Top 10 Most Anticipated Action Films of 2017

It's the end of another year! And that means that it's time for me to lay out my list for what are my most anticipated action films of next year. Now that I've done this more than once, the best part of making lists like these is looking back on the previous year's and seeing how right or wrong some of my predictions were.

As you can see from my previous list, my predictions were all over the place. In fact, two of the films that I thought would come out in 2016 were pushed to 2017 (which will definitely pop up on this list now). Several of the films on my list met my expectations exactly (Ip Man 3) while some were flat out horrendous (Jack Reacher: Never Go Back). Overall, 2016 was a very middling year for action. Just about everything was watchable and enjoyable, but few left a major impact. It goes to show how huge an effect Mad Max: Fury Road had on us cinephiles in 2015 because we didn't get much like that in 2016, unless you saw my favorite action film of 2016, SPL II, which was technically released in China in 2015 so it kind of counts for both years. Either way, here are the ten action films coming out in 2017 that I am most excited for!

10) Kickboxer: Retaliation (dir. Dimitri Logothetis) - I'm not going to say that it was an amazing movie, but 2016's Kickboxer: Vengeance was a really good reboot of Van Damme's 1989 martial arts classic. It introduced more sub-plots and supporting characters to spice up the boring simplicity and monotonous training montages of the original. It also featured a stellar supporting cast of martial artists and professional fighters, such as Gina Carano, Dave Bautista, Alain Moussi, George St. Pierre, Darren Slaavi, and Jean-Claude Van Damme himself. While Moussi was far from a compelling lead, he showcased a physical commitment to the film that impressed me and earned him a spot on my radar. He was also kind enough to give my review of his film a shout out on his Facebook, so I can thank him for that. Now that the producers have the original story out of the way, here's hoping that the sequel makes for a fresh round of stories that will allow for more mixed martial arts fights and kickboxing. Teased appearances by Mike Tyson and Christoph Lambert should definitely spice things up a bit. 

9) Kingsman: The Golden Circle (dir. Matthew Vaughn) - 2015's Kingsman: The Secret Service was a wonderful breath of fresh air when it came out. It was a fantastic pastique of spy cinema with a mean spirited but gleeful tone ripe with sociological satire. It also featured a scene where Collin Firth murders an entire church full of people. Yeah, it went there. The sequel is looking to deliver more of the same, but this time with new actors (Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, Elton John) all the while set within the United States. And with Vaughn back in the director's chair, here's hoping that the sequel offers up some more controversial action and daring storytelling. The sequel has also teased the return of Firth's character, which seems somewhat impossible, but sounds too silly to pass up, especially within the crazy world established.

8) Accident Man (dir. Jesse V Johnson) - One of two Johnson/Adkins collaborations in 2017, Accident Man is quickly shaping up to be the highest profiled low budget action film of the year. Adapted from the comic book series of the same name, Accident Man sees Adkins headlining a superhero property of his own, which is hugely exciting given the popular nature of the sub-genre and his previous turns in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Doctor Strange. While it has yet to be confirmed whether this will be yet another DTV venture or a limited theatrical release, it has all of the qualities of a bigger release, especially with its impressive supporting cast (Ashley Green, Ray Park, Ray Stevenson, Michael Jai White, Ray Park) and comic book source material. Even if it is just a DTV release, it will be arguably the biggest one of the year, and thankfully unique and varied, as it won't be just another DTV film about an assassin in drab Europe, but instead a comic book anti-hero.

7) Kill 'Em All (dir. Peter Malota) - Van Damme has been doing very well for himself as of late, starring in his newest Amazon series, Jean-Claude Van Johnson, which was just picked up for a full season, and co-starring in the new Kickboxer series. However, the Van Damme vehicles that always get me the most excited are the ones where he is the lead within a gritty or grounded action plot. Even when they disappoint, like Pound of Flesh, they're still interesting throw backs to the old days. His latest, Kill 'Em All, re-teams him with Peter Malota whom worked with JCVD on some of his most classic films like Double Team and Universal Soldier. As a co-host of the Van Damme It! podcast, you'd bet I'm excited for this new JCVD actioner even if it might suck. Daniel Bernhardt also appears in a supporting role. Here's hoping that the two action stars fight it out! Van Damme's official website also teases that his long in development directorial effort, Full Love, will finally come out this year, but I'm not going to hold my breath for that one.

6) Savage Dog (dir. Jesse V Johnson) - Johnson has not one, but two low budget action films for us this upcoming year. What I find most fascinating about both of his films is that neither one is your standard or average DTV affair where the action comes first and the simple plot and flat characters come second. Instead, both of his newest films will feature stories and settings not typically touched upon within the sub-genre or with the actors headlining them. Savage Dog is a period piece that takes place in 1950s IndoChina and features a great ensemble cast of martial artists in a martial arts/shoot em up throw down that promises to add some complexity to the genre with its period setting. Besides Adkins, who is arguably the greatest action star alive right now based purely upon his numeric and quality out put, it also co-stars Cung Le and Marko Zaror. I may be excited for the grander Accident Man, but Savage Dog sounds just too darn interesting not to be that much more excited for.

5) XXX: Return of Xander Cage (dir. D.J. Caruso) - The third entry in the nearly forgotten and hugely dated XXX franchise is finally upon us, and we are all going to be that much more thankful in our lives for its existence. While Fast and Furious has provided viewers with ridiculous stunts within a character focused soap opera, the latest XXX seems to be going purely for ridiculous stunts with an international cast that includes martial arts icons Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa. When I interviewed Jaa this year about the film and asked him if he fights Yen, he was tight lipped and unfortunately gave me nothing to work with. Either way, the return of such a dated series with such an impressive cast and absurdist stunts makes this one of the year's most underrated blockbusters.

4) Boyka: Undisputed IV (dir. Todor Chapkanov) - I'm starting to sound like a broken record with all of these Adkins ventures, so I'll just focus on the film itself. The Undisputed films are responsible for catapulting Adkins to stardom and for also restoring faith in DTV cinema in general. However, it has been a whopping seven years since the previous installment for Adkins' most iconic character. While Isaac Florentine is not returning to direct unfortunately, we can be thankful that Yuri Boyka is no longer in prison! However, Boyka seems to be more of a rejiggering of the franchise, as it comes up with an excuse for Boyka to take part within a fighting tournament whilst remaining out of prison. It also promises some street fights and even a moment within the trailer where Boyka gets his hands on a gun. Undisputed is one of the greatest franchises within DTV cinema, besides the Universal Soldier films, so here's hoping that the latest continues to set that shining gold standard for low budget action cinema.

3) The Fate of the Furious (dir. F. Gary Gray) - There is no other franchise that exemplifies the absurd possibilities of summer blockbusters than the Fast and the Furious series. A whopping eight films in, and somehow this series has pulled off the impossible of getting bigger with each series, originally being on the verge of shutting down to becoming one of the biggest pop culture relics of the last two decades. This new entry looks to pair Statham up with the team, while taking away Dom and turning him into a villain. It's a soap opera like no other and I can't wait.

