Tao Okamoto

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice Review

Good

After 2013's beefy Man of Steel, director Zack Snyder goes even bigger and darker with this sequel, cross-pollenating Clark Kent's story with flashbacks to the origins of Bruce Wayne and his Dark Knight alter-ego. The problem is that the film is so big and loud that it can't help but feel bloated, especially since so much of what's on screen feels rather vacuous. But it looks amazing and is relentlessly gripping.

After a Bat-origin prologue, the story kicks off with the climactic battle from Man of Steel as seen from the perspective of Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck), watching his city being destroyed by Superman (Henry Cavill). This further fuels the rage that began when his parents were murdered. And that fire is stoked by the mischievous millionaire Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg). Meanwhile, Superman/Clark is struggling with how the world is revering him as a god, which is straining his relationship with intrepid reporter Lois (Amy Adams). As these very different vigilante heros head toward a climactic confrontation, Luthor is up to something seriously nefarious. And the ensuing chaos brings another hero into the open, Wonder Woman Diana Prince (Gal Gadot).

While the various plot threads are fascinating, and Snyder maintains a snappy pace, the overall story centres on the fact that Affleck's prickly, bitter Bruce is easily manipulated into doing terrible things, which makes him rather unlikeable. And Cavill's fundamentally good Clark isn't much easier to identify with. Both are also oddly constrained by their costumes and bulked-up physicalities, which leave them unable to move properly. This allows the side characters to steal the show: Adams adds emotion and passion, Eisenberg provides the nutty nastiness, Irons is hilariously cynical as Bruce's butler Alfred, and Fishburne is all bluster as Lois' editor. But in the end, the film belongs to the gorgeous, clear-headed Gadot, instantly making her stand-alone movie the most anticipated superhero project on the horizon.

Continue reading: Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice Review

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice - Official Trailer

What happens when two superheroes with vastly differing opinions come head to head? Well, not very well if Lex Luthor has anything to do with it. Superman believes Batman is a vigilante and the civil liberties of the people of Gotham are 'being trampled on' whilst Batman feels Superman's abilities are blown out of proportion by the media and is far from a fan of his superhero outfit.

Lex Luthor has enough power to manipulate this situation to his benefit and pitches both heroes against one another - Son of Krypton versus Bat of Gotham however, when his plan doesn't go exactly to plan he creates a monster to destroy both men - on the verge of destruction, Batman and Superman are joined by Wonder Woman, Aquaman and other superheroes on their quest to save their city from destruction.

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice is directed by Zack Snyder and it's a precursor to The Justice League films - which are also written and directed by Snyder.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Teaser Trailer

When an alien lifeform crashed to Earth decades ago, no one noticed. When his own kind came after him, the fate of the world was threatened. When he saved mankind, they looked up to him like a God. But times have changed, and people have died since his arrival. The world has had enough of the "false God" Superman (Henry Cavill), but there is already another hero in the world. In Gotham City, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) has spent years and billions of dollars making himself into the greatest detective and the finest crime fighter. But the Batman knows that one does not simply arrive to a thunderous applause. He has earned his role as judge and jury, and it is up to him to stop the Man of Steal.

Continue: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Teaser Trailer

US Weekend Box Office: The Wolverine Cuts The Competition Despite Critical Reaction

By Elinor Cosgrave in Movies / TV / Theatre on 29 July 2013

Hugh Jackman Famke Janssen Ryan Reynolds Jeff Bridges Vera Farmiga X-Men Hiroyuki Sanada Tao Okamoto Lili Taylor Patrick Wilson Ron Livingston

The Wolverine has placed at number one in the US Weekend Box Office. This latest instalment in the X-Men franchise has proved popular with audiences but less so with critics.

The Wolverine, starring Hugh Jackman, has placed at number one in the US Weekend Box Office. The latest instalment in the X-Men franchise sees Wolverine a.k.a. Logan visit Japan in order to face his past. The movie continues the story of X-Men: The Last Stand in which we saw Wolverine forced to kill Jean Grey (Famke Janssen). Also starring alongside Jackman are Hiroyuki Sanada (Sunshine) and models Tao Okamoto and Rila Fukishima.

Hugh Jackman with Tao Okamoto (L) and Rila Fukashima (R) at the London premiere of The Wolverine.

Those who have commented positively on The Wolverine have said the film creates a diverse character which "pumps some feeling into the guy along with his muscles and steel talons" (Geoff Pevere - Globe and Mail). Others, such as Toronto Star's critic Raju Mudhar, have praised the production team for ensuring the "superhero/Asian crime drama mash-up" is successful.

