THE WOLVERINE REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

The Wolverine shows another side to the title character. Logan (Hugh Jackman) has always had the ability to self-heal which makes him superior to his enemies as he cannot be defeated. However, in his second solo film, we see him losing those abilities which makes him weaker. Fortunately, he still remains strong which is why this film succeeds.

The film is set in modern day Japan and Wolverine is out of his depth in an unknown world as he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.

One of the biggest themes of this film is death as Logan is surrounded by it. His love interest, Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) haunts his mind after the events of The Last Stand and the soldier he saved in Japan from over 70 years ago, Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi), is now an old man dying from cancer. Things take a sudden turn when Logan realises that Yashida isn't merely thanking him for saving his life, he's asking for him to sacrifice his life by getting rid of his ability to self heal. This makes Logan question, for the first time, on whether or not he wants to live forever. Unfortunately, Yashida soon dies but not before asking Logan to protect his granddaughter, Mariko (Tao Okamoto), from the Yakuza. 

The first hour and a half are just as exciting as any other X-Men film as there are a lot fighting scenes and chase sequences through the streets of Japan. There's also a thrilling fight sequence above a train going at 300mph. 

Many people had their doubts about this film as Wolverine's origins film didn't live up to expectations. Fortunately, those doubts soon cleared and this has since proved to be one of the best films in the X-Men series. 

This film features a lot of strong performances from every actor involved but, as usual, Jackman is the one who stands out as he's the only recognisable name (apart from Janssen). I think his performance as Wolverine will be the role he will always be recognised for even he leaves. 

This film was made with Wolverine fans in mind, but it's worth a watch if you enjoy watching action films. It's unlike any other superhero film that's been made before as it doesn't have any cliches and Wolverine's character is well developed. 

There is also an interesting scene mid way through the credits that leads to X-Men: Days Of Future Past.

To sum up, The Wolverine is a exciting action film that focuses on one of the most popular mutants.

7/10