2) John Wick 2 (dir. Chad Stahelski) - John Wick, much like Gareth Evans' The Raid, was a martial arts infused shoot 'em up actioner that captured the attention of just about all movie fans. It's rare that a pure action fest achieves such mainstream success, especially one with a plot that would typically be at home within a DTV film starring Seagal or Van Damme. However, I'm not complaining, as John Wick catapulted Keanu Reeves' back to stardom and re-popularized the art of gun-fu in action cinema. John Wick 2 promises to be more like the first, but on more of an epic scale, with varied locations in Rome, and action sequences that traverse subway trains. February couldn't come fast enough.

1) Logan (dir. James Mangold) - I might as well leave that picture there and say, "Nuff said." How could it not be Logan, the first R rated entry in the Wolverine franchise and Jackman's final turn as the character? I loved the unrated cut of James Mangold's previous collaboration with Jackman, The Wolverine, but this promises to be a more gritty and grounded action film in contrast to the sci-fi infused yakuza tale that was the previous film. Jackman is going full on Eastwood's Unforgiven with this one, operating as an old man with regrets whom lives in a world of violence that he simply cannot escape. In all honesty, Logan is the culmination of my coming of age with Jackman and the X-Men series, as I was eight years old when the first X-Men film came out in 2000. Now that I'm engaged and all grown up, here comes the final film in the series to star Jackman and the first to feature an R rating. It's shaping up to be a swan song like no other. I'd be lying to you if I didn't say I was hugely anticipating this. Screw Star Wars, screw Guardians of the Galaxy, screw everything else. This is the blockbuster I am living for.

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) - Review

Director: Brett Ratner

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Kelsey Grammer, Ian McKellen

Country: United States

Rating: PG-13

Run Time: 104 Minutes

While both X-Men and X2: X-Men United are widely regarded as great works of superhero cinema, the same cannot be said for X-Men: The Last Stand. Few superhero sequels have as much hate and disdain attached to them as The Last Stand. The film is typically included in the same breath as Spider-Man 3, Fantastic Four, and Ghost Rider when it comes to disappointing superhero films. And while I disagree with the popular opinion that the film sucks the big one (I think it's rather decent), it is important to understand what went on during the film's development in order to grasp why the film was met with such disdain by comic book fans upon its release.

Bryan Singer directed both X1 and X2 to critical and commercial success in 2000 and 2003. When it came time to finish off the trilogy though, Singer chose to cash in his X-Men clout and jump ship to Warner Bros. to direct the further along Superman Returns instead. Therefore, X-Men 3 was left without its X-helmer as well as James Mardsen, the actor who portrays Cyclops. 20th Century Fox eventually settled on Brett Ratner, the director of the successful Rush Hour films. Unfortunately, Ratner had no knowledge of the X-Men franchise and chose to leave the story entirely up to his screenwriters. The screenwriters also found themselves clashing with the studio heads as they wanted to tell a story that combined elements of both Singer's original script and one entirely focused on a mutant cure. With a replacement director, a muddled script, and the largest budget of any film to date, X-Men: The Last Stand pressed forward to release in 2006, the same year as Superman Returns.

What resulted was two superhero films with mixed reviews and good but not astounding box office receipts. Many people to this day blame The Last Stand's failure and the near collapse of the X-Men franchise on Singer's departure. The X-Men film franchise is an interesting piece of history on its own, as Singer eventually returned to the franchise in 2014 with a time travel film that undid the events of both The Last Stand and X-Men Origins. It was as if Singer understood his mistake in leaving the series and realized that he had to undo the errors that Brett Ratner committed. However, that film and its story is for another review, as we are here to review The Last Stand.

Keep your eyes closed Scott, you're not going to want to see this next part.

After recently binging on the initial X-Men trilogy, I can honestly say that The Last Stand is not as bad as everyone says it is. Yes, this is a flawed film. And yes, there are things in this film that piss me off. However, The Last Stand is an all around entertaining and solid superhero experience that only falters every now and than. The Last Stand is not great superhero cinema, and definitely not the film that should have closed out the initial X-Men trilogy, but at least it's not a train wreck. There are far worse superhero films out there, and The Last Stand should not be bunched with them.

X-Men: The Last Stand continues the series' themes in a natural way with a plot that focuses on a newly developed mutant cure. The mutant community is thrown into disarray with the announcement of the cure, as several mutants choose to cure themselves while others, like Magneto and his brotherhood, decide to take the fight to the people who created the cure. As tension builds within the government and amongst the general public, the X-Men must deal with an emotional blow of their own, Jean's reappearance. Jean was believed to be dead after she sacrificed herself at the end of X2 to save her friends. She apparently protected herself with the use of stronger powers that accessed her repressed side, the dark Phoenix. Magneto eventually gains control of Phoenix and attacks Alcatraz, the home of the cure, in order to put a stop to the pharmaceutical meddling. The X-Men eventually arrive at the island and engage in the long awaited mutant war that Bryan Singer himself had hinted at within the scenes of his first X-Men.

X3 is a frustrating piece of superhero cinema because it commits as many wrongs as it does rights. The final film in the initial X-Men trilogy is a solid piece of entertainment that delivers the kind of intelligent themes, thought provoking conversations, and memorable action that defines both the X-Men franchise and the superhero sub-genre. Unfortunately, the film feels incredibly rushed in comparison to its slower paced predecessors. The Last Stand's biggest faults are that it features far too many characters and plots to juggle for one run time, let alone an hour and forty four minute film. I was shocked upon re-watching The Last Stand for the first time in many years to discover that the film was shorter than two hours. If any X-Men film was to be longer than two hours, than it should have been this one, as the film contains essentially two plots.

Cool guys don't look at explosions.

It's a shame that screenwriters Simon Kinberg and Zak Penn couldn't choose one plot to stick with. It's clear that the two wanted to honor the arc that Singer had been building up too in his initial X-Men films while also telling a new story based on one of Joss Whedon's X-Men arcs. Squeezing both the Dark Phoenix Saga and Whedon's "Gifted" arc into one X-Men film was a big mistake, as neither story is given its due. If anything, the Phoenix saga should have been teased throughout the film and set up for the fourth film, while the cure plot should have been the primary focus of the film. After all, the Phoenix plot of the film adds little if anything to the film's proceedings. The Last Stand could have been far stronger and less muddled if Jean herself were removed entirely.

