Way back in the Spring on 2009, before the release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine the director Gavin Hood was already discussing the prequel set in Japan. Prior to the release of X-Men Origins: Wolverine it seemed like a good idea, the core audience was in a frenzy already and no one knew how bad the film was going to turn out. Even though the sequel was official announced by Lauren Shuler Donner on Monday after the opening weekend of X-Men Origins: Wolverine a few short months later people were wondering if X-Men Origins: Wolverine was the end of the line for 20th Century Fox's X-Men Universe.
Darren Aronofsky who was finishing up
The Wrestler and Oscar winning
Black Swan (and is currently working on his Biblical adaptation of Noah's Arc) was hired to direct the film after Bryan Singer turned down the position. In March of 2011 Darren Aronofsky bowed out of the film, publically citing the amount of time he would need to be out of the country. The undercurrent, while not publically stated, was that Aronofsky felt that Fox was pressuring the filmmakers in the X-Men series which was leading to poor choices, most notable Matthew Vaughn's issues while filming
X-Men: First Class and the previous two X-Men movies. Aronofsky wanted total control of the project, in the same way Christopher Nolan had total control of the Batman films and 20th Century Fox said nope. Shortly there after James Mangold was brought in to helm the project and Mark Bomback was brought in to re-write Christopher Mcqurrie's script. Once the director was hired filming was delayed by the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and later so Hugh Jackman could finish work on
Les Misérables. Who can argue that there was little if any fan interest or hype leading up to the release of the film.
That changed in early 2013 and by May with the release of a new
trailer on YouTube.com suddenly the story had a purpose and was clearly not a prequel but a sequel set after X-Men: Last Stand, I should add this was shortly after Famke Janssen had denied involvement with the film, suddenly their was hype and hope amongst the fan base.
The prologue of the story starts out in the final days of the Second World War, Logan is trapped in a Japanese prison camp near Nagasaki Japan. We see a lone plane, a single bomb, several officers commit suicide and Logan rescuing a young officer name Yasida who doesn't want to die. Logan rescues Yashida and shields him from the blast of the atomic bomb.
Set years after the events of X-Men: Last Stand. We find Logan living a solitary life in the rugged Canadian Rockies, hermit like. Almost immediately we learn that he is haunted by the events of X-Men: Last Stand, specifically the death of Jean Gray whom he was forced to kill in an effort to destroy the Dark Phoenix.
Logan is found by Yukio in a barroom confrontation with a number of hunters. She explains that he master Yashida wants to thank Logan for saving his life and repay him for the life that Logan has given him by his actions on that faithful day.
Logan and Yukio travel to Japan where Logan meets with Mariko Yasida and is given a forced shower shave and haircut to be made presentable to elder Yasida. The elder Yasida thanks Logan and offers a gift, the ability to take away his immortality and give him a reason to live again. Logan refuses in a gruff and ruff Logan type way. That night Logan has another dream of Jean Gray in which she asks him why he didn't accept the offer, to which he awakes with Dr. Green giving him something. Dismissed as a dream he awakes to find that the Elder Yasida has died in the night and Yukio worried that her visions about people's deaths were wrong.
There is a funeral for the Elder Yasida in which we are introduced to Noburo Mori, Mariko's fiancée and the Minister of Justice for Japan. During the service there is an attack by the Japanese Yakuza who attempt to take Mariko hostage. Logan steps into action as here protector in a traveling battle as the duo make their way to a train station. On the train Logan confronts a series of Yakuza protecting Mariko who is unaware of the action taking place.
Logan and Mariko end up in a "Love Motel" as a hiding place and Logan who has lost his regenerative powers collapses. He awakens to a young Doctor having performed surgery to save his life.
The Duo moves to the Yasida house in Nagasaki in which we see the rough attempt to build a relation between the pair. After a few days the Yakuza find Mariko and capture here, Logan learns that Mori is involved; he and Yukio travel to Tokyo to have a talk in which he gives Mori ten words to explain himself.
Logan and Yukio learning that Shigen, Mariko Father, is involved in the abduction travel back to the Yasida House, where Mariko has just been captured by the Black Clan and taken to the Ancestral Home of the Yasida. Logan and Shingen fight before Logan leaves to go find Mariko.
In the Yasida's village we see Logan fight the Black Clan before he is captured and taken before Dr. Green, who is revealed as the mutant Viper, and the Silver Samurai. During the final confrontation Logan learns who is controlling the Silver Samurai and defeats the machine.
Stick around for the in credit movie scene and pay attention.
In a clear deviation from the last three X-Men movies we have a solid storyline and bullet train like moving along during the movie. There are clearly three acts in the movie, and we see change in two of the characters. The movie is more of action thriller with a mutant in the lead role than a super-hero story. Unlike X-Men Origins: Wolverine the movie is not setting the X-Men cinematic universe as it telling a story, the stuffing of dozen's of other mutants into the movie is not happening. This is a clear vision of single story teller, in a way James Mangold was able to do what Darren Aronofsky so wanted to do.
Throughout the movie the Cinematography was able to create various world views of the different setting. The Long Lens that dominated the Origins film is replace with a myriad of other camera lens allowing a more fuller detailed world. This really creates a much more smooth edit to the film, creating a solid pace and rarely did I wonder how long did I sit in the seat.
Hugh Jackman in his role as Logan clearly is much more refined, no that is not a typo, actor role combination given the ability to show more emotion and not just a pretty mutant face. Unfortunately the interaction between Jackman and his co-stars Tao Okomoto (Mariko) and Rila Fukishima (Yukio) is a little jagged and what's supposed to be a blooming love just doesn't seem to build itself. Russian Film star Svetlana Khodchenkova as Doctor Green (Viper) is probably my biggest complaint as she doesn't bring flair to the role for the lack of a better description. Famke Janssen reprising her role as Jean Gray was a nice touch to the film and gave the film more depth than it could of had just mentioning her name.
I am not real sold on the soundtrack for the movie, the orchestration and themes seemed a bit disjointed at times and failed to build the moment like we have seen in past X-Men movies.
With impressive cinematography it showed some issues with the movie, clearly their are scenes that needed more/better CGI. The final fight between Wolverine and the Silver Samurai was a disappointment which was more of a downer because of how well the other action sequences work. The final set was to complicated and the audience wonders what's that for in looking at the set. It felt like there was supposed to be more going on that just didn't make it to the film.
In the end I liked the movie, it is far better the X-Men Origins: Wolverine and could be argued in the top two of the X-Men Cinematic Universe. As much as I liked the movie I really wanted to love the movie but couldn't. The interaction between the three most important characters was too rough around the edges, the Viper lacked any flair, and the final fight scene felt too staged.
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My big complaint about the Extended Edition is in the final moments you can clearly see the setup for a huge nod to the comic book fans, that doesn't happen. Its disappointing.