Like all superhero sagas, the X-Men series has had its hits and its near-misses. Of all five films so far, “X-2” and “X-Men First Class” in particular stand out. Each is a fresh, original story; taking a swing into unexpected directions with great acting and brilliant special effects. But before First Class, we had the unfortunate spectacle of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” With a confusing story-line and some rather poor performances; it all but destroyed the mythos of the Wolverine character. So, if there is at least one thing to take away from the latest installment, “The Wolverine,” is that it is at least better than this first film.

“The Wolverine” begins during World War II, when we first see our hero Logan aka Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman. Ever the hero from the start, he uses his unique healing powers to save the life of a Japanese soldier named Shingen Yashida during the bombing of Nagasaki. Fast forward 70 years. Wolverine is still recovering from his last escapade, during which he had to kill Jean Grey, the woman he loves (see X-Men 3). To be fair, she was kind of asking for it, what with her mass murdering and all. So, Wolverine is now living as a traveling nomad in the woods of the Yukon territory. He is soon found by Yukio, a precognitive Japanese mutant who works for, who else, but Yashida. Now a dying old man, Yashida wishes to help Wolverine. In return for saving his life, he will make him mortal. Not sure why that would be a good thing, but that’s for us to find out as the film proceeds.

Wolverine, of course, refuses the offer. But, mysteriously, he loses his powers anyway. It is here that “The Wolverine” finally lives up to the hype, at least to some extent. We get to see that rare bit that is only seen occasionally in superhero movies: a superhero without his powers. In this situation, they are often like a fish out of water. Think back to “Spider-Man 2,” when Peter Parker decides to stop being Spider-Man, and his powers soon follow. Wolverine is much the same here. He gets shot, stabbed, cut, sliced, and hurt in every way possible. He is suddenly tired from walking too much, and very often winces in pain. Come on, you would too if you’ve never had to deal with a single cut or bruise your entire life. Hugh Jackman plays this role perfectly, almost as well as he did in “X-2,” which remains the best film for his character. When Wolverine is powerful, we feel the energy in his performance, and equally so when he loses his powers and becomes vulnerable. Wolverine was basically invincible before, but now he has to watch his back. It’s an interesting change to see, as it adds a level of humanness to the character that we had not yet seen before. At times, though, he unbelievably just walks off what should be a very serious injury, especially during one scene when he is bouncing around on a train roof with a Yakuza samurai, which occurs almost immediately after being shot twice in the chest. If you overlook this type of thing, though, it’s not too difficult to enjoy “The Wolverine.”

Although we have some decent performances, including Rila Fukushima as Yukio, and Tao Okamoto as Mariko Yashida, the granddaughter of the man Wolverine saved; what will really be remembered here is the action. When Wolverine is in his prime, he doesn’t hold back, and we get some great fights as a result. The character goes into a “berseker” rage quite often, which for those of you who don’t know the comics, it is when Wolverine completely gives way to his animal instincts, and angrily lashes out at anything and anyone around him. At one point, he takes on an entire Japanese samurai army, who, unfortunately for them, cannot regenerate in the same way as Wolverine. “What kind of monster are you?” he is asked at one point. Without missing a beat, his response also provides the name of the film: “The Wolverine.”

Although the final scene of the film mostly provides that action-thrill need, for some reason I was still unsatisfied. There’s nothing specific that I would add or change, but I wouldn’t go out on a limb and say that I highly recommend this film at the same time. For “X-Men: First Class,” on the other hand, I was immediately raving for the series, hoping that this would be the template from which all future X-Men films would emerge. “The Wolverine” doesn’t quite live up to this, but it is at least a fun, watchable action film; ranking somewhere between the worst and the best. And, if you do see this, be sure to stay tuned for a special after-credits peek at “Days of Future Past,” which will premiere in 2014.