Hugh Jackman’s The Wolverine featured certain sequences that were on par with some of the greatest moments in superhero movies. The only thing that made the film challenging to watch was the robotic samurai villain in the climax. With Wolverine set to return in Deadpool 3, the movie has gained a new sense of appreciation from fans on X.
One fan initiated the discussion on the movie, noting that James Mangold’s first comic book movie was a “strong”, “cinematic” piece. Many fans joined the discussion, offering their two cents on why this film – barring the climax scene – was a gem in the superhero genre.
Fans Have A Renewed Interest In Hugh Jackman’s The Wolverine
In The Wolverine, Hugh Jackman’s adamantium-clawed mutant travels to Japan and lives as a hermit in the Yukon. The film brilliantly depicts the internal struggles of Logan after the death of Jean Grey. James Mangold’s direction and Jackman’s performance garnered critical praise, and the film was a financial success, grossing $414.8 million. However, fan reviews were generally negative, with criticism directed toward its climax.
The X account @GwenLovesMovies shared that Mangold did great cinematic work on his first comic book movie but ruined it with a poorly conceived third act. Another fan joined the conversation, mentioning the epic train sequence that gives Sam Raimi a run for his money. One fan commented that the film was the best Wolverine movie for 80% of its runtime before the climax spoiled it.
The weird part about James Mangold’s first CBM outing, THE WOLVERINE…. is that it is such a strong, very cinematic film, fantastic work from nearly everyone involved left and right.
Then the third act kills off Hiroyuki Sanada and goes off the rails with a CGI twist villain 🙃
— Gwendolyn M.J. Stone 🏳️⚧️🎬 (@GwenLovesMovies) November 28, 2023
The train sequence is underrated as far as train sequences are concerned.
— power slap #1 program (@SofiaSweetsss) November 28, 2023
For like 80% of the movie, it’s the best Wolverine movie ever made and then the final act was so godawful that I don’t think I’ll ever watch this again https://t.co/2jvLrozWrc
— I’m Haala Gay 🚬 🇵🇸 (@haalamakesfilm) November 28, 2023
Another fan expressed a similar opinion, stating that the film could have ranked among the top 20 comic book movies ever made but could only earn a rating of 8.5/10 due to its bad climax. One suggestion stated that adopting the classic silver samurai look from the comic book for the final showdown would have improved the film. However, there were some who believed that despite its issues, the plot twist was pretty cool.
It doesn’t completely ruin the film, but yea, the final act and obvious twist takes it from at least top 20 CBM ever to 8.5/10
this scene is still peak cinema tho pic.twitter.com/pTxVIw7O8o
— TSG👻 (@TweetsSeeGhosts) November 29, 2023
Yeah, if they went with the classic silver samurai look for the final showdown rather than Iron Monger Samurai, it might’ve been slightly more replayable.
— flarestar56 (@flarestar56) November 29, 2023
I don’t mind the end as much now and I actually like the directors cut a lot better. More Ninjas at the end.
— Reno Msad (@renomsad) November 29, 2023
Nah, his old war buddy wanting to steal his immortality was a cool twist.
— Onlooker Productions (@OnlookerEyes) November 28, 2023
The film received considerable admiration, with several comments sharing stills featuring Hugh Jackman’s angry looks. However, a recurring criticism against the film, which was also present in Jackman’s previous Wolverine film, was the influence of Fox on the final output.
The Bad Climax Scene In Hugh Jackman’s Film Was A Result Of Studio Interference
James Mangold addressed the issue with the climax in an interview with Den of Geek during the release of Logan. Mangold explained that the new regime at Fox Studios was more supportive of his and Jackman’s creative decisions in Logan. When asked about The Wolverine, Mangold admitted that the studio’s management at the time pressured them to include unnecessary CGI scenes.
The studio wanted to stay on level with films like Man of Steel and Thor: The Dark World, which were released around the same time. Mangold added that the studio failed to understand that the audience didn’t want those elements in the film. The Ford v. Ferrari director told Den of Geek:
“I think that we came out after the Superman film came out, and a number of other films. A Thor film and all the other films that came out before us. And what was really weird was that the studio was really concerned that we have big, CG action to stay afloat against the other films we were up against, but by the time we got to market, the very thing people were most tired of was the thing the studio wanted to make sure we had enough of.”
Also Read: MCU Fans Should Not Be Excited About Hugh Jackman and Tobey Maguire Rumors For Avengers: Secret Wars
The Wolverine and other films in the X-Men franchise are now available for streaming on Disney+. Deadpool 3 featuring Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine is scheduled to release in theaters on July 26, 2024.
