...But 5 Ways It Still Kicks Ass
5. Wolverine's Characterisation
Though the means through which it is conveyed isn't always top notch, it's refreshing to see Logan in such a destitute mode, kitted out in a big beard and long hair after the events of The Last Stand. The credit is really to Jackman rather than anyone else, who makes us feel his guilt and his frustration at being unable to simply live a quiet life, being constantly pulled back into one of fighting. The parallels between the Japanese Ronin - a samurai without a master - and Logan, who walks the Earth on his own, is palpable and well-drawn, even if the screenplay piles on the visions of Jean Grey like there's no tomorrow. The character would have been better served by simply showing Wolverine interacting with his real, physical environment and the people within it, but still, the film adequately made sense of the character's existential issues, and resolves them in a suitable enough way.