Movie Review: The Wolverine (+trailer)

The opening scenes of The Wolverine are promising.

Movie-goers are transferred to a World War II Japanese war camp in Nagasaki seconds before it's destroyed by an overhead atomic bomb drop.

Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is chained and trapped in an underground cell but freed by soldier Yashida who inadvertently discovers the mutant's ability to heal himself.

Decades later, Wolverine is hiding out in the mountains living an alcoholic lifestyle of isolation and haunted by nightmares and his desire never to rip people to shreds again.

But when a bunch of red-neck hunters shoot a grizzly bear with a poison arrow all hell breaks loose.

The bar scene battle is impressive - so is the introduction of punk girl sword fighter Yukio (Rila Fukushima), who has been sent by her boss Yashida to find Wolverine.

Her show-stealing performance may give you the strength to watch it to the closing credits.

Billionaire Yashida is on death's door and wants to steal his immortality but lures him to Tokyo under the guise he wants to thank him.

The complicated plot involves a power play for Yashida's business empire centred around his granddaughter Mariko (Tao Okamoto), who is going to inherit the lot against her father's wishes.

The samurai-inspired flick quickly turns into a drawn-out saga that takes ninja fighting to farcical levels.

Wolverine also has to contend with another mutant who has poisonous viper powers.

The Wolverine is the prequel to the successful X-men movies but has fallen flat.

The dialogue is comical in places and the scene on top of the speeding bullet train almost makes you feel like it may have been better if he'd fallen off.

The Wolverine

(M) 126 minutes

Rating: 2.5 / 5