My closest friends that have seen and commented on the movie loved it … but they are also huge fans of the comic. I am not. Maybe if I bothered to read it I would be, but I am just clarifying my praise that follows. I went into this movie just wanting to be entertained at face value. I was not concerned about any loyalties or accuracy to some storyline. Just give me a story, compel me to watch and let’s go.
Like the Tom Cruise character in Mission Impossible 2 or the Mark Wahlburg character in Shooter, Hugh Jackman is a hermit living up in the cold Northwest, caving it in the wilderness, minding his own business … and trouble comes calling to him.
Once this happens, the action (meaning the fighting) begins and pretty much never lets up during the entire film.
I watched this one in 3-D, which was good. The directors showed restraint and (thankfully) went with subtlety over pizazz. I’m reminded of the graphic designer who appreciates another designer not acting like a “n00b” or “newbie” when it comes to discovering a new PhotoShop filter. The temptation when finding a new toy is to use it non-stop. “Oh! Look at this! See what it does?” The learning curve sometimes brings this out in a creative person. But wisdom learns that restraint is classy. Silence is sometimes tact. Thus the 3-dimensional special effects are not in-your-face or prominent, per se. This is a breath of fresh air.
The cinematography is beautiful in many places. Lots of snow-covered mountainsides, villages and forestry are seen in just the right hues. A little eye candy for us all.
Wolverine follows a young lass with plenty of fight in her over to Japan to grant a dying man’s last wish. Turns out it leads to a lot of trouble and he’s got to fight his way out of one maze after another. It’s fun and it’s not altogether conflict or worry-free action. As an audience, we are left with hoping and sometimes worrying that our hero will make it out alive.
Of course, there are some unbelievable moments. Imagine if you were fighting the Wolverine atop a speeding bullet train. He held on to the cars by digging in his metallic claws. You had to use a super sharp knife. Now imagine that he is in front of you on the train, so you can see a low overpass coming, which helps you time your jump of safety – sending you up in the air at 300 mph and forcing you to dig in for another slippery landing to avoid death. Now reverse the character and imagine you are the Wolverine. You not only need to jump up for safety, but your back is to the approaching overpasses, so you must look in your opponent’s eyes for a huge dilation and/or the reflection in their pupils. Either way, it’d be pretty amazing to pull that off.
Action? Check. Character development? Check. Classic? Probably not, but worth some cash to pass these dog days of summer.
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