Wolverine's True Comeback

Rating: 8/10 (27 July 2013)

Wolverine is finally back, and this new installment in the "X-Men" franchise is extremely slick, exhilarating, and top-notch. Forget the disappointing "Origins" 4 years ago, this is the real Wolverine movie. It's action-packed, dark, occasionally humorous, and surprisingly has depth. It may not be the best "X-Men" film but "The Wolverine" is a solid entry that will help the "X-Men" franchise recover from the disappointing "Last Stand" and "Origins".
In this installment, Wolverine is struggling with his immortality. His lover, Jean Grey died way back in "The Last Stand" and he's been suffering from an endless period of nightmares. It feels as if he has nothing to do on this Earth and he's longing to re-join his lover in the other side. But when an old acquaintance Yashida (a man who Wolverine saved during the 1945 bombing of Nagasaki) invites him to Japan and offers to remove his immortality, Wolverine is delved into new territory.
There are two women who work alongside Wolverine here. First, there's Mariko Yashida, the granddaughter of Yashida and the chosen heiress to the throne. When she takes her grandfather's role, she will become the most powerful person in Japan and will need protection from the endless hordes of the Yakuza. The other person is the pink-haired Yukio who is an excellent fighter and form a great team with Wolverine.
"The Wolverine" is set in an environment new to the "X-Men" franchise, Japan. The vibrant colors, tall buildings, beautiful scenery are used in a maximizing manner. The action scenes look really well in this new setting.
What made "The Wolverine" more engaging was that we finally get to see Logan mortal. He literally will get hurt if he gets shot or cut. For the first time ever, he is no longer invincible and this escalates the tension every time he's in a fight against an adversary. We see Wolverine lingering in the boundary between life and death. Wounded.
Then we have the action sequences which are extremely intense. The climax was gripping but I also expressed extreme fondness for the action scene where Wolverine battled against several Yakuza members on top of a lightning-fast moving bullet train. That scene was extremely suspenseful and was one of the highlights, at least for me. Don't get me wrong, the other action sequences were fun too but that bullet train scene was just amazing.
Hugh Jackman returns once again as the ageless Logan aka Wolverine. As usual, his performance is strong, gritty, and excellent. The only difference between his performance here and "Origins" is that his performance here is not burdened by an awful script as it was in "Origins". The other performances were powerful too. Tao Okamoto was perfect as the heiress Mariko Yashida and Rila Fukushima was bad-ass as Yukio. Everyone of the cast was good.
All in all, "The Wolverine" is solid, action-packed and a satisfying addition to the "X-Men" franchise. It has incredible action scenes, solid acting, and a great script. However, I did find something nit-picking (no spoilers here but it concerns Logan's ability to recall a certain memory). Nonetheless, "The Wolverine" is successfully in continuing the revival of the "X-Men" franchise and only gets me more hyped about next year's "Days of Future Past". And watch out for the post-credits scene in the end.
Rating: 8/10
Final Verdict: Forget "Origins", "The Wolverine" is a terrific new entry in the "X-Men" franchise that serves as the Wolverine movie we all wanted.