospective on X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), there was one thing I forgot to mention: it actually was a box office success. Yes, as terrible as that movie is, and even though critics and audiences have labeled it the worst of the X-Men movie franchise, it still made close to $375 million worldwide. That’s three times its actual budget! As far as 20th Century Fox was concerned, this was still good enough to have a sequel. In fact, the sequel was already in the works two years before the movie even came out.

What was this planned sequel? Why, an adaptation of Chris Claremont and Frank Miller’s four-part Wolverine miniseries, of course. After all, it’s Logan in Japan, falling in love with the daughter of a Yakuza crime lord, and fighting ninjas. It’s basically an Akira Kurosawa samurai flick, only the samurai in question is a short, hirsute, scrappy Canadian mutant with retractable razor-sharp claws. Is it any wonder why it’s every Wolverine fan’s favorite story, including Hugh Jackman’s? Jackman himself even wanted his own production company to help finance the film.

The sequel would also be directed by Jackman’s hand-picked choice, Darren Aronofsky, who had previously worked with Jackman on The Fountain (2006). Unfortunately, since most of the movie would be shot on-location and keep him away from his family for almost a year, Aronofsky resigned during pre-production. Taking his place would be James Mangold, noted for such movies as Girl, Interrupted (1999), Walk the Line (2005), and the 2007 remake of 3:10 to Yuma. He also worked with Jackman before on the time-travelling romcom co-starring Meg Ryan, Kate and Leopold (2001).

Considering Aronofsky directed such films as Requiem for a Dream (2000), The Wrestler (2008), Black Swan (2010), and Noah (2014), one can’t help speculating what his take on Wolverine might’ve been like and perhaps shudder at the thought. Also, given the low bar that was X-Men Origins, any sequel, regardless of the director, would’ve been better by comparison. Still, as far as quality goes, both Fox and fans lucked out, because Mangold’s The Wolverine actually turned out to be very good. Not great, but definitely one of the better superhero movies from 2013.

What’s remarkable about The Wolverine is that it isn’t a sequel to X-Men Origins; it’s actually a sequel to the almost-as-bad X-Men: The Last Stand (2005). Haunted by his memories of Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), Logan has not only quit the X-Men, he’s literally become a cave-dwelling hermit. It’s only after almost getting into a bar fight with some poachers that Logan is approached by katana-wielding, neo-punk redheaded mutant named Yukio (Rila Fukushima) that one technology mogul, Ichiro Yashida (Haruhiko Yamanouchi) wishes to see him before he dies.

Credit: 20th Century Fox

…as far as quality goes, both Fox and fans lucked out, because [James] Mangold’s The Wolverine actually turned out to be very good. Not great, but definitely one of the better superhero movies from 2013.

As shown in the movie’s excellent prologue, Yashida was a Japanese soldier whose life Logan saved during the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. All these decades later, Yashida wishes to repay the favor–by helping Logan become mortal. All Logan has to do is transfer his mutant healing factor into Yashida and he’ll have the “gift” of growing old and living a normal life. Although Logan doesn’t wish his burden of near immortality on anyone, he still considers Yashida’s offer.

Before any decision can be made, however, Yashida dies. It isn’t long before assassins are targeting Yashida’s granddaughter, Mariko (Tao Okamoto), who’s also the heir to the Yashida Corporate empire over her own father, Shingen (Hiroyuki Sandada). Now Logan has no choice but to protect her, and it couldn’t have happened at a worse time. By sheer coincidence–or no coincidence at all–Logan’s healing factor has been suddenly and drastically reduced. The man who could once survive the heat wave of a nuclear blast can now barely shrug off bullets.

Despite his popularity, one of the problems with Wolverine in the comics and the movies is his invulnerability. When you know a character literally cannot be killed, the stakes for that character are drastically reduced. By having Wolverine retain his mutant healing factor but still capable of dying from mortal wounds, it ratchets up the tension, makes the audience worried for his safety and those around him, and makes the action all the more exciting. Look no further than the terrific fight sequence on top of the bullet train. Even though it’s still an over-the-top spectacle, you still feel a sense of danger every time Logan has to duck and dodge.

