‘Wolverine’ almost gets its claws into hero’s soul

For a sturdy 90 minutes, one of Marvel comic’s most intriguing creations is served well by director James Mangold’s “The Wolverine.”

The popular X-Men teammate with the razor claws, scalding temper and deepseated angst is presented with a substantial story line, one that at least initially prefers character and narrative depth over nonstop action. In its opening moments, “The Wolverine” — with Hugh Jackman reprising a role that fits him as snugly as his undershirt — manages to wash away the stain of 2009’s misguided mess of a first solo set piece, “X-Men Origins — Wolverine.”

This more focused, more dark-hued narrative gets its creative spark from a Frank Miller/ Chris Claremont 1980s comic series, which refreshingly uproots our depressed half-man/half-beast from his woodsy Canadian environs and sends him to Japan.

Saddled with a reality he hates and living for the dreams in which he meets up with his dead wife Jean (Famke Janssen), Wolverine spends much of his time stuck between the bottom of a bottle and despair. The juicy role once again gives Jackman an opportunity to show off his acting chops as well as his preposterously buff body.

Wolver i ne’s wal l owing ways change, however, when the tough, magentahaired Yukio (Rila Fukushima) comes calling at the behest of Kenuichio Harada (Will Yuen Lee), a wealthy dying man whose life Wolverine saved during the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Shaggy and shabby, Wolverine arrives in Tokyo and is plunked into dangerous family politics and drama that have an Akira Kurosawa/ Shakespearean feel to them.

The fresh setting and family feuding serve the Wolverine saga well and set the stage for a well-defined culture clash. Those two elements are gracefully woven together by screenwriters Mark Bomback (“Live Free or Die Hard”) and Scott Frank (“Marley & Me”) when Wolverine becomes involved with granddaughter Marko (Tao Okamoto), a target of the yakuza and others after her granddad dies. At this point, it’s a story that plays into hefty themes of mortality, even suicide.

But those higher ideals never get fully realized. While director Mangold (“Walk the Line”) handles the drama with ease, he’s less assured with the action sequences, no huge surprise, considering his resume. But while a brawl atop a bullet train does have its exciting moments, the 3-D makes it look phony and ridiculous. In fact, the 3-D here is unwarranted. Save your money.

The ending is even more problematic, shifting into superhero mode as if on autopilot and trying for a surprise that is anything but.

True to form in Marvel movies, there’s a worthwhile extra bit as the credits roll, so stay in your seats. That one little teaser — to the upcoming “X-Men: Days of Future Past” movie — whets our appetite for something better on the horizon and gives us hope.

Is it possible one day Hollywood will grab Wolverine by the scruff of the neck and give him the stand-alone movie he deserves? Hard to say for sure, but at least “The Wolverine” moves that idea forward in a promising trajectory. ‘THE WOLVERINE’ **½

20TH CENTURY FOX This publicity image released by 20th Century Fox shows Hugh Jackman in a scene from “The Wolverine.”