There is no doubt in my mind that the script for The Last Stand had to be envisioned as the final film in the franchise upon its conception. After all, how could any screenwriter kill off this many major characters and drain several major mutants of their powers and think that the franchise could continue on after? It's no surprise that the X-Men series retreated into the past for two prequels (X-Men Origins: Wolverine and X-Men: First Class) after The Last Stand. It boggles my mind how penultimate the events of The Last Stand are still, as the film more or less hammers the nail in the sequel coffin. However, film history has taught us that few films entitled "Final" are ever the final chapter in their respective sagas. Brennan Klein of Popcorn Culture knows this better than any one, as he encounters numerous horror films with the word "final" in their title all of the time. Therefore, X-Men: The Last Stand stands as truly one of the most torturous "finales" in any franchise, as it more or less kills off and under represents fan favorite characters.

While two plots is bad enough, The Last Stand also features a ridiculous amount of characters that no film should ever be burdened to carry. Many mutants within the film are either under developed, rushed, or used purely for gimmicky visuals. Mutants like "multiple man," "the super fast mutant," "the wind mutant," "the fat shrinking mutant," and "the spike mutant" have no character beyond their powers and exist purely for unnecessary visuals that add nothing to the film. Other mutants, such as fan favorites Juggernaut (Vinnie Jones) and Angel (Ben Foster), are horribly under represented and given minimal, if any screen time. Fortunately, Kelsey Grammer's fantastic turn as Beast helps balance out the pain that results from some of these horribly mistreated characters.

Oh my gosh...

I know that I say this all of the time, but here goes. After laying out many of The Last Stand's flaws, I do not dislike or hate this film. In fact, I rather like it. If you take out the Phoenix sub-plot entirely, remove all of the gimmicky mutants, and erase Juggernaut and Angel's mistreatment from your mind, than The Last Stand is still a solid trilogy capper. You just have to tough it through the painful character deaths, that's all.

As I stated before, the cure plot is a fantastic continuation of the themes established in Singer's X-Men films. The cure itself offers up an interesting dilemma and debate. Are mutants genetically flawed and in need of a cure? Or is humanity afraid of them and using the cure as a way to neuter their fears? The film's plentiful discussions of the cure and its implications to the mutant community are typically the film's strongest points. The cure plot offers up an even more interesting thematic dynamic than even Stryker's hatred of the mutants in X2. The Last Stand also further explores the true crux of the series: Magneto and Xavier's friendship. While a particularly edgy topic to discuss, Magneto and Xavier's friendship leads to the only place that it could have led to for two men with such different ideals.

I also greatly enjoy Bratner's eye for action. He opens the film with a fun training session that finally introduces the danger room and even drops an easter egg in the form of a Sentinel's head. The film also features an awesome action scene around the mid-point where Wolverine lays waste to several of Magneto's "brothers" in a wooded setting that further racks up his kill count. The long awaited final battle is also pretty decent. Wolverine's awesome entrance and rousing words of encouragement to his fellow mutants makes the battle's proceedings all the more epic and entertaining. It should come as no surprise to readers that I am a huge Wolverine fan and consider just about anything involving his character excellent in some way. However, nothing in the entire film compares to the very final shot. The final shot itself is a master stroke of filmmaking and quite possibly Ratner's greatest contribution to the franchise.

The man, the myth, the Wolverine.

When I initially reviewed Singer's X-Men, I felt that I covered just about everything that needed to be said about the film in my average sized review. However, I feel that my review for Ratner's The Last Stand barely scratches the surface. There is just too much to cover in this film for one review. What is most shocking is that X1 and X3 both have the exact same run time, except that X3 features about two movies worth of material.

Few comic book superhero films are as controversial as X-Men: The Last Stand. The film suffers from a particularly uneven tone; bouncing between cheap comedy and disturbingly painful death as if it were nothing. The Last Stand clearly suffers from Singer's absence too, as I doubt the man would have allowed so many major characters to die and for two plots to run concurrently with one another. Ratner clearly does not care for any of these characters and it shows. He truly does deserve the title of "rent a director" after stepping in to replace Bryan Singer in what should have been an excellent trilogy capper. For all of its flaws, The Last Stand still features the same solid cast, intelligent themes, and awesome action scenes that made the X-Men series one of the defining superhero sagas. It's just a miracle that the studio, the series, and the fans survived all of the pain and torture that this film delivered...only to experience it all over again with Gavin Hood's X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Rating: 7/10 - An immensely flawed but undeniably enjoyable piece of popcorn entertainment burdened by unfortunate production problems and a director who did not give a crap.

Reviews In This Series:
X-Men (Bryan Singer, 2000)
X2: X-Men United (Bryan Singer, 2003)
X-Men: The Last Stand (Brett Ratner, 2006)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Gavin Hood, 2009)

X2: X-Men United (2003)

Director: Bryan Singer

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Alan Cummings, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen

Country: United States

Rating: PG-13

Run Time: 133 Minutes

After revisiting the entire X-Men franchise within the last month, I can honestly say that X2: X-Men United is the best film in the series. The film is both a fantastic continuation of the original's themes and characters as well as an excellent expansion of the mythology established in the first film. Whereas the first film depicted the battle between mutants good and bad, the sequel pits all of the mutants against a greater enemy. 

Therefore, the mutants must literally combat racist forces in order to survive X2, a film that gives all of the hatred and racism from X-Men a physical form; case in point: William Stryker. It seems that the X-Men series is at its best when all of the mutants have to work together against a greater enemy, just as in X-Men: Days of Future Past. X2: X-Men United has everything that one expects from a sequel: greater stakes, bigger action set pieces, and deeper themes. The film is very similar to The Empire Strikes Back, consistently regarded as one of the greatest sequels of all time, in that it is the darkest and lengthiest of its trilogy too.

Alan Cummings, of all people, kicks ass as Nightcrawler.

X2 takes place three years after the events of X1. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) has been off searching for his origin, Magneto (Ian McKellen) has been rotting in a plastic prison, and Xavier (Patrick Stewart) has been working hard at helping mutants hone their skills at his school for the gifted. Unfortunately, danger lurks on the horizon when a teleporting mutant nearly kills the President of the United States. What follows is a mass hysteria of anti-mutant sentiments across the country. In steps William Stryker (Brian Cox), a man with the ability to control mutants and military backing. When Stryker alerts the White House to the location of Xavier's school for the gifted, the X-Men and their fellow mutants find themselves under attack. It's a scramble for safety and survival as all mutants good and bad unite with one another to stop Stryker's attack on mutant kind.

X2's opening action set piece signals to the viewer that the film is on a whole other playing field in contrast to its solid but flawed predecessor. Nightcrawler's raid on the White House is infinitely more exciting than every single action scene from X-Men put together. In fact, the film is filled with several memorable action beats. Besides Nightcrawler's unforgettable entrance, X2 also contains a thrilling military raid on Xavier's mansion, Magneto's chilling prison escape, and Wolverine's bloody fight to the death with Lady Deathstrike. Each and every set piece is as dramatic, compelling, and exciting as one would expect from a sequel of this magnitude. While X2 is already a mature and gripping meditation on racism, hatred, and team work, the film's fantastic action sequences drive it into the upper echelon of superhero entertainment.

