But that aside, this Japan-based, relentlessly serious, dull film was a waste of time for this cineaste. Loud sounds and visual tricks with the lavish use of computer effects do not an interesting film make.
We get an awful lot of seeing Jackman acting with all the stops out, showing his anguish and inner conflicts. I found it easy to empathise with his struggles but that was probably only because I like him so much. Otherwise I didn't find the story in the slightest way remarkable - though most of it being set in Japan was a further slight point in its favour.
Btw: I'd read a hint to stay for the final credits, which I did - unlike the rest of the audience, bar three or four. After all the acknowledgments have appeared, and rather oddly placed, there is a further couple of minutes of film of H.J. meeting up with two very familiar faces (you can probably guess who they are), which will be cause for diehard fans of the series to rejoice, though hardly for me.
Not much else to say. If the lead had been played by another actor I would probably have scored it by 2 points less than I'm going to - but in that case I wouldn't have bothered seeing it at all.................3/10
He's a fine figure of a wolf that's for sure
ReplyDeleteHope you didn't. Drool your CORNETTO all over your pants
Only in my mind, J.G. Having it happen in reality would have been an experience worth having paid for - unlike the film itself.
DeleteA waste of a very good body if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's always a pleasure to see him, Craig - but, yes, I'd much rather he played a role with depth and range, which he clearly can, as evidenced in many of the films he's made, Les Mis only being a recent fine example.
DeleteI was one of the lucky ones to have seen him live in 'Oklahoma', before he became a huge international name. I still remember him performing, cutting fine capering dance movements around the stage - and a first-class singing voice to go with it, again as we heard in Les Mis.
oh no. You didn't like it? You see was obviously aimed at me. I quite liked it. I would have at least given it a 6. I will watch it again. but then again I only paid half price to get it. Maybe that made it better?
ReplyDeleteI also paid just half the usual price (on our 'Cheap Mondays' programme), Sol, so it can't have been anything to do with the price.
DeleteBut you are right. Films like this aren't aimed at people like me. I am now about 40-50 years older than the target audience they are aiming at, and I just don't 'get' a lot of the films of this genre. That's not to say that I am 'right' and people like you are 'wrong'. If I'd been a lot younger then I too might well have enjoyed it as much as you did. As I say, if it hadn't been for H.J. then I almost certainly wouldn't have bothered. But paying as little as I did I'm not complaining.
Thanks for the great review. I will give this one a pass, at least until it is on television.
ReplyDeleteRE: the lack of engaging smile... I once saw an interview where HJ joked the key to creating Wolverine was to always scowl and to tilt his head down so his eyes were only visible through this eyebrows.
I've lost interest in the series, in part because it has moved away from more general "mutant struggles" to 'all-Wolverine'. Also, I confess, I have lost the thread. It made sense that the films after "The Last Stand" were prequels. Two were. I am not sure where this one and it's predecessor fall into any kind of continuing narrative.
You'd be just as confused, then, as I was at the 'taster' put at the end of the after-film credits here, H.K. Or were they trying to bring things round full circle, perhaps? But if that was the case I wonder why they bother as only die-hard fans will look for any logical sequence in the series.
DeleteI don't know many other actors who have a smile that can immediately melt one like H.J.'s can. So there was definitely a sense of something being missing in this film, which might have knocked my score up at least one notch.
I am not a fan of sequel movies in general, unless they are derived from a trilogy book collection.
ReplyDeleteMe too. They are so obviously milking the theme for all its worth in order to get more dosh. The sad thing is that if it didn't work in getting people to pay yet more money they wouldn't do it.
DeleteIt's interesting to revisit my previous comment. I did break down and see it after all. The reasons I cited for not desiring to see it turned out to be the reasons I didn't like it. I guess I am consistent though should have stuck to my guns about keeping my money in my pocket.
ReplyDeleteH.K., it's a lesson some of us just refuse to learn. I too wil go to see a film I would otherwise not have made the effort to see, on the grounds that surely it really can't be THAT bad. Trouble is, more often than not it is!
ReplyDelete