7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.2 |
Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes Wolverine, the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, Svetlana KhodchenkovaAction | 100% |
Adventure | 87% |
Sci-Fi | 73% |
Comic book | 64% |
Fantasy | 63% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (224 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Spanish: DTS 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Four-disc set (3 BDs, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Blu-ray 3D
D-Box
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
What is it with superheroes these days, anyway? One might think they wouldn't have a whole bunch to complain about, what with their superpowers and everything, and yet more and more films about our favorite good guys tend to wallow in supposedly intense psychological introspection, where moodiness has replaced any simple formulation of a valiant soul fighting for truth, justice and the American Way (or something like that). It’s notable that this latest iteration of Marvel’s Wolverine character seems to have taken a page from the recent glut of “reboots” like Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy or this year’s Nolan produced Man of Steel . And yet it’s just as notable to realize that the X-Men franchise has always trafficked in introspection more than the typical superhero outing. After all, mutants by their very definition are different (something that Man of Steel sought to exploit to varying effect). That may in fact be one reason why X-Men Origins: Wolverine met with a fair degree of withering critical response, for it seemed to divorce the character, at least in part, from his troubled psychological underpinnings, delivering instead a more or less straight ahead live action cartoon (some therefore may tend to find the disappointment many felt in this film ironic, considering that it was after all based on a comic book character). The Wolverine may have been marketed as a balls to the wall action spectacular, but it’s actually more of a character piece, albeit a character piece with an adamantium skeleton. The film plays up Wolverine’s torment over the loss of Jean Grey (from X-Men: The Last Stand), while also investing the character with a rather complicated backstory hinging on his imprisonment during World War II in a Japanese concentration camp. (Maybe a future outing can have Wolverine and Magneto commiserating about who had it worse in this regard.) Wolverine’s innately heroic tendencies actually come back to haunt him years later, when a man he helped to save in the camp turns out to have designs on one of Wolverine’s most alluring powers—his ability to regenerate, healing himself from any wounds or illness, giving him something approaching immortality.
The Wolverine slashes its way onto Blu-ray with AVC (2D) and MVC (3D) encoded 1080p transfers in 2.40:1 from
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Since there are for all intents and purposes no differences in image quality
between the Theatrical and Unleashed Extended (2D) versions of the film, they'll be treated as one entity for the
purposes of this review. The Wolverine boasts a gorgeously sleek and well defined image, courtesy of the Arri
Alexa. While director James Mangold and his DP Ross Emery have occasionally rather aggressively color graded certain
sequences, the bulk of the film features a natural looking palette with extremely well saturated color. The opening
Nagasaki sequence is tinted to a suitably late summer amber color (see screenshots 6 and 7), while Wolverine's exploits
in the Yukon are cool blue (see screenshot 9). Later, when Logan gets to Japan, a seminal moment in Yashida's
compound is similarly blue tinted (see screenshot 14 in the Blu-ray.com The Wolverine Blu-ray review). Fine detail is exceptional throughout this
presentation, offering beautifully precise renderings of things like Mariko's finely textured kimono or the henna red
strands of Yukio's hair. A lot of The Wolverine is rather dark (more about that in a moment in the 3D
section), which does tend to rob the film of shadow detail, especially in the climactic scene in the mountaintop fortress.
There is also one noticeable moment of motion judder as the camera pans quickly left during the funeral scene at about
35:46, but otherwise this is a problem free presentation.
The Wolverine's conversion to 3D is an often quite artful affair, though some may think they've mistakenly put in
the 2D version as the film gets underway and there's a decidedly flat view of the waterside at Nagasaki. That soon
changes as the camera pans right and a guard tower of the prisoner of war camp comes into view and is clearly placed in
the foreground. Some effects that one might expect to be spectacularly dimensional—like Logan in his "prison tube" or
even the nuclear explosion itself in the opening sequence—are curiously compressed, but just as often more subtle
moments, like a long metal railing Mangold pans across in the funeral scene or even the many scenes in traditional
Japanese homes where paneled screens offer built in planes and frames of reference, significant dimensionality is
achieved. What may irk some 3D aficionados is how dark the film tend to be, especially in its latter third, which is when
one of two huge set pieces plays out. This darkness automatically robs the image of depth and dimensionality and seems
to work against the very setting of this climax, which is full of huge towers, protruding catwalks and other phenomena
that would seem to be the perfect building blocks for a great 3D experience. One kind of odd thing about this
presentation—pay attention to the difference between the rain sequences and the snow sequence. When it rains,
there's one sheet of rain pouring down in the foreground, with seemingly nothing going on in the background. In
the snowy sequence which sets up the climactic scene in the mountaintop fortress, it's a much more organic, natural
looking presentation, with flakes of snow clearly in different dimensional planes.
