Serious, subdued and lacking in fun.

Rating: 4/10 (25 July 2013)

Taking place after the events of X-Men 3: The Last Stand, the regenerative beast's second solo outing (set in Japan, but largely shot in Sydney) deals almost exclusively in grief, guilt and seeking a means to an end. If that sounds a bit sombre and unblockbuster-y, then that's because it is. More of a samurai drama than a fantasy action pic, those seeking the usual X- Men tropes – such as huge, CGI-driven set pieces and colourful, mutated characters going at it hammer and tongs – will be very, very disappointed. The action is subdued and rather repetitive, with even the martial arts being somewhat lacklustre and uninventive despite arguably being the centrepiece of the film, whilst, in the movie's biggest flaw, the only other mutant to keep Wolvie company is an underwhelming hench(wo)man played by Russian model Svetlana Khodchenkova. The lack of other "freaks" on screen allows for a deep study into Wolverine's psyche through a patient, meditative story of redemption – which is a noble intention – but regrettably, it also saps the fun right out of proceedings, potentially alienating mainstream X-Men fans along the way. In his seventh appearance as the tormented soul with metal claws, Hugh Jackman has now reached a point where he simply is Wolverine and again attacks the role with the passion we've come to expect, although employing the superb Hiroyuki Sanada (Sunshine, The Last Samurai) in such a short and thankless part goes down as a missed opportunity. Not a bad film if you can shake off expectations based on previous entries into the franchise, but not one I can recommend either.