The Major Problem: The Silver Samurai
Th biggest annoyance with comic book films is when a classic villain that all the fans are familiar with is either: A). Not given enough screen time, therefore hardly fleshed out or developed to the point of understanding. Or... B). A far cry away from the original design, rendering said redesign as an abomination towards the original, far superior looking version. Or... C). A flipped origin where not only does he/she/it look like their proper depiction, but is switched around and not the same character as before, instead turning into a false mimic. The Silver Samurai in
The Wolverine is all three of those. When the first trailer was revealed and footage near the end gave away a small glimpse at the silver menace, I automatically knew where the film's first problem would be. When the Samurai towered over Wolverine, making robotic movements much different than his animated counterpart, I asked the question "He's a f@#$ing robot?!". That was my worst fear, and upon sitting in that crowded movie theater I waited until the final reveal of the Silver Samurai to see just how bad they went with it. I will admit the effects looked really cool.......for a transformer. Of which the Silver Samurai IS NOT. He isn't even remotely close to being a robot. In the animated series/comics, the Silver Samurai was a mutant by the name of Kenuichio Harada (DING, DING) who wore a lightweight set of silver alloy armor, carried two powerful katanas, and who could harness enough energy in his katanas to create a tachyon field which granted him the power to cut through any material on the planet.....except adamantium (DING, DING, DING). Note the DING DING's. These are yet two more major problems within the film pertaining to the Silver Samurai. DING DING #1: Although Kenuichio Harada is in the film, he plays the part of an archer working for Viper to bring Mariko and Wolverine to her, NOT the Silver Samurai. They are two completely different entities within the film! And the ironic part: the robotic-Samurai manages to kill human-Harada with one of its katanas. And the fact that Yashida himself is revealed to be the one operating the Silver Samurai the whole time only dampens the atrocity even more. DING DING #2: By some divine comic book film miracle, the Silver Samurai somehow manages to cut right through Wolverine's adamantium claws. While it should be noted that the Samurai did so by heating up its blade to an exceedingly hot temperature to do so, it should never have happened according to the source material. I understand small changes like this can get away with a little logic thrown in, but come on. They could at least be a little more careful with this little slip-up. While
The Wolverine is a great film and all, the use of the Silver Samurai is totally and inconceivably off the mark. The fact that the writers pinned the nail on the wrong donkey three times in a row only shows they're the real jackasses behind this coupe.
The Wolverine is an overall great comic book film to feed your inner nerd. It brings back that flair to the X-Men universe while solely zeroing in on Wolverine to bring back the needed balance necessary to move forward with
Days of Future Past. Although weighed down by a complete misuse of a classic villain, the film exceeds by itself as a true spinoff with plenty of heart and stamina to run with the original trilogy. Where Origins faltered,
The Wolverine slashes its way up to the top as, possibly, the second best X-Men film to date. Now with
Days of Future Past on the 2014 horizon, we shall see where the mid-credits scene hype takes us. It will undoubtedly lead into dark territory, but let
The Wolverine be a fine example that we're ready for what comes next. We're ready and prepared, Bryan Singer. Do you guys agree or disagree with these successful elements? How about the Silver Samurai? Was "it" portrayed to where you guys understood it, or in the end was it a lemon? Feel free to comment below your opinions on the matter!