The Wolverine Review
RYAN: We just saw The Wolverine starring The Hugh Jackman, who we love, and I am thrilled by this movie. It’s a high quality action film. Yes it’s a Marvel superhero movie, in the X-Men vein, but it’s more like a political thriller meets ninja movie. It’s the best X-Men movie among the pack.
NOAH: I agree. I might have liked the second X-Men movie a little bit more but this one is really up there too. I like how this one focuses on just one character, and the best one.
RYAN: I’ve enjoyed the X-Men movies but they were all a bit less-than in comparison to The Dark Knight trilogy and Iron Man and other superhero films; but this new movie steps up the game. It’s very good and creates a new, cooler tone for the franchise.
NOAH: Yeah you said it all. I don’t want to spoil anything but I liked it when Wolverine had that cool fight scene on top of a speeding train.
RYAN: OMG yes. That is one of the coolest moments in movies, period. It’s stunningly brilliant.
NOAH: It will blow your mind.
RYAN: Super original and almost what it would be like to see one of the first James Bond movies with cool action sequences. All of the effects were really strong.
NOAH: The 3D was really cool, though subtle, at the theater we screened the film at in Chicago. It was a very big screen and it looked really good.
RYAN: It provides more depth than aggressive 3D. But wait – let’s talk about Hugh Jackman.
NOAH: He’s ripped!
RYAN: Yeah I couldn’t believe how big he got again. It’s appropriate for the role but it’s kinda gross. Sometimes when he flexes, all the veins popping out in his arms are shoulders are disgusting. He’s certainly gorgeous but that muscle is too much.
NOAH: Yeah.
RYAN: But this point, he has the role down pat, it’s his sixth time in the role. But what’s interesting about this movie is that it’s not really a Wolverine movie. I mean, it’s not about him, per se. The whole story is about a family and the political dynamics within it. Wolverine’s story arc is really more of a subplot in the film.
NOAH: That is interesting, now you mention it. It wasn’t the most about mutants and stuff because there was really only one other mutant in the movie – that Viper lady.
RYAN: Oh she was some serious business. The whole movie I was wondering who that actress was. I didn’t recognize her from anything. Her name is Svetlana Khodchenkova – she’s Russian, obviously, and she was amazingly chilling in this.
NOAH: Yeah she really freaked me out. She’s really evil but awesome.
RYAN: Famke Janssen is back as Jean Grey which really makes it feel like it fits into the X-Men canon.
NOAH: She played really well.
RYAN: There is some lull of story between the big action scenes which are all so well choreographed fight scenes – so well done. But it moves really well. Even the very first scene is just crazy cool. You feel like you’re in it from the start.
NOAH: I really loved it.
RYAN: You’ll want to stay after the credits, because true to Marvel form, there is an additional scene buried in there, and it’s important. It had the crowd cheering. It’s definitely worth seeing in the theater!
