The Wolverine – Review

Okay, admittedly comic books and their attendant cinematic counterparts are not high on the list of things I feel compelled to do. Two words: Hugh Jackman. Sorry, Honey, but a couple of hours with Jackman perfectly cast as “The Wolverine” and even this EncinoMom can be found lingering over hot buttered popcorn alone in the dark.

This “The Wolverine” origins flick from James Mangold, Director of 310 to Yuma (a great film that also took me outside my list of favorite genres) comes out on Blu-ray and DVD this week. The bulk of the film takes place in Tokyo incorporating equal doses of the beauty and blight of Japan’s past and futuristic present. There is plenty of action and extended fight sequences balance “The Wolverine’s” fierce, foreign monster with his soft emotional underbelly.

With subtitled scenes, Samauri, Ninja’s and a beautiful heiress in the mix, the ideas of immortality and vulnerability play out in the rain and snow of Japanese nights. Mangold and Jackman are slated to work together again in Wolverine 2. It will be interesting to see how they handle the next chapter after setting the bar so high here. The wry humor and expert crafting of the film will please fans of Indiana Jones and the Iron Man franchise alike.