Dares to go small... and loses

Rating: 6/10 (27 July 2013)

Epic scale, wide scope and large scale destruction have become par for the course in the genre of big budget Summer comic book movies, with each new film seemingly trying to top the previous one. But this Summer we've seen two of these so-called popcorn movies take a very non-traditional approach to blockbuster entertainment.
The first was 'Iron Man 3'. Yes the final act had its share of 'Things go boom!' carnage, but for most of its running time it was a smaller and more personal story than its predecessors (It also wasn't very good). And now we can add 'The Wolverine', another character-centric comic book movie where its not the entire world in the balance, but instead one man's world. That man—or mutant—is Logan, AKA Wolverine. Hugh Jackman returns to the role for the sixth time (if you count his memorable cameo in 'X-Men: First Class'), and he's in fine form. By now he has this character down cold, and his barely contained rage and intensity help to carry this film just above the slog that it otherwise is.
It's beautifully shot and often very thoughtful, but neither the action nor the half-baked story are propulsive enough to make us care. The Wolverine is yet another dud in the "Summer of disappointment".