IT seems so long ago that the 'summer blockbuster' was limited to a couple of big films from rival film studios which showed off the latest and most exciting developments in computer generated technology.

The rise of the superhero movie has changed the game, and summer has really become the latest instalments of the comic book universe.

Given there are multiple version of each major character, and crossovers from one franchise to another, there are an infinite amount of these kinds of films that could be made – and then they can “reboot” it when it gets a bit stale, or if the first attempt goes wrong as you can see films like Fantastic Four and the Batman series.

The Wolverine, not to be confused with X Men Origins: Wolverine, is the latest in the X Men universe to see the light of day.

Logan aka Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), a mutant with the power to heal his body from any kind of fatal or serious injury, is living rough after the events of X Men 3, when he killed the woman he loved, Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) to stop her wreaking havoc on the world.

His whole body is also encased in a metal called adamantium, and he doesn’t age very much, which essentially makes him indestructible.

A dying Japanese technology billionaire Yahsida (Hal Yamanouchi) wants to harness Wolverine’s power, which will allow him to live a normal life, in recompense for Logan saving his life when the Hiroshima bomb was dropped.

Logan travels to Japan, when the plans of his old friend are hijacked by his disinherited son and villainous mutant Viper (Svetlana Khodchenkova) and he has to confront his own mortality.

It seems there are a lot of films coming out recently that promise to be really good, but just fall short of the mark and The Wolverine is one of them.

What starts off as a really interesting character piece, descends into a final act action showdown, where the plot goes out of the window and Wolverine does what he does best.

The character doesn’t quite do enough to merit your emotional engagement- especially as you know he basically can’t die.

Jackman is, however, great as always as the titular anti-hero, and there is a touching love story.

For fans of X Men, there is also a credits sequence that does make the price of the ticket worthwhile.

For everyone else these films are starting to get a little tired and unoriginal.

7/10 Andrew Shepherd