The Wolverine

Along with DC's Man of Steel, Marvel's The Wolverine (OK, I like all kinds of films - but I do like me a good comic book film - so sue me!) was another film that came out in the summer of 2013, and also one I kicked myself when I didn't get to see it. However again; praise DVDs! I found Hugh Jackman's sixth outing as the mutant with the claws a blistering, barnstorming, emotive, excellent powerhouse of a film.
You might expect the star of the show to obviously be Hugh Jackman...and you'd be right. It sounds simple, but in theory it is perfectly possible for him, great actor though he is, to have lost it for some reason. Happily however, thirteen years after his first outing as Logan aka Wolverine, Hugh Jackman is as incredible as ever when donning the claws (bone and adamantium in this one for all you die hard fans!) Yes it is a comic book movie at the end of the day, but all you drama snobs - pah! I say to you! Jackman's embodiment of Wolverine, which heightens and evolves every time, is a great lesson in how an actor not only lives and breathes a character and all that the character entails (and believe me with Wolverine it entails a lot!) but to also give it such lasting longevity that audiences, fans or not, flock to see it again and again.

Turning now to other aspects. This film is based on one of the classic Wolverine comic stories, often called "the Japanese saga" and it is brought to life, helmed by director James Mangold, in a very beautiful, crisp and diverse fashion. In many ways, Japan is just as much a star of the show as any of the actors. It really is a belter of a story with plenty of action sequences Wolverine fans have come to love. Yet, in a world where Marvel seems to be focusing on massive crossovers and epic nature universes (which don't get me wrong are often ejoyable) this story, even the action, seems very character driven. This film promised more than any other, to get to the core of Wolverine's character, and let that flow through the narrative, which is exactly what it delivered. Yes there were a few "comic book-esque" sequences towards the end but it was all wonderfully done in my view.
Also in the cast list, we were treated to a host of Japanese actors who might not be familiar to Hollywood film-goers. Tao Okamoto played female lead Mariko, and the blossoming relationship between her and Logan was beguiling to behold. Rila Fukushima's feisty, fighting companion Yukio, who may come off as slightly cliched at times but is still interesting to watch. Also among the Japanese cast list we see more established names like Hiroyuki Sanada and Will Yun Lee, who were both great and ideally suited to their roles within the film. We also got to see the welcome return of Famke Janssen, who X-Men fans will know and love as Jean Grey. Her extended cameo was very welcome for me, as I believe it provided yet another integral layer to the story. Another great, and slightly overlooked in my view, breakthrough performance came from Russian actress Svetlana Viktorovna, who played the sultry yet deadly mutant villain Viper.

This film did incredibly well at the box office and it's easy to see why. Hugh Jackman is already due to reprise his iconic role again, in the hotly anticipated mega-movie X-MEN: Days Of Future Past and a rumored third solo outing for Wolverine, and it is easy to see why. Yet taken on its own merit, this film was brilliant, different and incredible watching, from possibly the most famous X-Man. What's more it fits brilliantly into the canon of X-Men films, and long may we see more of them, and of course Hugh Jackman as the Wolverine.