Singer's greatest achievement within the X-Men franchise is his masterful handling of character. After all, what is a good superhero film without fantastic characters? Wolverine steals the show once again as the bad ass hero and truly comes front and center this go around of the franchise. A major portion of the sequel is devoted to uncovering Wolverine's origin and past. Fortunately, Wolverine's origin is made all the more interesting thanks to main villain William Stryker, Wolverine's creator. Brian Cox gives an incredible performance as the physical representation of humanity's hatred of mutants. Cox's Stryker is made all the better because of his relationship with Wolverine. The two go together like Doctor Frankenstein and The Monster, one a cruel and maniacal creator and the other a confused yet sympathetic beast. Stryker is an exceptionally complex villain because he hates mutants but chooses to control them at the same time to achieve his goals.

Wolverine digs deeper for his origin.

Fortunately, Stryker and Wolverine are joined by an equally excellent supporting cast of new and old favorites. Almost every character gets a chance to shine this time around, including Iceman and Pyro who are granted far more screen time than they were in X-Men. The most notable addition to Xavier's X-Men is Nightcrawler, a teleporting mutant played to perfection by Alan Cummings of all actors. Nightcrawler, a fan favorite from the comics, is given several scenes to shine and more or less steals the show whenever Wolverine is not around.

Magneto is once again a standout. After all, he is one of the greatest comic book villains of all time. Magneto's journey in the film is exceptionally interesting. He starts off as a helpless prisoner who is taken advantage of by Stryker, a man with more power than Magneto at the time of their meeting. However, Magneto eventually gains the upper hand on his captors and escapes from prison with the help of his trusty mutant side kick, Mystique. After escaping from jail in an unforgettable fashion, Magneto puts his differences with the X-Men aside and joins them in an effort to defeat Stryker. I love whenever a film forces its villains and heroes together in order to stop a greater threat. Magneto eventually succeeds in defeating Stryker, only to turn Stryker's plan against himself and the rest of the world's humans. This switcheroo of Professor X and Jason Stryker's mind attack on the mutants of the world is an excellent example of Magneto's villainy. Few villains surprise and meet your expectations time and time again as much as McKellen's Magneto does.

One of my largest praises for X-Men was how Singer set up this eventual sequel. X1 ends on several exciting notes that make resisting to watch X2 after it nearly impossible. Singer gives the audience exactly what they want and delivers upon everything teased at by the end of X-Men. However, Singer one-ups himself and sets up even more ideas for the eventual third film (which he unfortunately did not show up for). He once again teases the eventual war of the mutants. Singer also sets up Pyro's turn to the dark side and his rivalry with Bobby. The most unforgettable tease of X2 is its final shot in which a bird-like shape can be seen swimming in the waters that encased Jean. This image of a bird was meant as an easter egg for fans of the comics, as Singer had wanted to explore the Dark Phoenix Saga within his third X-Men film. Unfortunately, Singer did not show up for the third film and both the war of the mutants and the Phoenix Saga were butchered and not seen through properly. Still, Singer did a fantastic job creating a great film that laid the groundwork for what could have been an excellent third film.

McKellen gives a "magnifying" performance as everyone's favorite villain.

X2: X-Men United is a fantastic superhero film filled with exciting action sequences, interesting characters, and gripping themes. Singer crafts a group of set pieces that one up every piece of action from his previous X-Men film in every way possible. Wolverine's massacre of Stryker's soldiers within the mansion is worth the price of admission alone. The film is also filled with several new characters, such as Stryker and Nightcrawler, who help add even more heroism and villainy to the proceedings. However, it is X2's intelligent themes that wrap the entire film in a bow of thought provoking greatness. X2 will jog your brain and make you question your fear of the unknown, as well as any racism or hatred you have towards others.

Bryan Singer can go to his death bed knowing that he crafted not only one of the best sequels of all time, but also one of the defining pieces of superhero cinema. Unfortunately, only disaster followed X2, as Fox would go on to produce two of the most hated and derived pieces of superhero cinema to date. If it were not for X-Men and X2's critical and commercial success, I don't think that Fox would have brought the X franchise back on track the way they have with First Class and Days of Future Past. Therefore, fans should view X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine as speed bumps in an otherwise excellent franchise.

Rating: 10/10 - A masterpiece of superhero cinema that solidified the X-Men franchise as one of Hollywood's premiere superhero franchises.

Franchise:
X-Men (dir. Bryan Singer, 2000)
X2: X-Men United (dir. Bryan Singer, 2003)
X-Men: The Last Stand (dir. Brett Ratner, 2006)
X-Men: First Class (dir. Matthew Vaughn, 2011)
X-Men: Days of Future Past (dir. Bryan Singer, 2014)
X-Men: Age of Apocalypse (dir. Bryan Singer, 2016)

'Wolverine' Spin-Offs:
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (dir. Gavin Hood, 2009)
The Wolverine (dir. James Mangold, 2013)

X-Men (2000)

Director: Bryan Singer

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin

Country: United States

Rating: PG-13

Run Time: 104 Minutes

We live in a day and age of superhero cinema, plain and simple. Rarely has such a sub-genre over taken the masses' attention and money in such a short time. However, it wasn't always like that. While audiences now have one to five superhero films to chose from each year, there was a time when only one superhero film came out ever few years. Nerds embraced those rare superhero films because they were all they got for several years at a time. Each decade seemed to have its defining superhero film as well. The 70s had Superman: The Movie, the 80s had Tim Burton's Batman, and the 90s had Blade. All of these films were commercial hits that helped establish the superhero genre as it is today. And while one would definitely have to argue what is the defining superhero film of the aughts, as there are so many, there is no arguing that the most important superhero film to come out of the 2000s (besides Sam Raimi's Spider-Man) was Bryan Singer's X-Men.

Singer's first X-Men feature helped establish the template for the domineering superhero film as we know it today: a PG-13 summer blockbuster with humor, action, and special effects that any one of any age or ethnicity could enjoy. These kind of films are made all of the time now to the point where it has gotten sickening. Whenever a studio wants to guarantee that they will make somewhat of a profit, all they have to do is follow the superhero formula and money will follow.

The cinematic SNIKT all started right here.

Upon revisiting the franchise's initial trilogy for the first time in many years, I was overjoyed to find Singer's first X-Men film to be so different from its contemporary superhero counterparts. The film is a mere hour and forty minutes long, a merciful run time if there ever was one in contrast to the over long run times of Man of Steel and Avengers: Age of Ultron. X-Men also has a focused plot, powerful themes, very few set pieces, minimal computer graphics, and a mature tone. Besides Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Dredd, few contemporary superhero films match X-Men's filmic quality.

