The Wolverine

It may be a little late for the review but I think it is still worth sharing the story. For the uninitiated, Wolverine is a superhero (from the Marvel comics) and is the most iconic character of the X-Men series. This time around, the movie has been shot extensively in Japan and has some thrilling action sequences. The most loved clawed mutant is back… so here it goes....

The movie starts in the World War 2 era, where Logan, the Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is a POW in Japan near Nagasaki. A bomb attack by America leaves everything destroyed. He manages to rescue a Japanese soldier, Yashida (Haruhiko Yamanouchi) and exposes his abilities to the young soldier. The story then shifts to present day. Logan is living somewhere in the forests in isolation, struggling with his past. He has taken a vow to be non-violent and is secluded from the world. He is followed and tracked by a young girl Yukio ( Rila Fukushima) who convinces him to come to Japan, where, her master Yashida is on his death bed and wishes to meet Logan to say Goodbye. Yashida tries to convince Logan to transfer his mutant powers and immortality to him. Logan declines this request and is all set to leave the next day. His plans however change when Yashida dies and he stays back to attend his funeral. He soon realises that he is caught in the middle of a family feud. Logan ends up becoming the bodyguard of Mariko (Tao Okamoto), Yashida’s grand daughter, whose life is threatened. Why does Yashida want Logan’s power? Why is Mariko in danger? All these questions get answered....eventually...

The movie is well executed and engaging. Hugh Jackman is AMAZINGLY awesome as the Wolverine and is almost synonym with the character. He seems to have worked really hard on physique and appearance. He knows the character well and has a flair for these kind of action movies. There are some breath taking action sequences like the fight on a bullet train or fight between Logan and a mechanical Samurai. He is well equipped to handle all the troubles by himself…well he does have claws for a good reason;) Even the two heroines have performed some great action stunts.This one is to be surely watched by all the X-men series fans and the action movie buffs. A word of caution - This time the movie depicts more of Wolverine’s own feelings and his past rather than the out-and-out action that one has come to expect from the X-Men series. Overall it is a good movie and is sure to entertain all.

PS: Please sit through till the end of the credits as there is a surprise element which should not be missed.

Nidhi