Canadian Gargoyle
98% spoiler free
The best thing I saw last week was Hugh Jackman reprise his most famous role for the 6th time as The Wolverine. He’s setting records as he is returning once again as Logan/Wolverine in Bryan Singers currently filming X-Men: Days of Future Past coming May of next year. I was originally one that was unhappy with the casting of such a tall song and dance man from Australia when he was originally tapped to take over the role from Dougray Scott in the original X-Men film. After his first performance as Wolverine though I have never had a problem with Jackman playing Logan, the man puts a ton of effort into bringing the character to life. If anything they just should have cast a taller Cyclops.
But we are here to talk about The Wolverine. The newest edition to the X-films from the folks over at 20th Century Fox who received no love from the comic book community with their treatment of characters and story for the last Logan outing X-Men Origins: Wolverine. This time take heart that they have stayed a little closer to some of the source material while changing things as they always do, and usually not for the better, this is still pretty much an updated telling of the Chris Claremont/Frank Miller Wolverine Limited series from 1982. If you’ve read that story you won’t find many surprises in this film, but you will find some great fight scenes and some changes that might throw you for a bit of a loop.
Good, bad, he’s the guy with the claws, and the jacked up body. Hugh Jackman has been known to complain about how intense his work out regimen is each and every time he goes back into the gym to play Wolverine, but man does it show. Hugh Jackman honestly looks like he might be younger as well as in much better shape than the Hugh Jackman that we first saw in a steel cage back in X-Men. I’m fairly sure this Wolverine could kick that Wolverine’s ass. So it’s work, a strict diet, tons of hours in the gym, huge amounts of stunts and fight choreography but in the end I think it all pays off. And I think Jackman is truly enjoying bringing his fans the best Wolverine he can for as long as he can. I for one thank him for it.
The Wolverine presents us with a somewhat modern retelling of one of Logan’s greatest stories as he finds himself in Japan wrapped up in the machinations and infighting of Clan Yashida. Debts are owed, traitors are revealed, a family is torn apart, someone sheds their face, and of course some crazy ninja action and claws everywhere. It’s fun, it’s epic, it’s a great summer movie and one I’ll be happy to add to my Blu-ray collection. If you get a chance go see it in the theater and enjoy 2 hours of mutant mayhem, you won’t regret it.
