Wolverine

A completely cut-and-dry flop – that’s how I’d describe this Wolverine. The authors might have forced it a little and gave us a solid atomic explosion right in the first scene, but it’s all downhill from there, which can’t even be stopped by the well-oiled machine called Svetlana Khodchenkova. In any case, it’s hard to say what exactly the problem is here. I think it’s the story itself. For a few years now, I’ve thought that X-Men lacked any sort of concept. The authors are popping out one movie after another and it’s a hard job to try to find a connection between them. For example, I think it’s pretty brainless to shoot two movies called Wolverine over the span of just 4 years. You can be a little forceful at the beginning, but you can’t blackmail us with artificial movies. On the other hand, Marvel never had a problem with recycling and so I’ve got a feeling that there’s a whole array of useless superheroes waiting for us in the future, all under the wings of talented directors. For example, it’s a shame that this movie was directed by Mangold, as I’d much rather see him do other movies. And when I see his upcoming movie – Untitled Wolverine Sequel – it makes me sick to my stomach. That’d be a third Wolverine movie over the span of ten years. However, the X-Men saga still remains to be the moneymaker of the decade, if not the century. I’m surprised it’s still doing well. (04.07.2014)

A slow and very personal drama that loses it toward the end when it turns into the comic far too heavy-handedly. A shame that Aronofsky didn’t make it. Not that Mangold didn’t do a good job, but his signature isn’t as pronounced, tending too much toward the mainstream. But maybe the producers wanted just that. The shift to Japan, where Wolverine is a little out of his depth (but doesn’t try to adapt), is like manna for the viewer. Although we aren’t bombarded with the exotic (was it a problem to film the chase at night with the neons switched on?), but it adds to the scope of the X-Men universe. Jackman is awesome and after the thirteen years he’s been playing his role, it’s become second nature, and worked out for this movie and looks like a huge, invincible gorilla in the fight with Sanada. All the more I was disappointed with the very cursory encounter with the seven hundred ninja’s which I almost didn’t notice. The finale, if a little over the top, had its moments and overall I took utterly positive feelings away with me. Hype can be harmful. (28.07.2013)

No, it hurts, but it doesn't work this way either. Hood made Wolverine into a generic cliché hanger, whereas Mangold tries to turn him into a modern intelligent blockbuster that works with intimacy, emotions, realism and the mythology of the character. The result is terribly unbalanced - a dark and engaging prologue, followed by the middle part of the film, where romance and Logan's inner contemplation dominate. This part is slow, it emphasizes non-existent meanings and thereby only repeats what Singer was able to better develop in an incomparably smaller space. How many words, how many motives, how many enchanted quotes... and what does it all amount to? Hollow bamboo, Logan as a romantic hero for the third time. I would rather keep quiet about the finale. If I was comforting myself until then that Mangold was hiding the trump card for the end, I was wrong. It was as if someone remembered that this was supposed to be a comic blockbuster, after all, and it miserably ground all the illogicality and exaggeration into an apathetic climax that turned the would-be-adult delusion into a dismantled sonata. It is a grind. The action grinds. The humor grinds. The claws grind. Jackman doesn't grind, but he doesn't spice up this diet sushi enough to keep us from forgetting him quickly and without feeling guilty, as if he is useless. Unlike other Marvel films, the concept here is completely lacking, and both spin-offs are tonally shift away from the main series and do not create anything coherent. As a result, you will spend two hours in the movie theatre snorting during the scene after the credits, saying to yourself: "Was this necessary? Give us what we want!" (25.07.2013)

Another comic book protagonist had to go through the inner darkness of his soul, tormented by the demons of missing memories of his own past. It starts off great. Wolverine against the devious yakuza doesn't take the traditional comic book route but rather weaves a complex mafia-political web that would put any CIA field agent-analyst to shame. And he also lacks the essential skills. The problem arises when the adamantium claws pierce the skin to slice up the evil minions by the dozens. Hugh Jackman can look all sorts of cool (and we can be assured that absolutely no one has ever fit any other comic book role better), but when you send him into serious action, it feels somehow out of place. This is somewhat because it’s an extra aspect compared to the rest of the film, just to meet the demands of it being a blockbuster. And the mental autopsy itself? Barking about how great B.S. was at it is boring, but Matthew Vaughn actually did it better. It's not a bad movie, it's just that routine comic book characters should be left to routine directors. (25.07.2013)

Compared to a more recent origin story, Logan's purification has the exact opposite effect, but when it comes to a rating, I see it as virtually identical. This time, I understand the criticisms and objections, but I balanced on the edge of my seat for two hours in the cinema and devoured every minute. And yet, our wild Kuzuri doesn't have to just fly on the roof of a train or slice enemies. It's enough for him to wander around, frown, protect Mariko, and search for himself. Because that animal inside him audibly purrs, even when he's asleep. (11.08.2013)