A solid, no-frills entry in the superhero canon, "The Wolverine" focuses on telling a solid story rather than crafting effects-heavy fight sequences.
"The Wolverine" starts up after the events of "X-Men: The Last Stand," which may be jarring to viewers that believe this to be a sequel to 2009's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine." Logan (Hugh Jackman in his career-making role) is racked with guilt surrounding the battle of San Francisco, which ended with him killing fellow X-Man (and potential love) Jean Grey (Famke Janssen). He dreams about her nightly, wonderful dreams about what may have been between them, but they always end as nightmares.
When the employee (Rila Fukushima) of a man named Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi), whom Logan saved years before in Japan, approaches him with an offer, Logan travels to Japan and ponders Yashida's enticing offer: to remove his "curse" of immortality.
Logan's choice leads to him mixing it up with members of the Yakuza, the Japanese mafia, as well as the mutant Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova), who has poisonous venom and a connection to Yashida in protecting Yashida's granddaughter, Mariko (Tao Okamoto).
Of course, "The Wolverine" is chock full of classic action-movie tropes, from Wolverine playing the quiet loner, stranger-in-a-strange-land role, with an unavailable woman he's interested in, to characters who are more than they seem to be. In a lesser movie, we might call them cliches.
At this point for Jackman, Wolverine is a second skin. Now in his fifth film (six, if you count his cameo in "X-Men: First Class"), Jackman has little new to bring to the character. Still, he amps up the guilt this time around for a character who is already carrying a lot on his shoulders.
But he somehow feels fresh and revitalized here, getting almost a new beginning. Being away from the other X-Men allows him to unleash his animal side a bit more, but he is still changed by his experiences. It's arguably his best portrayal of Wolverine yet.
Unlike "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," the script doesn't get bogged down with pointless mutant cameos or a barrage of gimmicky villains. Instead, it's played straight, with Logan playing the role of a ronin (rogue samurai), an arc played up throughout the film.
That's not to say there's no action; there are several thrilling chase and fight scenes, including one atop a Japanese bullet train, and the climactic battle, which offers a new, worthy adversary from the comics for Wolverine to take on.
That isn't to say there is no connection to previous and/or upcoming films. Jean's involvement offers a tangible connection to the past, and a post-credits "stinger" offers a glimpse of what's to come in next year's "X-Men: Days of Future's Past," a tantalizing story that bridges both X-generations.
"The Wolverine" may not be as sexy a film as "The Avengers" or as high-profile as "Man of Steel," but it's entertaining and engaging, which is more than you can say for most movies this summer.