The Wolverine
The Wolverine
It's a difficult task to condense over thirty years of a characters history and experiences down to a two hour film. Some of the best moments of the character gets glazed over, connections between character and reader also lost in translation. Arguably Wolverines best moments are in the comics and not in the films, but an attempt has been made to connect the audience to the character that is Wolverine. A character that is renown for his savagery in battle and his haphazard disregard for rules, authority, or the chain of command. He's the best at what he does and he does it the best when left alone. The comics deal with his issues and like most comics circulate around the same character defects over and over.
For a reader like me that wants to see his characters develop, get past there defects and develop to their potential it becomes difficult to see this recycling in comics, but it happens. The movies are some what forced to it differently. If a character deals with the same issue over and over then it will quickly develop a reputation as being 'the same film as the one before it'.
Wolverine highlights issues from previous films such as X-Men and Wolverine Origins but doesn't focus entirely on them. This story focuses on Wolverines time in Japan and his subsequent return where he meets his love Mariko. I never really read this story arc but it is consider one of the best for Wolverine in the comics and is obvious why they picked it, also it takes away from X-Men and their struggle against Magneto. Tackling issues of life and death and Wolverines perceived immortality the story is an interesting ride. Hugh Jackman fleshes out Wolverine into a humanistic character which the comics only flirts with, ultimately for me Hugh Jackman's is better in this way.
Visually the film isn't ground breaking, but it is effective and a fun ride. There are moments created in the film that are genuinely original that hit the right spot combining humor and action(all I can say is Bullet Train). It has a straight forward plot a bit like a 1990's film, a few twists and turns. Much of the action is like a comic book it isn't an attempt to make it realistic. This movie is fun and will easily fit on my shelf once it's released on Blue-ray.
We are living in a special time where studios are willing to put money into these movies to make money, if they don't make money then they will stop making them.
If you are a movie watcher and this subject matter or how it is depicted doesn't appeal to you don't go. The worst is having someone who really has no interest in comic books saying how a movie should be made. When my friends and I were younger we would talk for hours about how cool it would be to have these movies get made and now here we are. So enjoy be a kid and have fun!
CoolCatM
For a reader like me that wants to see his characters develop, get past there defects and develop to their potential it becomes difficult to see this recycling in comics, but it happens. The movies are some what forced to it differently. If a character deals with the same issue over and over then it will quickly develop a reputation as being 'the same film as the one before it'.
Wolverine highlights issues from previous films such as X-Men and Wolverine Origins but doesn't focus entirely on them. This story focuses on Wolverines time in Japan and his subsequent return where he meets his love Mariko. I never really read this story arc but it is consider one of the best for Wolverine in the comics and is obvious why they picked it, also it takes away from X-Men and their struggle against Magneto. Tackling issues of life and death and Wolverines perceived immortality the story is an interesting ride. Hugh Jackman fleshes out Wolverine into a humanistic character which the comics only flirts with, ultimately for me Hugh Jackman's is better in this way.
Visually the film isn't ground breaking, but it is effective and a fun ride. There are moments created in the film that are genuinely original that hit the right spot combining humor and action(all I can say is Bullet Train). It has a straight forward plot a bit like a 1990's film, a few twists and turns. Much of the action is like a comic book it isn't an attempt to make it realistic. This movie is fun and will easily fit on my shelf once it's released on Blue-ray.
If you are a movie watcher and this subject matter or how it is depicted doesn't appeal to you don't go. The worst is having someone who really has no interest in comic books saying how a movie should be made. When my friends and I were younger we would talk for hours about how cool it would be to have these movies get made and now here we are. So enjoy be a kid and have fun!
CoolCatM
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