First Hit: Convoluted story but it is somewhat amusing.
Someone in movie land felt it was important for the “The Wolverine” to have his own movie – again. The past film “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” focused on his earlier life. Here Logan (Wolverine – Hugh Jackman) is lost because he killed his love interest accidentally.
Here the film’s story is a vehicle for Wolverine to find himself and get out of the self-imposed isolation of the Pacific Northwest. The story the writers chose is one that dips back to where the Wolverine saves Japanese General Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi) from dying during the bombing of Nagasaki. Right before his eyes, General Yashida watches The Wolverine melted and scarred from the heat and radiation of the bomb, heal right before his eyes.
For the rest of his life the General attempted to find ways for his body to reproduce itself and respond to damage, just like the Wolverine's. He wants immortality. To get it from the Wolverine, the General sends Yukio (Rila Fukushima) to find him and bring him back to Japan. The General’s granddaughter Mariko (Tao Okamoto), who is the one who’ll inherit the General’s company when he dies, becomes a foil and someone the Wolverine opens his heart to, to love again.
But the story (outside of the bomb blast, which I thought was really good), lacked a reason to care much about the characters.
Jackman as the Wolverine was strong (physically looking) and portrayed his suffering well enough, but some scenes were just senseless and unnecessary (think 100 arrows in his back, each with a rope to the arrow shooter). Okamoto was very good and her model’s beauty was an asset while portraying the granddaughter of the General. Fukushima as the protector of the General was the most fun and interesting of the film’s characters. Mark Bomback and Scott Frank wrote an overly complex storyline to introduce bring forth the Wolverine character. James Mangold directed the film which was, at times was well choreographed, and at the other times meandering with forced action.
Overall: This wasn’t the worth price of admission but maybe something to stream when bored some Sunday evening.