X-Men is a good adaptation of past and present X-Men story lines; it takes popular X-Men characters and reduces some to cameos (Iceman), places others at the center stage (Cyclops), and changes up the ages of some from adult to teenager and teenager to adult to fit Bryan Singer's vision of the team. For its first cinematic outing, X-Men focuses on humanity's wariness of mutants (people born with superpowers) and Senator Joe Kelly's proposed mutant registration act. As Kelly spreads the hatred for mutants, two opposing sides of mutants battle it out for humanity's safety. Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), a paralyzed telepath, leads the X-Men, a group of mutants who believe that they should coexist with humans in peace. On the other end of the spectrum is Eric Lehnsherr (Ian McKellen), a magnetic mutant who leads the Brotherhood of Mutants, an evil group of mutants who believe that humanity should be transformed into mutants or wiped out for good.

As these two groups battle it out, two new mutants are introduced into the fray, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), a healing mutant with metallic claws, and Rogue (Anna Paquin), a power absorbing mutant who has run away from home. These two mutants find themselves embroiled in Charles and Eric's war over humanity as they both come to grips with their powers and their identities. What follows is an hour and a half of solid superhero entertainment paired with gripping themes of racism, identity, power, and morality.

The gang of early 2000s fashion is all here.

X-Men would not have spawned a franchise if it were not for Bryan Singer's excellent direction and careful handling of the material. Singer probably had no idea that he would help spawn a multi-million dollar franchise and establish the career of than unknown Aussie actor Hugh Jackman. He is essentially the defining auteur of the franchise, haven directed three entires so far and an expected fourth by next summer. Much praise is to be heaped upon Singer for establishing and maintaining a tone of all around seriousness and maturity in regards to the material.

X-Men is a film all about humanity's fear of mutants and vice versa. Humanity fears the mutants because they are different and potentially deadly while mutants fear humanity because they may act on their fears and either attack or control mutants based on their indifferences. The concept alone is a great allegory for society's fear of what is different or unknown, potentially even different cultures and races. However, what makes X-Men that much more of an intelligent superhero film is how it juxtaposes the methodologies of both Xavier and Eric. Xavier's life goal is to help mutants learn their potential at a school for the gifted where they will not be judged or controlled. Eric on the other hand wishes to build up an army of mutants who will stand against humanity, even to the point of killing them.

While Xavier's teaching mentality focuses more on positivity, friendship, and bringing out the good in others, Eric's methodologies lean more towards hatred, brotherhood, and harnessing the rage within a mutant. Both men want what's best for mutant-kind, but each wishes to achieve their goals in different ways, one at the expense of humanity and the other with everyone's safety in mind. The X-Men franchise's greatest strength lies within this dichotomy between Xavier and Eric, two of the most unique "friends" you will ever discover.

Nothing is more shocking that rediscovering how young McKellen looked in 1999.

Singer's debut superhero picture holds up so well because it its entirely focused on character and theme over plot and spectacle. Singer directs a powerhouse ensemble of actors who all give uniformly excellent performances. Even though Stewart and McKellen play the true leads of the picture, Hugh Jackman singlehandedly steals the show with his breakout role. Thank God for Hugh Jackman and thank God for his turn as Wolverine, one of the coolest anti-heroes of all time. Wolverine is more or less the protagonist of the picture, a lonesome ronin in search of answers and peace. When he stumbles upon another lonesome wanderer, Rogue, the two eventually make their way to Xavier's school. It is here where Wolverine, or Logan, shows his true colors and fights alongside Xavier's X-Men. I cannot express enough how much I love Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. If Charles and Eric are the lungs that breathe the life into the franchise, than Wolverine is its heart and soul. Supporting turns by Halle Berry, Famke Jansenn, Anna Paquin, James Marsden, and Rebecca Romijin are all notable as well. Each does a great job embodying their franchise character.

Unfortunately, X-Men is not a perfect or even great superhero picture due to a few minor flaws. In all honesty, X-Men's weakest element is its action sequences. While not bad by any means, the film's few set pieces are mild and slow paced, never being able to elicit an iota of excitement out of the viewer. The set pieces are too short as well. Every action scene, minus the finale, is over before it even gets started. But I guess that's alright. X-Men's strong characters and powerful themes are so fantastic already, that a weak palate of action doesn't hurt the film that much.

The film also suffers from some mediocre CGI and silly choreography, courtesy of the year 2000. Just try and watch the moment where Wolverine swings around the Statue of Liberty's tip with his claws and tell me it doesn't look silly. Sabretooth's design is also extremely corny. If X-Men Origins did anything right, it was that it finally did the character of Sabretooth justice by aiming for realism and simplicity in regards to his design. However, the worst offense committed in the entire film lies within two lines spoken by Storm. As Storm hurls Toad out of a museum, he latches onto a pole with his tongue in order to save himself. When Storm floats out to shock him to death, she boldly states, "Do you know what happens when a toad gets struck by lightning? The same thing that happens to everything else." Oh man, this line is so bad that it actually hurts every time I hear it. You couldn't write worse dialog even if you tried.

The most badass hero this side of the PG-13 rating.

If X-Men is a good introduction to the world of Marvel's mutants, than it is an even better set up for its eventual sequel, X2: X-Men United. Magneto's plastic prison, Mystique's escape from Ellis Island, Wolverine's search for his origin, and Xavier's dread for the eventual mutant war are all hinted at by the film's conclusion. If anything, it is almost impossible to complete X1 without wanting to pop in X2 right after, which is what I ended up doing recently.

Singer's X-Men is a good superhero film with a great story, memorable characters, and unforgettable themes. Mild spectacle and a few dated elements hold X-Men back from being a great superhero film a-la its sequel or Spider-Man 2. Still, X-Men is a fantastic start to a lengthy and intelligent franchise that entertains and challenges its audience, something that few franchises of today continue to do. And while we will hit some speed bumps along the way (X3 and Origins anyone?), the X-Men franchise is essential superhero viewing, especially its debut film.

Rating: 8/10 - A solid sci-fi/superhero film that is a good reminder of where the contemporary genre got its start.

Franchise:
X-Men (dir. Bryan Singer, 2000)
X2: X-Men United (dir. Bryan Singer, 2003)
X-Men: The Last Stand (dir. Brett Ratner, 2006)
X-Men: First Class (dir. Matthew Vaughn, 2011)
X-Men: Days of Future Past (dir. Bryan Singer, 2014)
X-Men: Age of Apocalypse (dir. Bryan Singer, 2016)

'Wolverine' Spin-Offs:
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (dir. Gavin Hood, 2009)
The Wolverine (dir. James Mangold, 2013)

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

Director: Gavin Hood

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schriber, Ryan Reynolds, Danny Huston, Scott Adkins, Will.i.am

Country: United States

Rating: PG-13

Run Time: 107 minutes

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is technically the fourth film in the X-Men film series. However, the film is both a prequel to the first three films and a standalone Wolverine adventure. Therefore, one could technically separate this more action oriented prequel (as well as James Mangold's The Wolverine) from the rest of the series even though they play off of the continuity established in the bigger X-Men films. The X-Men series has kind of been all over the place in terms of quality and time lines anyways.

