This is the Wolverine we all love.

Rating: 7/10 (27 August 2013)

Okay let's get it out of the way. X-Men Origins: Wolverine was a train wreck. It took one of Marvel's biggest and best heroes and turned his face value down a few notches. This is not the case with The Wolverine. This was the movie that the character deserved from day one.
Has any actor ever fit their respective superhero role better than Hugh Jackman as Wolverine? Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man maybe, but even more than him, Jackman has been solidified as the only actor that could ever play the mutant bad ass. This movie finally shows off Jackman in full, giving him nearly 100 percent of the screen time and letting Jackman let loose in arguably his best performance as Logan/Wolverine yet. I wish Hugh Jackman could stay young forever to play Wolverine for eternity, and this movie shows why he will forever be the greatest Wolverine.
The story is, to say the least, a major upgrade from Origins. Wolverine is shown as a man who's gone rouge and is requested to travel to Japan to visit an old friend. Eventually, Logan becomes engaged in a mission to protect Mariko Yashida, the grand daughter of Logan's old friend. Logan runs into some awesome action scenes where the total brute force of Wolverine is unleashed. The story also sees Logan battling with his inner demons, and the occasional cameo from his deceased love interest Jean Grey shows that Logan is contemplating death to reunite with his lost love. It is a different side of Wolverine that we haven't seen before and the movie benefits from it. The Viper ends up making an appearance as a side villain, and eventually the movie concludes with a satisfying final battle scene. The story of the movie was engaging and exciting, giving Wolverine the story he needed 4 years ago.
The Wolverine wouldn't be anything without action, and there is lots of it. Hugh Jackman's ageless body comes out swinging hard, right from the first time he pops his claws out and you get that awesome sensation that it's about to go down. The action scenes are fun and varied, the highlight being a battle on a super-speed train that sees Wolverine use his smarts, as well as revealing something different from the hero. Without going into to deep of spoilers, Logan is eventually faced with his healing ability being stripped from him, making for a much deeper character than just a bash and claw guy. However, this doesn't stop Logan from doing what he does best, kicking total ass. All in all, the action is splendid. Even a few major clichéd one liners are delivered that in probably any other movie would be criticized, but for Wolverine, they were awesome.
This is what I wanted from my Wolverine movie 4 years ago. A movie solely focused on the title character, that showed him mowing baddies down while providing me with an interesting story that kept me interested the whole time. Some of Wolverine's best stories have come from his adventures in Japan, and I'm glad that writers Mark Bomback and Scott Frank, along with director James Mangold, used Japan as the setting for this movie.
Hugh Jackman is the Wolverine. No other actor could fit the role better, and for all of the films and the 13 years Jackman as put into the character, it's extremely rewarding to see him in the movie that everyone wants. The Wolverine is a total blast, and stick around for an after-credits scene that had me jumping out of my seat for joy as it sets the stage for the next X-Men movie.
8.5/10 (added my own 0.5)