"The Wolverine" Trailer(s) Underwhelm

The "X-Men" franchise is in a weird place, being the only major modern comic franchise from the pre-"Avengers"/"Dark Knight" era (aka the "We Haven't Quite Figured This Out Yet" age) to still being kicking without a reboot/remake etc. The best one is still "First Class," and not uncoincidentally that's the one that was most free to jettison the late-90s baggage still attached to the series.

In any case, there are trailers now for "The Wolverine," Hugh Jackman's second chance at keeping the only character to date that anyone seems willing to buy tickets to see him play relevant in a solo series. Neither one is especially encouraging (not "bad," just rote and dull looking) but here's the international version, which is the less-crummy of the two...



This is, of course, based on the "Wolverine fighting Ninjas in Japan" business from the 80s, and it's kind of amusing seeing that quintessentially Reagan-era motif of seemingly-modern corporations in "exotic Japan" being hives of sinister intent swarming with Ninja intrigue and present-day Samurai unironically transposed to the present (this takes place after "X-Men: The Last Stand.")

Part of me wants to complain about Wolverine somehow having reverted back to wandering around with his Depression Beard after his supposed development into Responsible Leader Guy in "Last Stand." I imagine the handwave will be "he's mad about what happened to Jean Grey" (get in line, bub - I had to pay to watch that piece of shit) but whatever - Jackman needs to eat in between his more interesting movies that people don't go to see, and it doesn't look terrible, so... yeah.