The Wolverine (2013) Directed by James Mangold

Well, the movie is entertaining enough to watch, which is important since the movie has little else going for it.

Can't really say I got a X-Men type of vibe from this movie. Perhaps it was because it was going for a more grounded sort of approach or perhaps it simply was because of the lack of other mutants and familiar faces in this movie. The movie relies on the presence of THE Wolverine and lets the entire movie evolve around the character. This is a bit of a problem, since this approach doesn't allow for any potentially interesting side-plots to develop and also because of this, all of the other characters stay too much in the background, including the movie its villains.

That was another thing that felt like it was missing from this movie; a good strong main villain. Instead there are a bunch of 'smaller' villains, each with their own motivations, that however doesn't always all work out as anything interesting or convincing enough.

The story is kept a bit too simple and straightforward and it's therefore also hard to ever get into the movie. Just don't expect a movie that's going to delve deep into the Wolverine's psyche, or one that's going to tell you anything new about the character. It feels a bit like a pointless movie, that doesn't add anything new to the X-Men universe, other than that it's trying to please the fan boys and girls and to quince the thirst for new X-Men movies and to cash in on it of course.

I like the Wolverine character just as much as the next guy/girl and he definitely is the best and most developed character out of the X-Men movie franchise thus far but that doesn't mean he should also carry a movie entirely on his own. Thing I enjoy about the earlier X-Men movies is that they rely on team effort and the dynamics between the very various mutants. That's all pretty much non-existent in this movie though. The movie tries to introduces some new characters, mutants included but let's just say they ain't no Magneto, Xavier, Cyclops or Mystique.

But like I said at the start, the movie is a still entertaining enough one to watch. I wasn't ever bored while watching and it has some pretty enjoyable action set pieces in it. Wolverine certainly gets to do plenty of slicing again! The special effects of the movie are pretty good and often adds to the movie's action and entertainment as well.

So, yes, despite all the criticism, it's still a movie that's worth seeing. It just isn't one I would like to watch over and over again. One time is certainly enough!

6/10

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