Page 34 THE VILLADOM TIMES I, II, III & IV • August 7, 2013 ‘The Wolverine’ goes beyond muscles and mayhem by Dennis Seuling One of the problems faced by filmmakers who work on franchises is playing to both the franchise’s fan base and the general audience. There is no sense alienating either of those audience segments, since box office dol- lars are at stake. It is the rare franchise picture that fits the mythos and still works as a stand-alone entity. “The Wolverine,” an extremely literate superhero movie, is one of those films. Wandering the Yukon in a self-imposed exile after killing his beloved Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) to save the world, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is summoned to Tokyo by Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi), the dying Japa- nese billionaire Wolverine rescued from atomic annihi- lation in Nagasaki. Now facing unfamiliar surroundings and a different culture, he is doubly the outsider as both a mutant and a fish out of water. Logan, Wolverine’s alter ego, must acclimate himself to customs and rituals that go directly against his savage instincts. Along the way, Wolver- ine contends with an assortment of ninjas, samurais, yakuza, and a mysterious blonde named Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova), who might be a mutant. In the midst of new adversaries, Wolverine must rely on new means to defend himself. When one of his most important powers is lost, he becomes particularly vulnerable. Hugh Jackman in a scene from ‘The Wolverine.’ Jackman is especially effective in this, his sixth outing as the clawed mutant. With muscles bulging and veins popping, he has turned himself into the picture’s primary special effect by means of rigorous physical conditioning and a special diet that has bulked him up, making him a comic book illustration come to life. His pained expression and scowls often make him look like a constipated bodybuilder. “The Wolverine” is one of the more character-driven superhero films of the last few years. Without bogging down the pace, it spends time delving into Logan’s inner demons, guilt, and sense of honor. This is one conflicted mutant, and his personal turmoil makes him all the more engaging and intriguing. Jackman does some first-rate acting. Director James Mangold provides plenty of action, particularly a wild scene staged in, and on top of, a bullet train racing at hundreds of miles per hour. This is a text- book example of how to use computer generated images to enhance and advance a story rather than merely show- case technology. There are also meticulously choreo- graphed fight scenes throughout which Wolverine gets to bare his claws and cause some serious chaos. The plot, which is filled with twists, deceit, conflict, and drama, ultimately builds to a loud crescendo. At this point, Mangold resorts to a number of clichés, but by then the viewer is hooked and goes along for the ride. The film’s primary flaw is a gratuitous romantic subplot between Logan and Yashida’s granddaughter, Mariko (Tao Okamoto). This is an odd choice in a movie clearly geared to appeal to fans of action and adventure. Admittedly, there are some very good roles in “The Wol- verine” for women, but the romance seems purposefully tacked on to widen the flick’s appeal to a female audi- ence. Rated PG-13, “The Wolverine” is a pleasant surprise, particularly in light of the far inferior “X-Men Ori- gins: Wolverine” from 2009. Mangold and Jackman are responsible for an intelligent, solid tale that goes beneath the muscles and mayhem to explore a mutant who is mighty physically but fragile psychologically.