Hugh Jackman returns as the iconic Logan/Wolverine in “The Wolverine.” (Photo credit: Twentieth Century Fox)

‘The Wolverine’ restores faith in X-Men movies

See, was that so hard? Was it so difficult to imagine that a man who may possibly live forever may have a traumatic past or constant nightmares? Was it such a stretch to think a man, no matter his mutant abilities, might have emotions, fears, dreams, a story? Thankfully, “The Wolverine” manages to do just that, and it came not a moment too soon.

A sequel to his first solo outing as the iconic X-Man, Logan (Hugh Jackman), better known as the Wolverine, returns in heroic fashion to save a summer full of awful blockbuster-wannabes. That in and of itself is the first notable mention: After the lackluster flop that was “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” not much was expected for the sequel, directed by James Mangold, who made the much-maligned “Knight and Day.” “Origins” was comical, and not in a good way.

But in “Wolverine,” Mangold redeems both himself and the solo act, casting Logan as a character piece with multifaceted components. He pulls from the source material — “The Wolverine” story arc from the comic-book miniseries written by Chris Claremont and drawn by Frank Miller — in a way that comes across as fresh without deviating so much you wonder what story this is.

“Wolverine” picks up after 2006’s “X-Men: The Last Stand,” in which Logan was forced to slay his love, Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) in order to save the world from her out-of-control personality issues. The X-Men have gone their separate ways, and Logan goes full nature-man on us, growing out a gnarly beard and looking more distraught than ever. Then, as is typical in these types of action flicks, a man from Logan’s past — Japan, no less — seeks an audience. So Logan jet-sets to the other side of the world.

Right from the plane’s arrival, there’s a sense that Logan is in a world in which he feels even more out of place. Which says something, since the Wolverine hasn’t really ever fit in anywhere. It’s a nice departure from the hero having the home-field advantage.

When Logan arrives, he finds himself in the middle of a multi-generational power struggle involving a wealthy family. Barriers and cultural differences abound, complicating the already complicated issues Logan needs to navigate. Oh, and the ninjas. And the samurais. And the Yakuza. We can’t forget about those.

Also being obviously mysterious, a strikingly blonde doctor (Svetlana Khodchenkova) just flitters in the background, every so often doing something “unnatural.”

Then there’s the action. And, oh man, there is some action going here (with some well-crafted setpieces to go with them). There’s the intense fight atop the frighteningly fast bullet train barreling through the country. The film throws new and different fights and enemies at Logan, forcing him to change his tactics. And it doesn’t help then when he loses his famed healing abilities, leaving him just as mortal as the rest of us.

Well-choreographed and stitched together, Mangold deserves some major credit for the seamless action. And the script — co-written by Mark Bomback and Scott Frank — is engaging and tightly focus on a narrative level, which isn’t really typical in this genre. The characters who both help and hinder our hero are well-placed and deeper than your average sidekicks. There’s tThe red-haired Yukio (Rila Fukushima), who has been likened to an real-life anime character and who offers to serve as his bodyguard; the distressed Mariko (Tao Okamoto), who contends with her abusive father; and Harada (Will Yun Lee), who has sworn to protect Mariko’s life.

WHile these acts may normally just be filler while we’re waiting for the next explosion or myriad Logan-shirtless-while-fighting-ninjas scene, here it works as an investment in the characters and the story. It makes all of it so much more enjoyable because you have a vested interest. And yes, the ending is a bit ridiculous (do stay for the after-credit scene, which will blow your mind), it’s easily forgiven when the rest of the film picks up the slack.

Maybe more surprisingly because it was a bit unexpected, “The Wolverine” is entertaining and sharp. Almost as sharp as our hero’s epic claws.

Three ninja-fighting stars out of five.