I really really like this movie. Goes off the rails a bit towards the end but everything before that is some of my favorite moments in any superhero movie. Probably my favorite portrayal of Wolverine in live action. Really glad that the setting was in Japan, gave it a different feel than many other Marvel films. Brutal throughout.

Kind of not terrible? I went in with low expectations and that probably helped it, but this is the first film where Hugh Jackman's Wolverine genuinely felt like he might have a life outside Xavier's mansion.

Better than Wolverine: Origins, though that bar was low enough to trip on. Tried to tell an interesting story from Logan's past, but never quite clicked on what makes him great as a character.

Mangold's first feature in the X-Men franchise definitely gets overshadowed by Logan, because I feel this movie is still strong in its own right and laid the groundwork for that movie. Jackman embodies a Logan at his lowest (At the time at least), perfectly capturing his weariness and exhaustion from both his long life and traumas, and embraces his ferocity in the action that still holds up. I feel that this movie's biggest flaw is the rest of the cast, as beyond Yukio they fail to leave a strong impression, especially Silver Samurai. But, Mangold would take what works here and perfect it for Logan.

The Wolverine has some of the coolest moments for Hugh Jackman's Logan. Primarily taking place in Japan, Wolverine's battle with the Yakuza on top of a bullet train is still one of my favorite superhero fight sequences of all time. While James Mangold rightfully gets a lot more credit for the masterpiece that was Logan, there's a lot to love from his first Wolverine movie as well, including Logan's struggle to let go of Jean Grey's death from The Last Stand.