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The Wolverine – While it’s certainly not as awful as the first Wolverine solo film, this one is also nothing really awesome. It simply diverges too much from the stories that some of us are familiar with as fanboys, while not really offering anything better in return – the stuff with Yashida’s betrayal, the Silver Samurai, it’s all very silly. The quick turnaround of Harada at the end, him jumping to his doom, the twisting of who Viper is (she was perfectly fine as a psychotic enemy-of-SHIELD, she’s not-so-great as a slutty typhoid Mary), it’s really all just very silly. Hugh Jackman’s acting is fine as the tormented Wolverine – he’s still in love with Jean Grey (and why wouldn’t he be… she gorgeous!!), he’s getting bored with his immortality, he loves living like a wild man in the woods – but you sort of wonder what it all means. The part when he wakes up from a dream… then wakes up again (he was dreaming in his dream – yeah right!!).
Still, there are a few standout features – It’s amazing that so many scenes were actually filmed in Japan, and the rooftop battle on the bullet train was good fun! Most importantly, though… Tao Yamamoto is stunningly beautiful as Yashida Mariko. Wow!! It’s also awesome that the producers decided to go with a largely Japanese cast. Even if most of them are unknowns, it’s amazing that Zhang Zhiyi and Michelle Yeoh were not cast as Mariko and Yuko. Home team!!
Oh yeah – Hugh Jackman also looks great without a shirt on.