It's almost as if they weren't even trying anymore.

Rating: 4/10 (22 December 2013)

First off: Spoilers? Why bother? People don't read reviews for recommendations, whether they should go see the film; they read them to confirm that the movie was as bad as they perceived it.
Now, let me admit: I took the bait willingly, consciously, despite better knowledge or foreboding. Mea culpa, but why break a lifelong habit, even if it's a bad one? I paid my handful of dollars, stood in line with my fellow zombies (some which were muttering something along the lines, "boy, this is going to be worst then the first Wolverine-movie"), filed into those mortuary-halls called cinema and, well, pretty much waited for a miracle. You know what happens to people who wait for miracles? They'll get disappointed because miracles only happen to other people who they know only through hearsay, because miracles defy all logic.
But why would we expect more than the usual, well-worn out action-fare? Why expect scriptwriters to spend valuable time to compose a half-engaging script and fix the most obvious plot holes? Like I said: the suckers (like myself) come cheap and will swallow the bait nevertheless; it takes only the magic words "Wolverine", "Hugh Jackman" and "Sequel".
Obviously, this was meant (or rather marketed) as a deep study of the man-slash-mutant who is indestructible and (possibly) immortal. There was more depth and insight into the Wolverine-character in those scenes, where Wolverine and Rogue drive in Wolverines pick-up-truck in the first movie. The dream-sequences with Jean Grey, as pointless and tedious as they were – there was more depth in Mystiques and Wolverines cameo-appearances in the First-Class-movies (and, forgive me the wordplay, "more class"). A movie where Wolverine looses his powers and spends a good deal of the time bleeding, hurting and whining, isn't that what we all rooted for? Like the last Highlander-film, where the immortals loose their immortality and that Future-Superman-film, when Superman will loose his powers through an overdose of kryptonite? And as for the "antagonist" Silver Samurai: Did we really expect that rather interesting character from the comics to make an appearance or did we fore-smell that it would be the obvious: A huge, Transformer-like robot made of Adamantium, with grandfather sitting inside? Don't get me started on the Viper-character; neither "actress" nor character is worth the electronic ink.
I could go on with a list of complaints, but feel that this has been covered by a good percentage of reviewers (and why even bother writing another review? Like I mentioned: I stick to my bad habits, which include writing reviews about the last X-Men-movie I saw). Let me just state one more observation: the haircut they gave Jackman was ridiculous and reminded me more of some old The Three Stooges clip.
Plus: one reason I have rooted for this film was Hiroyuki Sanada, whom I consider one of the finest actors that Japan has produced in recent years and – given time and the right roles – might one day become something like the Asian Christopher Lee. What on earth was I dreaming, thinking or smoking, believing for one second that his role or talent might not be utterly wasted? By the end of the film, I had convinced myself that I had come to the cinema for one sole reason: the after-credit-scene. Surely, Magneto and Dr. X would have a cameo in this scene. They did. Neither of them aged very well (but then again, who does?) Maybe Magneto will fix Wolverines horribly stumpy claws in the next movie, maybe they'll put a little more effort into the next X-Men-movie and allow the Wolverine-franchise to fade away.
Or maybe I'm just being naïve.
4/10