I saw The Wolverine. Twice.

I'm gonna start by spoiling the major, major twist:
This was a good movie.
I don't think any of us could have seen that coming.

That said, if you're really attached to the characters, I don't think you're gonna like it. They've really rolled the dice on how to put the characters together; Silver Samurai was the worst hit (more later).

The movie wants to be the Claremont / Miller miniseries; but it isn't. The changes don't suck, though (although it's been a while since I read it).
They do the thing from Spider-Man 2 and Superman 2 of taking away the hero's powers. You got that from the ads, right? Unlike those two movies - and the ads imply - it isn't voluntary. They're trying to do this thing throughout where they want Wolverine to give up his powers for the sake of mortality, but they do nothing to sell it.

They do a good job of an action movie, with an emotional connection to its characters. It's just enjoyable.

There is absolutely no reference to Alpha Flight; but we weren't expecting that, were we? (It's sad that the closest thing we've had to a live-action Alpha Flight is that horrible reference in the sub-par Wolverine: Origins.)

The characters.

Wolverine is Wolverine.
Machiko doesn't really have the presence to convince me of their great love, but she's okay. She fights for herself from time to time, which I like to see.
Her father and fiancé are hardly in there, but they have their parts to play.

It took me a while to figure it out, but Yukio is basically Psylocke; she's tougher, lacks the joie-de-vivre, has the purple (pink) hair, and psychic powers. She doesn't look all that much like her comic-book version; the actress looks a little strange. But I love it! I could look at her all movie.

With Viper they did that horrible thing of taking her name literally; they made her into a half-snake mutant. And blonde, instead of a greenhead.
Still, I thought the actress made an excellent Viper.

Silver Samurai.
Silver Samurai was put in a blender of at least three characters and hit frappé; then put together what was left.
Kenuichio Harada had the 'outsider on the rooftops watching' of Yukio. But he still works with (not for) Viper; though in this version, they don't get along. He was human, too, no powers.
The Silver Samurai armour went to Machiko's father.

Her grandfather became the actual Silver Samurai, which was a Tony Stark-style suit here. The armour had the original's 'make his sword glow' power.



Little thing: twice, they pull out the Yashida ancestral sword and re-sheathe it, without drawing blood.

The movie is not without its flaws, but it's good. Infinitely better than X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but not for those who are really attached to their characters.