It's shocking to consider that X-Men Origins is only 5 years old, but it is. I am still shocked at how awful the special effects are for a blockbuster from 2009 (the same year that birthed "classics" like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra). It is very apparent to the movie going community that X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins are not only the two most hated and derived entries in the X-Men franchise, but also two of the most hated superhero films of all time. And while I agree that these are the two weakest entries in the franchise, I think X-Men Origins is easily the worst. However, I still find myself able to enjoy Origins more than most others. In fact, I can say that I have a bit of a soft spot for this film. Yeah yeah, sue me.

I agree with everyone that this film is a total mess. The special effects are laughably bad, the storytelling is horribly rushed, and the character work is near insulting. However, I enjoy X-Men Origins for the fact that it is more action oriented than any of the other X-Men films. The action scenes in the film resemble what one would find in an 80s or 90s blockbuster, not a contemporary superhero picture. The constant motion of the film and its ever abundant action keeps me engaged, not its content (which is really sort of a backhanded compliment). X-Men Origins: Wolverine is the ultimate turn off your brain film if there ever was one.

Brothers until the end!

X-Men Origins: Wolverine makes a mistake literally in the first frame by opening with a title card that reads: Canada, 1845. For those who do not know, Canada was not founded until July 1, 1867. So the dang movie can't even get that right! Looks like screenwriters David Benioff and Skip Woods didn't do their research. 

James (Hugh Jackman) and Victor (Liev Schriber) are mutant half-brothers who have been alive for a long time. The two both have healing powers that allow them to grow old without physically aging. James also has bone claws that come out of his knuckles while Victor has razor sharp fingernails. After fighting numerous wars together, the two join Team X, a group of mutant mercenaries who do missions for Major William Stryker (Danny Huston). James leaves the team in the 1960s after refusing to kill more innocent people for Stryker. James eventually settles down as a lumberjack in Canada with his new girlfriend Kayla and assumes the alias of Logan.

Unfortuantely, Logan finds Kayla dead at the hands of Victor in the woods one day. Stryker tells him that Victor is going around killing off old members of Team X. Therefore, Logan and Stryker meet up to weaponize Logan in order to give him the upper hand over his eventual face off against his murderous brother. When Stryker tries to betray Logan, he escapes with his new found metallic bones and sets out to kill his brother and Stryker.

The gang's all here.

Phew! It takes a lot of explaining in order to set up the basic premise of this film. Origins has to be one of the quickest moving superhero films ever made at one hour and forty seven minutes. There is rarely a slow moment or a second to breathe. This a film that constantly bombards you with plot twists and action scenes from start to finish. Even though this kind of speedy storytelling is a detriment to immersing the audience into a film's characters, Origins plays best as a turn off your brain kind of action film. This is an extremely stupid film filled with plot holes galore, god awful special effects, and lousy humor that fails to conjure a chuckle. However, Origins is constantly in motion and never boring. Therefore, all of the film's silliness and absurdities add up to a hammy but entertaining superhero film that has no business being in the same franchise as intelligent and thought provoking films like X2: X-Men United and X-Men: Days of Future Past. Just like Victor is a half brother to Logan, I view X-Men Origins: Wolverine as a half brother to the X-Men franchise. I know I am ashamed of this film, but I still find a way to embrace it for its silliness and entertainment value.

The biggest issue with Origins is that it doesn't know if it wants to be a mutant heavy X-Men film or a solo Wolverine origin story. The film's narrative is structured around explaining Logan/Wolverine's origin. We discover where he came from, how he got his metallic bones, and what happened between him and his brother long ago. However, we also have to put up with countless supporting mutant characters who are cheated out of proper screen time and unnecessary scenes that serve no purpose but to set up the previous X-Men films. Origins would have worked better if many of these supporting mutant characters were excised from the film completely or given better screen treatment. Classic X-Men characters like Gambit, The Blob, and Deadpool are nearly unrecognizable from their comic book counterparts. The film's producers and screenwriters didn't seem confident in making an X-Men Origins film without packing in as many supporting mutants as possible in order to remind the audience that this film is connected to the X-Men franchise. These numerous supporting players take the focus off of Wolverine's origin story and hurt the film that much more.

As I stated before, Origins is an action packed film. The other X-Men films are smart character driven films fueled by themes of time travel, racism, self-identity, and team work. They are intelligent films that prove that the superhero sub-genre is more than just action and special effects. It's a franchise of ingenious storytelling paired with occasional action and memorable characters. Origins on the other hand is nothing like this. The story is never engaging, interesting, or even smart. This is a film that specializes in dumb and mind numbing set pieces that please the senses. Beyond that, Origins has little to no worth to it.

"Is it too late to back out...of this film I mean?"

And I know what you are thinking, "Zach, how can you give this film a pass but hate on other dumb popcorn films like the Transformers series?" Well, I think it is because Origins doesn't offend me in anyway. Michael Bay's Transformers films excel when the special effects arrive. However, they fall apart when you get to the annoying characters, offensive racist stereotypes, excessively long action scenes, and two and a half hour run time. Origins is a short and innocent little popcorn film that does nothing more than deliver numerous action scenes. Transformers on the other hand is a gauntlet of noise and excessiveness. If Origins ran for more than two and a half hours like Transformers, than I might have thrown in the towel. However, an hour and forty seven minutes is the perfect run time for a film as dumb and stupid as Origins is.

The choreography and concepts for many of the film's action scenes are quite good. Highlights include Team X infiltrating a high rise filled with gun wielding henchmen, Wolverine fighting his brother several times, and the helicopter vs chopper chase through the woods of Canada. I enjoy these concepts because fist fights, shootouts, and helicopter chases are the kind of set pieces that dominated the blockbusters of the 80s and 90s. Therefore, I enjoy Origins for basing its action scenes around good old fashioned action. As an action-ologist, I took note of a scene early in the film where Wolverine expresses his disgust with Team X for killing innocent people for information. This scene is heavily reminiscent of the opening Vietnam scene in Above the Law where Seagal's character, Gino, questions the CIA's violent methods in enacting information. Both Gino and Wolverine state that torture is not what they signed up for. I'm know the connection is a stretch, but the time lines of the stories and the contents of the scenes line up quite well.

Unfortunately, all of the film's action scenes contain heavy amounts of god awful computer graphics. The special effects in this film are so bad, that they easily rank among the worst effects to ever be featured in a big blockbuster. I laughed out loud several times in the film when Wolverine busted out his cartoonish claws. The scene in which Wolverine inspects his claws for the first time in a bathroom is painful to watch. The over abundance of green screens during the action scenes doesn't help either. Practical effects and better stunt work would have made these action scenes far better.

Cool guys don't look at explosions, they blow things up and they walk away.

