The Wolverine

**_Atypical superhero movie_**

"The Wolverine" (2013) takes place after "X-Men 3: The Last Stand" (2006) and focuses on Logan in Japan. It's reminiscent of Chris Claremont & Frank Miller's original 1982 4-part Wolverine miniseries.

Like that miniseries, the film is very atypical for comic book superheroes. It plays out more like a James Bond flick, sort of a modern version of "You Only Live Twice", than a conventional superhero flick. Logan (Hugh Jackman) never appears in an outlandish costume, nor do any other characters, except Viper, and hers isn't all that outlandish.

The beginning is great -- the World War II prologue and the Yukon sequences. I also enjoyed the Japanese locations and culture, as well as the focus on drama mixed with stellar bouts of comic book action. Unfortunately, I found the story only moderately interesting, which is the main reason I rate the film as mediocre as I do. It just isn't all that captivating.

I really liked the character of Yukio (Rila Fukushima), and Hiroyuki Sanada makes a quality antagonist, but I found Mariko (Tao Okamoto) and Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova) rather bland. The Silver Samurai also appears in an armored suit a la Iron Man or War Machine and comes across as typical for this type of fare.

In addition, Famke Janssen appears as Jean Grey. She's fine in the role, but she never tripped my trigger. The best lookin' woman in the entire film, believe it or not, is the cashier who talks to Logan briefly in Yukon.

I thought 2009's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" was better than this one. Despite the cartoony opening, it had more depth and was way more compelling. Still, "The Wolverine" is a solid depiction of Wolverine's adventures in Japan.

The film runs 2 hours and 6 minutes.

GRADE: C+/B-