I rate
The Wolverine as average - individually I thought many of the pieces were very good, but as a whole the experience was not as satisfying as other recent comic book movies. Some quick comments:
* One of the strengths of the movie were the two Japanese actresses portraying Yukio and Mariko.
Pacific Rim desperately needed an actress of their caliber portraying Mako.
* Most reviews pan Viper, but I admit I thoroughly enjoyed her performance, detrimental to the cause of positive female portrayals in movies notwithstanding.
Along with Logan she is the only non-Japanese character we see after Canada, and boy does she get the blood rolling when she's strutting around Tokyo in those high heels!
Yes, she was channeling B&R Poison Ivy by the end, but overall a satisfying henchwoman (not a main villain), comparing favorably to Faora in MoS.
* Continuing on commenting on the actresses, I loved seeing Famke Janssen again, but I think she made one too many dream appearances, which overstressed the point of Logan's feelings of loss. Better to have included a flashback from X3 of Logan stabbing her. Though it's probably not canon to do so, it might have been interesting if Dark Phoenix were actually really communicating with Logan from beyond the grave, beckoning Logan to join her, instead of being a figment of his imagination.
* Still not sure why Yashida gave everything to his granddaughter. Given the importance of the interclan dynamics that drove the plot, a compelling reason was needed, but I can't recall one being given. Off the top of my head, since Yashida is something of a mutant-phile, perhaps make Mariko a mutant (with very toned downed powers), and therefore he likes her over his non-mutant son.
* Logan's effective invincibility due to his healing prowess IMO made the Wolverine a less-interesting and even troubling character; there were hints of this in X3, but it's really apparent here when he's exclusively fighting non-mutants. In particular, even though the fight with Mariko's father was great, I felt really uncomfortable when Logan killed him; there was no way he could beat him, so why kill him, especially when he was no longer the one threatening Mariko? Conversely, the way the ninjas neutralized him despite his renewed powers was very clever.
* Yashida's return as the Silver Samurai is final proof that movies should never have the main villain pretend to be dead, then reappear. It didn't work in
Prometheus, and it didn't work here.