This film also defines the crappiness that is the contemporary PG-13 blockbuster. What I mean is that even though numerous people are shot, stabbed, and killed, not an ounce of blood is shown on screen. And I am dead serious! The only blood in the entire film is from a staged death! It's a damn shame because it would be awesome to see Wolverine or Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) pull their swords out of people's bodies and have some blood on them for goodness sakes. James Mangold's The Wolverine thankfully corrected this error with its over abundance of blood on Wolvy's claws. Still, it's a shame that the awful digital effects and lack of blood are so painfully obvious. Less digital nonsense and more blood (even an inkling) would have made all of the film's action scenes much better.

Origins has such a huge supporting cast of character actors that it is hard to even cover them all. Liev Schriber does a great job as the film's secondary antagonist, Victor/Sabretooth. Schriber exudes so much malice and cruelty with his performance. He owns the role. The main antagonist, Stryker, is played by the amazing Danny Huston. Unfortunately, Huston isn't given any good material to work with. It's a damn shame because Huston makes for an incredible screen villain when he is given good material (i.e. 30 Days of Night, The Proposition). 

Many other actors pop up for only a few choice scenes throughout the film: Dominic Monaghan appears as a technology controlling mutant, Ryan Reynolds appears as the fast talking and sword wielding Wade, Taylor Kitsch appears as the "could have been awesome but isn't" mutant Gambit, and Will.i.am graces us with his Black Eyed Peas presence as a teleporting mutant. I hope that Will.i.am never acts again because he is truly one of the worst actors in cinema history. Origins even manages to screw up the amazing and underrated action star Scott Adkins (Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning) by covering his face with ridiculous make up and making his character, Weapon XI, teleport all over the place; thereby rendering Adkin's masterful martial arts incomprehensible.

"Do you like my Roger Rabbit animated claws?"

X-Men Origins: Wolverine was originally planned to be the first of two origin films focused around Wolverine and Magneto. However, Origins was so poorly received and maligned by critics and fans, that the solo Magneto film was scrapped and turned into the excellent X-Men: First Class. It's a good thing that First Class was made instead of the aptly titled, X-Men Origins: Magneto, because the film restored the franchise to its former glory. Therefore, Origins: Wolverine has sort of become an oddball in the series. In fact, the events of this film and the previous X-Men: Last Stand were so disliked, that Bryan Singer's latest X-Men: Days of Future Past has since retconned every event in this film through time travel, thereby making it a complete and total waste of time. 

Origins is a sloppy blockbuster with awful attempts at humor, awful digital effects, and all around awful storytelling. However, I really enjoy the film as the ultimate turn your brain off kind of flick. The story moves at such a fast pace that something exciting occurs nearly ever five minutes, thereby never making the film boring. I also enjoy the old fashioned concepts of the action scenes, something that goes a long way for someone old fashioned as myself. In conclusion, I kind of like this film regardless of what anyone else thinks. It's a guilty pleasure of mine if there ever was one. I would only recommend this film to die hard X-Men and action fans, definitely no one else. If you want an incredibly violent and bad ass solo Wolverine film, turn towards James Mangold's The Wolverine. It has everything this film doesn't have. Still, Origins is a fun and sloppy good time.

Rating: 6/10 - X-Men Origins: Wolverine is a failed attempt at giving Wolverine a solo adventure. Still, there is some fun to be had amidst its awfulness.

Action Icon Profile: Hugh Jackman

Profession: Actor
Born: October 12, 1968
Birth Name: Hugh Michael Jackman

Career Summary:
Hugh Jackman is an Australian actor who hit it big when he starred as the classic Marvel comics book character Wolverine in the first X-Men film. He has starred in 6 X-Men films so far and cameo'd in a 7th. Wolverine is both Jackman's definitive action and overall cinematic role of his career. He brings a great intensity to the role and gives his all in every action scene. Other action roles of Jackman's are pretty forgettable but worth checking out for the die hard action fan. I watched Van Helsing a lot at a young age and loved it too. As I have grown up though, I can see how lousy the film is due to its PG-13 rating and lame CG. Still, Jackman was there with me as both Helsing and Wolverine in my youth. Therefore, Hugh Jackman is one of the few action icons I have grown up watching from the start of their career.

Personal Favorite: The Wolverine (Extended Cut) (2013)

Films:
X-Men (2000)
Swordfish (2001)
X2: X-Men United (2003)
Van Helsing (2004)
Van Helsing: The London Assignment (2004)
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Real Steel (2011)
The Wolverine (2013)
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
X-Men: Age of Apocalypse (2016)
The Wolverine 2 (2017)

The Wolverine: Extended Cut (2013) Review

Version: Extended/Unrated Cut

Series: X-Men (6/6)

Director: James Mangold

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Famke Janssen etc.

Country: U.S.

Note: This review contains mild plot spoilers. I have avoided revealing any of the film's big twists or post credits scene.

After viewing the extended and unrated cut of James Mangold's Wolverine, I can definitely say this is both my favorite comic book superhero film of the year and one of the best all around action pictures of the year. Thanks to the unrated cut, The Wolverine is teeming with more action, blood, and cursing to make this the grittiest Wolverine to date. 

I never tire of seeing the page flipping Marvel logo.

The Wolverine takes place after the events of X-Men: The Last Stand. Logan has left the X-Men and chosen to live alone in the woods after having to deal with the death of Jean Grey. He has also let himself go by growing a beard and a long head of hair a-la Mad Max in Beyond Thunderdome. All he has to his name now is a small radio and a few bottles of beer. Bears wander around him and nightmares of Jean Grey haunt him. Essentially, Wolverine has hit rock bottom.

The film kicks into gear when a mutant named Yukio finds Logan and tells him that her employer, Yashida, wants to thank him for saving his life long ago. Logan agrees and heads off to Japan for the rest of the picture. As he arrives, Logan learns the current status of Yashida's company, Yashida's health, and of an interesting offer: the chance to live a normal life sans mutant powers. From here, Wolverine is soon plunged into the problems of the Yashida family as he battles both ninjas, yakuza gang members, and his own animalistic side.

Yashida's table is one of the coolest inventions ever.

The Wolverine was highly anticipated amongst comic book fans because it is adapted from one of the greatest stories in Wolverine's comic book history, the Chris Claremont/Frank Miller 4 issue mini-series of the same name. In that tale, Wolverine struggles with being both an animalistic monster and an under control warrior. It features stunning artwork, first rate characters, and a memorable story.

The film adaptation of this story is both loyal and filled with its own creative liberties. It keeps the most important elements though: the themes, the characters, and the Miller imagery. Upon my first viewing of the film, I felt quite disappointed to see it deviate so much from such a beloved mini-series. However, after having viewed the film a second time and having seen the extended cut, I believe that James Mangold has crafted a stupendous film that can be enjoyed nonetheless.

You'll only see this recreated in the extended cut.

