10 (Probably Failed) Attempts At A Measured Response To The Wolverine

4. Logan And Mariko Are Given Time To Build A Relationship

The Wolverine I wouldn't call The Wolverine a love story, because Logan and Mariko never fall in love. For a superhero movie - where characters usually have to swoon over someone to ridiculous Tobey-Maguire-wide-eyed-dopey-grin levels - The Wolverine features a surprisingly mature romance between two characters who find comfort in each other for awhile. It's not incredibly deep, but both Mariko and Logan find something they lost - or really never had - from their time together. And it's nice that Mariko gets the last word in now and again, like with the chopsticks scene. And boy howdy, do I appreciate how The Wolverine never plays the "Hey, your country sure is funny" card that so many American films do when dealing with foreign cultures. There's at least a modicum of respect for the setting, even though the movie hits most of the usual clichés about Japan.
Contributor
Contributor

Jeremy Wickett was raised from an early age in one of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma's classier opium dens. A graduate of The University of Oklahoma, he now resides in Phoenix, Arizona - where the desert heat is oppressive enough to make him hallucinate that he's a character in Star Wars. And of course he can speak Bocce - it's like a second language to him. His so-called musings can be found here: http://geekemporium.blogspot.com/