Continue reading: US Weekend Box Office: The Wolverine Cuts The Competition Despite Critical Reaction

The Wolverine Review

By Rich Cline

Good

It's only been four years since 2009's X-men Origins: Wolverine, and it's hard to see how this film does anything to correct that film's messy plot, harsh editing and uninteresting action. This one has a much more interesting Japanese setting and some great characters, but its focus on action over depth leaves it feeling gratuitous and empty. We may be entertained by the whizzy chaos of it all, but we never feel much suspense.

It begins in Alaska, where Logan (Jackman) is still licking his wounds after the death of his lover Jean Grey (Janssen), who appears regularly to him in sexy, soft-focus dreams. Then a young woman (Fukushima) turns up, insisting that he return to Japan to see Yashida (Yamanouchi), whose life Logan saved in the A-bombing of Nagasaki. But in Tokyo, Logan finds that the near-dead Yashida wants to relieve him of his healing immortality with the help of a sinister blonde doctor named Viper (Khodchenkova). Meanwhile, Yashida's son Shingen (Sanada) is miffed that his daughter Mariko (Okamoto) is the heir to his father's fortune. And there are armies of tattooed goons and arrow-shooting ninjas chasing Logan wherever he goes.

The film has a brisk pace, barely pausing to regain its breath before plunging into another massive action set-piece. But none of these sequences stands up to even the slightest scrutiny: laws of logic and physics are abandoned as the hugely muscled Logan battles everything in sight. Even after Viper steals his powers, he still has those retractable adamantium claws, which come in handy when you're fighting tenacious thugs on top of a speeding bullet train.

Continue reading: The Wolverine Review

The Wolverine - TV Spot

Logan is the mutant Wolverine who, along with a skeleton of adamantium, retractable claws and heightened senses, possesses a healing power that renders him ageless and immortal. To most, this would be a gift, but to Logan it is the biggest curse he could possibly suffer following the death of his beloved Jean Grey and his isolation from other mutants. He is visited by Mariko Yashida who takes him to Japan where her employer insists on repaying him for saving his life many years ago. Logan is offered the chance to surrender his life-saving powers in order for him to live out his life and take comfort in its natural end but, when it comes down to it, it may not have the consequences he hoped for as he is once again deceived and forced to fight to defend the name of the X-Men. Only this time, his chances are running out.

Carrying on from events in 2006's 'X-Men: The Last Stand', 'The Wolverine' returns in a more intense and testing story than ever before. It is the sequel to the 'X-Men' film series based on the Marvel comic books by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller and has been directed by James Mangold ('Girl, Interrupted', 'Walk the Line', 'Cop Land') who also co-wrote the screenplay with Mark Bomback ('Total Recall', 'Die Hard 4.0'), Scott Frank ('Minority Report', 'Marley & Me') and Christopher McQuarrie ('The Usual Suspects', 'The Tourist'). It will come to UK cinemas everywhere on July 15th 2013.

Click here to watch The Wolverine - Teaser Trailer

The Wolverine - Teaser Trailer

Logan's mutant ability to survive almost anything is beginning to take its toll. After alienating himself from his X-Men peers and being forced to kill the love of his life Jean Grey to save everyone else, he feels he has nothing left to live for. Immortality has become a curse, so much so that even the most dangerous of proposals to make him mortal are tempting. He attempts to abandon his Wolverine identity, but he is approached by Mariko Yashida who takes him to Japan where her employer, who is on his death bed, wants to repay him for saving his life by offering him a cure for his mutant powers. However, as he enters into yet another battle to the death, it becomes obvious that his newfound vulnerability is a force to be reckoned with as, while eternal life forced him to face the emotional trauma of the past, mortality forces him to face the biggest torment of his life as the limits of his body and soul are truly tested.

'The Wolverine' is a sequel to the 'X-Men' film series based on the Marvel comic books by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller and follows the timeline of events from 2006's 'X-Men: The Last Stand'. It has been directed by James Mangold ('Girl, Interrupted', 'Walk the Line', 'Cop Land') who co-wrote the script alongside Mark Bomback ('Total Recall', 'Die Hard 4.0'), Scott Frank ('Minority Report', 'Marley & Me') and Christopher McQuarrie ('The Usual Suspects', 'The Tourist'). See this stunning superhero action flick as it hits cinemas on July 26th 2013.

Click here to Watch - The Wolverine - TV Spot