This is the sixth time that Hugh Jackman has played Wolverine (if you count his one second cameo in First Class). He has improved more or less each time. I think that he has finally struck gold with this film though. Not only is Wolverine more mature, ripped, and seasoned than ever before, but his hair and beard length is perfect too. The character visually reminds me of iconic characters such as Max Rockanstanky (Mad Max), Harry Callahan (Dirty Harry), Ogami Itto (Lone Wolf and Cub), and RoboCop (RoboCop). The pure images of these characters are awe-inspiring and a work of art. I believe that Jackman's Wolverine deserves to join the ranks of these characters. When he flexes his arms down and whips out his claws, the hair stands up on the back of my neck. Jackman is truly the definitive Wolverine. After more than ten years of playing the character, he can do no wrong.

Besides nailing the Wolverine portrayal, the film also has a nice supporting cast. The female characters are pretty hit or miss. Yukio and Mariko are played just fine by newcomers Tao Okamoto and Rila Fukushima. However, villainess Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova) is a total waste. Svetlana really hams it up as the character. I know she is supposed to be a sexy femme fatale temptress, but I hardly found any of her to be interesting. She just came off as annoying. All of the supporting male characters were alright too. Harada (Will Yun Lee), who is the head of the awesome ninja clan in the film, comes off as sort of a Hawkeye rip off. I'm sure I only feel this way because The Avengers just came out last year but this guy's bow work feels so similar to what we see in that film.

The Wolverine excels as such a great film because it contains great visual and design aesthetics. For the first time, we get both an X-Men and a Wolverine film heavily set outside of a familiar looking setting (Origins goes to many settings too but it still all feels familiar). While the film takes place in contemporary Japan, many of the film's settings, themes, and images take inspiration from ancient Japan. We get kimonos, katanas, Japanese architecture, samurai armor, ninjas, and the discussion of a samurai's loyalty and a ronin's loneliness. Personally, I adore Japanese aesthetics. Therefore, this film felt like a dream come true. Wolverine is the perfect character to plop into such a setting.

"Watch out Hawkeye, I'm the new bowman!"

Unfortunately, there are some flaws to this film. For one, this film is overlong. While the theatrical cut was already pushing it, the extended cut of the film nears 2 hours and 18 minutes. I find most the film's faults to be in its second and third acts. In the second act, the film takes a rather large break from the action in order to focus entirely on Logan and Yukio's relationship. I can see that the film was wanting to delve deeper into Wolverine's character in this part of the film. Instead, I found these 30 minutes to really slow the film down. It takes a good 40 minutes before the film's first action sequence. All of the drama up until than was great too. The film's pace just really takes a hit during this second act though.

The final act has been improved in the extended cut thankfully. We now finally have the deleted ninja fight that we all wanted to see and it is totally awesome. Wolverine kills nearly 20 or more baddies in this cut! Mariko even helps him out by hopping onto a snow plow and painting the village with ninja blood. Some ninjas even show up on motorcycles! Any movie that has baddies on motorcycles is automatically a great one in my mind.

After this small piece of greatness, Wolverine has to fight against a CGI Silver Samurai robot. I really do not like this finale. The entire film has a very gritty and realistic tone to it. Besides the opening nuclear explosion and the bullet train fight, the film does a fine job at using as little CGI as possible. Unfortunately, this whole scene feels so alien to me. It belongs in a movie like X-Men Origins: Wolverine, not this Wolverine movie. It's not a terrible fight. It just adds some unevenness to the film's tone.

Wolverine Rage Mode: Activated

While not the most action packed of the X-Men series, The Wolverine contains the absolute best action scenes of the whole series. The extended cut reminds me of the additions that have been made to the extended cuts of action films such as Troy, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and Taken. All of the action and violence is far more graphic and gritty. For a moment, you may forget that you are watching a big budget studio PG-13 flick. For a few moments, we finally get the R-rated Wolverine that we have always wanted to see. The guy has blades for weapons for goodness sakes! Where has the blood been all this time?

All of the action scenes are great. The funeral fight is wonderful. Not only are we concerned about Logan's disadvantage in the fight, but we also get to bask in seeing him slice the crap out of some yakuza gang members. This scene is followed soon after with the film's biggest set piece, the bullet train fight. While made entirely with CGI and green screens, this is one of the most unique and inventive action scenes in a long time. Logan fights some yakuza members inside of a bullet train for a few seconds. The fight than moves outside of the train and onto the roof where wind speeds of nearly 300 mph toss our protagonist around like a rag doll. It's a great scene that I'll never forget.

We than have the entire snowy village ninja fight thanks to the extended cut. It's great seeing Logan get attacked by ninjas using motorcycles, swords, and chains. The film than rounds up with Logan going one on one with a giant CGI samurai. It's easily the most forgettable fight in the film. However, for such a bland fight, it does some things to the character that will remain important for the rest of the franchise.

One day.

The film also has a great post credits scene. There is no way that I can spoil it for those who have not seen it just yet. I'll just say that it sets up the next X-Men film and brings back some old friends we have not seen in quite a long time. The extended cut also contains a deleted scene that reveals what is in the giant briefcase that Mariko brings onto the jet at the end of the film: Wolverine's classic costume! While he does not get to wear it, it was nice to see such a cool reminder that one day Logan will end up donning his classic costume.

300 MPH of pure Aussie badassery.

Rating: 9/10 - The Wolverine is remotely flawed by an overlong run time, some weak acting, and a slow second act. However, these are just hiccups in an otherwise awesome action film. Highly recommended for fans of the X-Men series and samurai cinema!

The Extras:
Best Kill: During the funeral fight, Logan stabs through a yakuza's leg. He than tosses the guy into the air and we see him flip around a few times before falling down to the ground. An honorable mention goes to the baddie that Logan flies at while on the train. I don't know about you, but getting stabbed at 300 mph would be a heck of a way to die.
Best Line/Exchange:
"You asked me to come say goodbye. Sayonara." - Wolverine
Best Action Scene: Without a doubt, I believe that the bullet train fight is the one scene to remember. Even though it is the same in both the theatrical and the extended cut and is only made possible thanks to CGI, it features both fantastic editing and action.

Also Check Out:
The Samurai Trilogy (1954): A big inspiration on the film according to James Mangold, this trilogy of samurai films tell the story of the greatest samurai to live, Musashi Miyamoto. Played by action and cinema God Toshiro Mifune, these color samurai pictures contain memorable characters, great action, and first rate acting.

Dredd (2012): The Wolverine features a gritty protagonist who kills his victims with no remorse. If you need another anti-hero like that, look no further than to last year's underrated Dredd. Karl Urban plays a hybrid Harry Callahan/Robocop type character that racks up a massive kill count and stands for all that is good and right at the same time. In his words, "I am the law."

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976): Another inspiration on the film, Eastwood's legendary western features one squinty eyed hero with nothing to his name. In the opening scene of this film, Logan's eyes can be seen through a small squinty eye hole in a well opening. It seems that Mangold is trying to emulate Eastwood's iconic squinty eyes with the intro. But besides that, both films tell the story of a man who has lost the love of his life and has nothing left to stand for anymore other than what is morally right to them. Oh, and they kill too.