The Wolverine's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix is one of the best examples of total—and at times smart— immersion in recent memory. What may shock some listeners is the relative lack of "oomph" at the first expected moment— when the atom bomb hits Nagasaki, but there's a low frequency rumble that soon builds to impressive proportions, quelling any doubt that this is going to be a very forceful and aggressive mix. But even better than that obvious approach are some very subtle touches. Listen, for example, in the Yukon scene when Logan traipses through the woods with a grizzly bear walking nearby. The occasional "caws" of crows are brilliantly placed around the soundfield, as is the crunch of the ground under both Logan's and the bear's feet. Later, when Mariko's erstwhile lover, now a ninja, shoots arrows to and fro, there's a fantastic "whoosh" that zings through the soundstage and may provoke an involuntary "duck" response. The quicksilver sounds of Logan's adamantium claws as well as Yukio's katana are given nicely metallic foley effects as well. Dialogue is cleanly presented, though it must be stated that several of the Japanese actors are a bit hard to understand at times (there are optional subtitles to help in this regard). (It should also be noted that some of the film is in Japanese, with subtitles automatically provided.) Marco Beltrami's score is rather well done for a film of this type and is effective while being relatively unobtrusive most of the time (for those who pay attention to this sort of thing, listen to how Beltrami seamlessly segues during the climax as different characters' activities are being explored).
The disc containing the 3D version of the Theatrical cut has no bonus material. There are two other Blu-ray discs in this set:
- Commentary by Director James Mangold. Mangold tends to offer about equal amounts of anecdotal and production information in this enjoyable commentary. He discusses trimming some material for the theatrical version in order to get a PG-13 rating, as well as more or less stumbling upon Fukushima, who had never acted in anything of this size and scope before. He repeatedly mentions the Claremont-Miller source comic and how the creative staff attempted to adapt their basic foundation to the screen. He also offers some good information on some of the set pieces, like the exciting bullet train segment.
- Second Screen App provides additional bonus content accessible through either IOS or Android mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets.
- The Path of a Ronin (1080p; 53:44) is a nice exploration of the samurai-ninja aspect of the story, including its roots in the actual Marvel comic books. There are the requisite interviews with the principal cast and crew along with copious clips from the film as well as some behind the scenes footage (including a look at that supercool metallic bed that the elderly Yashida lies on in the lab in his compound).
- Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:28)
- Alternate Ending (1080p; 1:36)
- X-Men: Days of Future Past Set Tour (1080p; 2:47) is a sneak preview at the next film in the franchise.
- Second Screen App
Say goodbye to the cigar chomping, quipster Wolverine in The Wolverine. This is a much more tamped down enterprise, for better or worse. Action fans may come away from this film (in any of its versions) wondering if there was enough "there" there, but the film, while patently odd at times, benefits from strong, sure performances and one incredibly visceral thrill ride on top of a speeding bullet train. The Wolverine may ultimately be seen as a kind of cinematic placeholder, a virtual calm (more or less, anyway) before what may be the storm of X-Men: Days of Future Past. That aspect may wear on some fans' patience, but the good news is it seems Logan is poised for battle once again by the end of this film. This Blu-ray sports exceptional video and audio. The presentation in the combo pack is a bit problematic, with different supplements adorning different versions (with no supplements adorning the 3D version), but otherwise this release comes Recommended.
2013
Unleashed Extended Edition
2013
2013
Unleashed Extended Edition
2013
Bonus Digital Download
2013
Unleashed Extended Edition
2013
Marvel Infinite Comic
2013
2013
2013
2013
Unleashed Extended Edition
2013
Icons
2013
Unleashed Extended Edition | Includes Two Deadpool Themed Patches | Deadpool 2 Movie Cash
2013
2013
w/ Raphael Statue
2014
The Rogue Cut
2014
2011
2009
2016
2013
2018
2003
Icons
2000
2013
Cinematic Universe Edition
2012
2011
Extended and Theatrical versions
2011
2016
2008
Cinematic Universe Edition
2015
2013
15th Anniversary Edition
2004
2019
2014