The Wolverine sees Logan travel to Tokyo to visit a dying old man, Yashida, played in old age by Haruhiko Yamanouchi, whom he saved from the A-bomb as a young prison guard, played by Ken Yamamura, when it dropped on Nagasaki in World War 2. A nefarious plot involving the Yakuza trying to kill Yashida's grand-daughter, Mariko (Tao Okamoto), leads for a blossoming romance between Hugh Jackman's Logan and Okamoto's Mariko, while we also arguably learn more about Logan himself than in any other X-Men film previously, showing his nightmares involving former lover Jean Grey, whom Logan *SPOILER ALERT* killed in X-Men 3 after she went ape-s%&@ *SPOILER OVER*. The Japan we see here is pretty much the usual fare, with ceremony and honour very precedent, as well as the very awesome ninja gang led by Will Yun Lee's Harada, called the Black Ninja Gang.
The Wolverine has many important characters, who all help the story along and not many of them are under-written, except possibly for Svetlana Khodchenkova's Viper, the scheming Poison Ivy-esque villainess who pulls the strings somewhat. Several of the supporting characters could be considered the villain, and the actual big bad's motives are a bit murky, however, for the sake of it being a BIG spoiler, I shan't divulge any further.
The action scenes in this film are a joy to behold. From the opening scene showing the dropping of the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, which is a genuinely brilliant moment in cinema, to the attack at the funeral, which is brilliantly choreographed and written, director James Mangold emphasises the strengths of Wolverine as a character through the removal of his greatest strength, his regeneration ability. This leads to a lot more unexpected threat than you'd expect with an immortal character such as Wolverine. A set-piece on the bullet train stands out as the highlight of the film, though there are many enjoyable elements to the rest of the film, with every fight progressing the story and not just action for action's sake, which is common in many superhero blockbusters.
Overall, The Wolverine is a very steady and enjoyable film, though it may have a few plot holes and "why is he doing this, again?" moments, but it doesn't come anywhere near the crapness of Origins. Also, stay around for an end credits teaser of the forthcoming X-Men film, Days Of Future Past.
Score: 6.5/10
