The first thing that may come to mind when you hear someone say that they are going to review a poster is "It's impossible to review a movie based on a poster". That may be partially true, but not entirely true. If I were to compare this poster to the poster for "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" you can get a better sense of the direction and style the movie is going to take. So I'm going to compare one of the early posters of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and the teaser poster of "The Wolverine".
This is the first released poster of The Wolverine and I am very excited because of the change from the way in which "Origins" was depicted. In this photo it shows a red sun, indicating it takes place in Japan, the title The Wolverine, and his claws slicing through the paper in a precise and controlled, yet obviously aggressive manner. This style of poster indicates a change in style from the previous movie, which means this is going to be a much more tense, dramatic film than its predecessor. It will still be an action movie, but this is going to be a much more controlled, intelligent movie. It focuses on Wolverine controlling his claws, as shown by the perfect cut down the poster. In conclusion I know from this poster that Wolverine is in Japan, he is getting his emotions under control, he is possibly training, and that there will definitely be conflict that centers around an event or person that is in Japan. Let's look at a poster from X-Men Origins: Wolverine to see the difference between the two.
This poster just shows Wolverine's claws bashing through the wall. It only shows his blind anger, but lacks and real direction or goal. It doesn't tell me the setting. (Neither did the entire movie, but I digress.) It indicates two things: escape, and anger. It doesn't help give the setting, nor does it provide any idea of what the film is about. The only thing it is able to convey is that Wolverine is angry. Just like its poster the movie was flimsy in its story telling and even more flimsy in providing a gritty, entertaining backstory for Wolverine. Sometimes a movie's teaser poster is a very good indicator of what is in store for a movie.
"The Wolverine" lets us know that Logan still possesses that rage we know so well, but he is learning to control his abilities, he is learning to control them in Japan, and that it is involved in some way with the cultural significance of this red sun. The meticulous, precise cuts down the poster indicate that Logan is a character that is still angry, perhaps angrier, but that he is learning to use that rage and that his rage is beginning to be contained. That is how much this poster gets across. The only thing that the poster from "X-men Origins: Wolverine" conveyed was that he was trying to escape and that he was angry. That's really it. The difference between these two movies, even at this early stage in development, is that "The Wolverine's" poster is communicating more than "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" did in its entire movie. Based on these posters, there may yet be hope for Hugh Jackman as a dark, violent Wolverine like the "Wolverine" comics of the 1980's.