Review: The Wolverine

I wasn't sure what to expect going into seeing The Wolverine. The trailers certainly made the movie look appealing and exciting.

As the film unfolded, it quickly became evident that this film wasn't an action piece so much as a character study. Yes, there is plenty of satisfying action; but The Wolverine is more about what drives Logan/Wolverine's life, and the pain he endlessly endures from his gift of immortality.

Set in modern-day Japan, the film picks up after the events of the third original X-Men movie and its events in San Francisco. In The Wolverine, Logan is confronted with an old debt that a former adversary wishes to repay [to Logan]. At this point the film takes off and we see the inner conflicts that Logan faces and is seemingly doomed to face forever.

The scenery in this film is beautiful, the portrayal of Japanese traditional culture is sumptuous, and the storyline holds you in place. The cinematography throughout is fantastic! The music perfectly serves to heighten and sooth emotions.

The Japanese cast is great. Led by the very beautiful Tao Okomoto, each cast member pulls off their characters with believability and conviction.

Though there are some points that are easily foreshadowed or are simply obvious, for the most part, this redemption flick is a fun, informative and hard look at a character whom movie-goers have really only briefly glimpsed to this point.  And, the film leaves everyone both bewildered, and excited for what is to come in the near future.

The Wolverine is a decent--but not great--flick that will leave you quite satisfied. If you are a fan of the X-Men, I recommend you see this film.

Would I buy it? Maybe. But I definitely want to see this again, even if it's "just" on DVD.