One of the first comic books I read, back in the 1980s, was Chris Claremont and Frank Miller’s mini-series.  Set in Japan, this was a completely new look at the uber-popular character from Uncanny X-Men, setting him up as a ronin, a samurai without a master.  For all intent purposes, it was hailed as an instant classic, and whenever anyone brought up the notion of a Wolverine film, that was the source material that everyone hoped it would incorporate.

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” was not that film, and it was only one of the reasons that Wolverine fans found themselves disappointed.  Who thought it would be a good idea to do a PG-13 Wolverine film with a collection of unnecessary guest-stars?  “The Wolverine” doesn’t resolve that rating problem, but in a way, it makes the argument that the character needed an R-rated film to do him justice.  The majority of this film, especially the first two acts, is a mature, lyrical character piece that is just about everything I ever wanted to see.

That was the surprising thing for me: how the tone of the film defied my expectations.  Whatever the attempt to make this its own entity, it is still part of the larger X-Men franchise, and that means that it is Logan’s personal journey in the wake of the events of “X-Men: The Last Stand”.  Initially, I thought that was a mistake, but in all fairness, Hugh Jackman is clearly older than he was during the earlier X-Men films, so I can’t see how they could avoid the timeline issues if they are making any attempt to keep all the films in some manner of continuity.

Setting this film in the years after “X-Men: The Last Stand” has its advantages.  Logan needs to heal, psychologically, after killing Jean and losing guidance from his “master”, Charles Xavier.  Logan is haunted by survivor’s guilt and his own immortality, the latter reinforced nicely by the opening sequence in Nagasaki.  That sequence also provides the basis for Logan’s relationship to Yashida, and the exchange of life for life and death for death that defines the plot.  Logan wants to die, and Yashida wants to live.  Yashida is willing to do almost anything to make it happen, and Logan’s healing factor is effectively his last chance.

The first act sets up the premise of the film and Logan’s dilemma very well.  Beyond bringing the audience up to date on Logan’s personal life, the status quo of the Yashida family is quickly established.  It’s relatively similar to the original source comic, of course, but with a few changes to streamline relationships.  Logan meets Yashida’s son, Shingen, and his grand-daughter, Mariko.  Even for the uninitiated, there’s little doubt how those two characters will react to Logan (and he to them).  Mariko is just the right combination of beauty and resolve, and it makes sense why Logan would need someone like Mariko to tunnel past the walls he’s formed in the wake of Jean’s death. 

The supporting characters are retooled a bit for the film, but for the most part, it works.  My favorite character by far is Yukio, played with just the right amount of attitude and nuance by Rila Fukushima.  Kenuichio Harada is devoted to Mariko and the Yashida clan, and heads their protective clan of ninja.  This is one role that surprised me; based on where the story goes and the name of the character, I was expecting him to be the Silver Samurai.  That doesn’t happen, even though that plot progression would have suited the film far more than the actual third act.

Throughout the second act, the film gains the tone of a deliberately low-key Asian gangster film.  Logan’s mutant abilities are shown and mentioned, but they are never intrusive; the film presents them in a rather matter-of-fact manner that lets the story and character exploration take center stage.  In fact, the superheroic elements are so minimized for the bulk of the film that any overt demonstration of comic-book powers is jarring.

And therein lies the problem that “The Wolverine” must endure: Viper, her role in the film as a whole, and the third act.  Nearly everything in the film is presented on the fringe of the “real world”.  Logan’s healing factor and claws are there, but it’s no more bizarre than ninjas and samurai in the modern world; it fits the context and tone perfectly well.  Yukio’s mutant ability to foresee death doesn’t clash with the sense of mysticism that comes with the Yashida legacy.  And then there is the woman who spits toxins, has a snake-like tongue, and even sheds skin for no reason whatsoever.  Why Viper had to be so ridiculously villainous, I don’t understand; she could have been a more subtle villain within the existing context of the situation and been far better as a result.

Svetlana Khadchenkova also looks completely out of place in the film, and despite her best efforts, she is by far the worst actor among the main cast.  Some would say that her outfits don’t help, but frankly, Viper had a certain look, and this is very close to that.  It’s almost entirely the writing choices and her acting that undermine any chance that Viper will make sense within the film.

The resolution of the film is also problematic.  Wolverine goes up against the Silver Samurai, as one would expect, but the identity and nature of the Silver Samurai is not what I expected.  It tracks with the plot elements that were introduced, but visually, it just doesn’t work.  The film needed Logan’s adversary to be on the same level as the rest of his opponents in the story.  Instead, the Silver Samurai rips the story out of its previous maturity into something much closer to a stock superhero sequence.  It’s not terrible, but it is far less than it could or should have been.

Ultimately, “The Wolverine” suffers from the same issue that plagued other high-profile comic book films this summer: the curse of the problematic third act.  For better or worse, when it comes to this film, the differences are more obvious because of the style and excellence of the first two acts and the jarring nature of the final confrontation.  “Star Trek Into Darkness” and “Man of Steel” might have had messy third acts, but tonally and visually, they were clearly part of the same whole.  “The Wolverine” doesn’t have that mitigating factor, so the effect is greater.

“The Wolverine” is the definitive film version of the character, but it still falls short of being the best possible Wolverine film.