The Wolverine
Aug. 12th, 2013 08:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessThe Wolverine
What was that?
I set a really low bar for the film, mentally: be better than X-Men 3.
I don’t know if it managed that for me. For one thing, it’s such a different film, being a solo number, and they're trying so hard to give their breakout character/Hugh Jackman a franchise. Despite my goodwill towards Jackman as Wolverine, I can't forget how this relates to all the other films.
It didn’t help that because of when it was set, this film kept reminding me of X-Men 3. Or picking that scab, if you like. It may have been about Wolverine going beserk and his mutation being suppressed in Japan, but it was a lot more ponderous than that sounds. And nonsensical.
There were lots of ‘wha--?’ and mouth agape moments. If his healing mutation was being suppressed, wouldn’t Logan just be dead from the adamantium? There was so much Marvel science going on. Like how come he remembered 1945 so vividly?
I rolled my eyes every time the Jean of his subconscious appeared.
And Mariko made me roll my eyes a lot too. I really didn’t get her motivation or role half the time. She was there to play princess for Wolverine to protect...except when she wasn’t.
Yukio was my favourite, what with the lying and loyalty, the fighting skills, the bravado in the face of Lord Shingun’s putdowns, and, once I realised her mutation was foreseeing people’s deaths and not general precognition, I has lots of sympathy for her. (I have read something recently where someone else had that ability and I can’t remember where. Very frustrating.) She felt underdeveloped – as were her relationships with Mariko and even Logan – why choose to be his bodyguard over staying with her sister who had such a huge task ahead? Was she hoping he’d get her into the Danger Room? WHAT?
Another thing that I was thinking about, which shows how gripping some of the big action scenes weren’t, was what happened to Professor Logan who stood with Storm etc to rebuild the school at the end of X-Men 3? Did he just give up one day and decide to mope? (SHE CHOSE SCOTT.) I hope Storm sent giant hailstones after him.
I would like to read what more informed people have to say about the depiction of Japan and Japanese people in the film.
So, they couldn’t kill off Xavier – well, they couldn’t kill anyone off forever in this film until the final act. I did presume Yashida was the Silver Samurai, but so much of everyone’s motivations MADE NO SENSE. It was all protect!Mariko! (Why? Granted, her sense of self-preservation seemed to fade in and out.) They worked really hard at explaining some things and failed at others.
And at times it was dull.
I was worried about how on earth the next X-Men film was going to juggle the timelines already, but three years later? What, did it take about four years for all Magneto (and Rogue???)’s powers to come back? I have no idea how that's going to make any sense. (Nicholas Hould becomes Kelsey Grammar!)
Can we have a reboot soon? Maybe Marvel could take all it’s learned about planning the Avengers movies and avoid its past X-Men mistakes (some in casting, some in storyline development and some in not following the chemistry) and implement it. Also, it shouldn’t hire Mangold again.
What was that?
I set a really low bar for the film, mentally: be better than X-Men 3.
I don’t know if it managed that for me. For one thing, it’s such a different film, being a solo number, and they're trying so hard to give their breakout character/Hugh Jackman a franchise. Despite my goodwill towards Jackman as Wolverine, I can't forget how this relates to all the other films.
It didn’t help that because of when it was set, this film kept reminding me of X-Men 3. Or picking that scab, if you like. It may have been about Wolverine going beserk and his mutation being suppressed in Japan, but it was a lot more ponderous than that sounds. And nonsensical.
There were lots of ‘wha--?’ and mouth agape moments. If his healing mutation was being suppressed, wouldn’t Logan just be dead from the adamantium? There was so much Marvel science going on. Like how come he remembered 1945 so vividly?
I rolled my eyes every time the Jean of his subconscious appeared.
And Mariko made me roll my eyes a lot too. I really didn’t get her motivation or role half the time. She was there to play princess for Wolverine to protect...except when she wasn’t.
Yukio was my favourite, what with the lying and loyalty, the fighting skills, the bravado in the face of Lord Shingun’s putdowns, and, once I realised her mutation was foreseeing people’s deaths and not general precognition, I has lots of sympathy for her. (I have read something recently where someone else had that ability and I can’t remember where. Very frustrating.) She felt underdeveloped – as were her relationships with Mariko and even Logan – why choose to be his bodyguard over staying with her sister who had such a huge task ahead? Was she hoping he’d get her into the Danger Room? WHAT?
Another thing that I was thinking about, which shows how gripping some of the big action scenes weren’t, was what happened to Professor Logan who stood with Storm etc to rebuild the school at the end of X-Men 3? Did he just give up one day and decide to mope? (SHE CHOSE SCOTT.) I hope Storm sent giant hailstones after him.
I would like to read what more informed people have to say about the depiction of Japan and Japanese people in the film.
So, they couldn’t kill off Xavier – well, they couldn’t kill anyone off forever in this film until the final act. I did presume Yashida was the Silver Samurai, but so much of everyone’s motivations MADE NO SENSE. It was all protect!Mariko! (Why? Granted, her sense of self-preservation seemed to fade in and out.) They worked really hard at explaining some things and failed at others.
And at times it was dull.
I was worried about how on earth the next X-Men film was going to juggle the timelines already, but three years later? What, did it take about four years for all Magneto (and Rogue???)’s powers to come back? I have no idea how that's going to make any sense. (Nicholas Hould becomes Kelsey Grammar!)
Can we have a reboot soon? Maybe Marvel could take all it’s learned about planning the Avengers movies and avoid its past X-Men mistakes (some in casting, some in storyline development and some in not following the chemistry) and implement it. Also, it shouldn’t hire Mangold again.