By having Wolverine retain his mutant healing factor but still capable of dying from mortal wounds, it ratchets up the tension, makes the audience worried for his safety and those around him, and makes the action all the more exciting.

The reduction of Logan’s healing factor also allows him a chance to experience momentary happiness. If he knows he can die, perhaps he can start experiencing life’s simple pleasures everyone else takes for granted? Maybe he can move past the guilt he feels over Jean’s death and move on? Clearly, the message here is that it’s actually a blessing that none of us can live forever.

In fact, death is a consistent theme throughout The Wolverine. From Yukio’s ability to foresee who a person dies, to Yashida’s need to cling to life, to the rift between Mariko and her father over Yashida’s legacy, to Jean literally haunting Logan’s dreams, the movie constantly reminds us of how death has a greater effect on the living that it does the deceased. It’s one of the few superhero films in which almost every character becomes tied to its themes and thus has a genuine purpose for being there beyond mere fan service.

Which is why The Wolverine becomes a bit of a letdown in the third act when it seems to casually throw all this aside. Sure, it’s great seeing Logan brutally taking down hundreds of ninjas and turned into a living pincushion by dozens of arrows, but, as his healing factor is fully restored by this point, we also know he’ll be just fine. It’s also the point in the film where major plot holes start appearing, particularly when it comes to Yashida’s death and why he really summoned Logan. Let’s just say for someone who can literally see how a person will die and is “never wrong,” Yukio should’ve seen the twist coming.

Credit: 20th Century Fox

The “dynamic duo” pairing between [Rila Fukushima] and [Hugh] Jackman create a much-needed energy and levity to the film. By the time the movie ends, you’re eager to see more of adventures with Wolverine and his self-appointed bodyguard.

As far as the acting goes, most of the performances are solid. It’s also refreshing seeing a major Hollywood production with a cast that’s mostly unknown to American audiences. Jackman, of course, continues to be great as Logan, but given the role Mariko plays in the comics, he and Okamoto don’t really have a lot of on-screen chemistry. He certainly does with Janssen, even more than in the first three X-Men movies. But it’s Rila Fukushima as Yukio who’s the real standout. The “dynamic duo” pairing between her and Jackman create a much-needed energy and levity to the film. By the time the movie ends, you’re eager to see more of adventures with Wolverine and his self-appointed bodyguard.

The villains, meanwhile, are the movie’s weakest link. Shinjen, though played well by Sandada, is inch the bad dad stereotype, just as Mariko’s fiancee (Brian Tee) is the stereotypical louse and corrupt politician rolled into one. Svetlana Khodchenkova relishes in her role as Viper, but doesn’t quite reach iconic femme fatale stature. The Silver Samurai comes off more of a final boss from a video game (and his identity isn’t any great surprise), but his character design and the CGI both look fantastic.

And I will say that, although imperfect, The Wolverine, unlike X-Men Origins, is much closer to what fans of the character wanted for a Wolverine movie (though sadly, his iconic brown and yellow costume was left on the cutting room floor in the theatrical release). It isn’t just that it’s more faithful to the source material, or that it finally depicts Logan as a modern-day Ronin, it pushes the boundaries of the PG-13 rating. While the violence isn’t explicit, it’s certainly brutal. After all, none of other X-Men movies would ever show a bad guy getting chewed up by an industrial snow blower, would they?

What’s fascinating is how The Wolverine ended up being overshadowed by a lot of Fox’s other X-Men movies, even the bad ones. That’s a shame because, as far as movies go, it’s a pretty competent action flick and, given this wouldn’t be the last time James Mangold and Hugh Jackman would collaborate together on a Wolverine movie, it’s a great portent of things to come. If you’re planning on doing an X-Men marathon, just skip X-Men Origins and watch this one instead.

And between this movie and X-Men: First Class, things definitely started looking up for Fox. Their renewed hot streak would continue with their next project: an adaption of one of the X-Men’s most pivotal and important storylines of all time.