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Review: The Wolverine
Wolverine could be the next James Bond. Think about it. James Bond comes out with a new movie every few years and everybody flocks to see it. Few of the movies have anything to do with one another, especially when they change the lead actor. They’re all usually just stand alone James Bond adventures. If The Wolverine is any indication, that could totally work for everyone’s favorite clawed Canadian. There are decades worth of Wolverine comics, and an endless number of original ideas just waiting to be put up on the silver screen. We could be watching Wolverine movies for decades to come. Just point Wolverine at the latest super-villain and let him SNIKT his way back into our hearts each and every time!
The Wolverine is an entertaining, solidly-made action hero movie that keeps the story focused on its hero, where it should be. The movie is solid proof that Wolverine can easily hold his own as a leading man and doesn’t need the rest of the X-Men or a wealth of comic book references to make a good flick. Though it’s hardly a perfect movie.
Movie Rating: 7/10 – Good.
The Wolverine isn’t anything special. There are no great, memorable moments or lines. My pulse and heart were never racing. I maybe chuckled a few times. It’s just a solid, well-made movie with a great leader actor. Hugh Jackman returns for his umpteenth time playing Wolverine, and he continues to own the character. For that I give him all the credit in the world. Here is a guy who absolutely knows that playing Wolverine made him a star, so he’s more than happy to stick with the character to keep the fans excited. And it’s probably a ton of fun to play Wolverine anyway. Jackman is the strongest part of the new film, which is mostly about the character’s journey from lost soul back to hero – or from ronin to samurai, if you will.
Joining Jackman is a pretty great cast of Asian actors, including two new actresses playing his sidekick, Yukio, who was a lot of fun, and his love interest, Mariko, who was fantastic. The rest of the cast is good, and while the plot could get a little confusing at times, it was altogether a quality story. I’m sure when we have time to look back in hindsight, the villain’s scheme probably has a few holes in it. But I was never really bothered while watching the movie. Nor was I ever very surprised. I saw the twist ending coming from a mile away. And the big battle in the finale seemed more gratuitous than reasonable, as if the director thought the film had to have a Final Boss Battle.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t think a giant, evil, robot samurai really fit with the soul-searching, personal movie that came before it.
Join me after the jump for the full review. There will be some SPOILERS!
I’ll Pretty Much Post Anything in LEGO
The Wolverine comes out this weekend, and to prepare, how about you watch one of the trailers remade entirely in LEGO?
My hat is always off to the brave LEGO animators who put something like this together. It just looks like a ton of fun. If I had any skill whatsoever in anything other than poking my chubby fingers into a keyboard, I would make one myself.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is Just Wrong
Let’s keep the Wolverine party going, shall we?. The Honest Trailers peeps have cranked out a great take on X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Seriously, though, who thought that title was a good idea?
Once again, those guys absolutely nail the hilarious badness of crummy movies. X-Men Origins: Wolverine got so many things wrong. And now I’m waiting for The Wolverine to do the same. I’m not expecting a good movie. But I suppose we’ll see next weekend. Who’s with me? Anybody really looking forward to The Wolverine as the superhero movie of the year?
Wolverine the Puppet Musical May Be the Greatest Thing Ever Made
I am no stranger to hyperbole, so believe me when I tell you that this video is probably the greatest thing the Internet has ever produced.
A chorus of Multiple Men? Seriously!? Was this video made specifically for me? Did some just and loving god look down from the heavens and imbue Glove and Boots to be the bearer of His good word? The songs are well-written, the puppetry is beyond amazing, and they used Multiple Man, people! Multiple Man! I wish I could blog this a hundred times over. It’s…I should hire a poet.
If The Wolverine movie is even half as good as this puppet musical, then this is a world worth living in.
Review: Scarlet Spider #18
Who knew Kaine could be so funny? I know he’s a clone of Peter Parker and everything, but he’s usually a sourpuss straight man. I guess with Aracely mostly sitting this issue out, somebody’s got to keep up the chuckles. Because what would a book like Scarlet Spider be without some humor? And Wolverine isn’t about to deliver. That guy is as sourpuss as they come. But I’m not going to complain when Scarlet Spider gets some attention from the rest of the Marvel Universe.
Scarlet Spider #18
The continuing Scarlet Spider/Wolverine team-up is as entertaining as it was last issue, albeit for different reasons. Writer Chris Yost is doing a team-up right.
Comic Rating: 4/5 – Good.
Somehow, seemingly against all reason, Scarlet Spider is still chugging along 18 issues later. I’ve never seen it mentioned as a comic due for cancellation. Does it have an audience? Is it actually selling? Because that would be fantastic. Maybe this Wolverine cameo will help punch up sales for a little bit. It was a classic maneuver back in the day for new comics to guest star Wolverine or Spider-Man as quickly as possible. What better way to sell a new hero to audiences than by giving him or her some team-up time with the big shots? That’s kind of what happens here. Maybe this is even an homage. Scarlet Spider and Wolverine team up to take on some colorful bad guys. It’s as classic as comic books get.
The art by Carlo Barberi and Ale Garza is, likewise, top notch. It’s clear, detailed and full of action. I was unhappy for the longest time with Scarlet Spider‘s artist, but now the series has got that taken care of. So at this point, Scarlet Spider needs to take the comic to the next level. It’s got solid storytelling, solid characters and solid art. It’s entertaining and fun to read. But it could stand to be…something more. One can’t exactly say what it could use, or what exactly could be done. Deeper stories. More meaningful character development. Maybe a hot romantic relationship? Who knows! But when you’ve got a good, quality comic, you can’t just rest on your laurels. Kick things up a notch, Chris Yost! Take Scarlet Spider to the next level!
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
Henchman-4-Hire 