The Wolverine

I've mostly taken a break from film this summer.  While some released have piqued my interest, there have been more important things to do with my time, or I haven't felt like going out.  Last night, though, I was free, and so I continued a series I've been following from the start.

The Wolverine is the latest film in the X-Men movie franchise, which has previously consisted of X-Men (heavily featuring Wolverine), X2 (half a Wolverine origin story), X-Men: The Last Stand (a horrible film focused on Wolverine and Phoenix), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (which burns 150 years of origins in an opening montage, then focuses on events a few years before the first film), and X-Men First Class (which only features a Wolverine cameo).

Okay, the Wolverine story is good.  But really?  This time, events take place after those of The Last Stand.  Logan has isolated himself as a virtual hermit in Alaska, promising himself (and his haunting memories of Jean Grey) to not hurt anyone ever again.  But when some stupid hunters kill a bear, he gets angry and goes into town to pick a fight.   He's stopped from killing them by Yukio, a mutant who can see their imminent death and who was tasked to find Logan.  She takes him to Japan, where he visits Yashida, the CEO of the largest corporation in Asia.  From a flashback, we learn that Yashida and Logan survived the destruction of Nagasaki, with Logan shielding the Japanese officer in a well.

Yashida is dying and says he can repay Logan for the gift of life so many years before: Yashida can transfer Logan's regeneration to himself, saving his life, and allowing Logan the relief of aging and eventual death.  Logan rejects the offer, and Yashida dies that night.  So begins a story of Japanese family drama and political intrigue, as Logan, mysteriously without his regeneration power, decides to risk everything to save Mariko, Yashida's granddaughter, whom the yakuza for some reason want to capture.

Other than him being a nice guy, or wanting some of her (which he gets), this sudden dedication never gets explained.  Indeed, the plot is driven and made "interesting" by several convoluted plot twists, unexplained motivations, and sudden allegiance shifts.  In the end Logan survives of course, though his claws are now their original bone (having been cut off, only the bone regrew).  He gives Mariko one last kiss, then departs with Yukio.  During the closing credits, there's a scene set two years later in which Logan meets Magneto and - back from the dead - Professor Xavier, who explain that there's a serious threat and he's needed again.

I can live with the plots of bridge films.  I know what they're for.  But in this case the plot is just bad, as is, sadly, some of the acting.  Plus, while the movie may have been filmed in 2D, the computer effects and camera shots were made for 3D, and some of the cinematography was therefore "wonky" on a 2D screen.  Overall, there was little to like about the story.

The Wolverine
 2013, 126 minutes, directed by James Mangold