HUGH Jackman sure owes a great deal of his enduring popularity to the muscular swagger and trademark sideburns of Wolverine.

The Australian actor first donned the Adamantium claws of the hirsute Marvel Comics superhero in the 2000 blockbuster X-Men, not long after an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actor in the National Theatre’s staging of Oklahoma!.

His portrayal of singing cowboy Curly on stage was far removed from the brooding masculinity of Wolverine, but Jackman impressed fans with his physical prowess and deadpan delivery of the scripts one-liners.

He has since bulked up as the mutant warrior on four more occasions, including the disappointing stand-alone feature X-Men Origins: Wolverine and an uncredited cameo in the 2011 prequel, X-Men: First Class.

For this latest instalment, which has tellingly lost any mention of X-Men from the title, director James Mangold draws inspiration from a 1982 comic book storyline set in Japan to strip back the testosterone-fuelled action in favour of soul-searching and romance.

There are still spectacular set pieces including fisticuffs inside and on top of a speeding bullet train but The Wolverine is a welcome change of style and pace for the franchise, and Jackman – nominated for an Oscar earlier this year in Les Miserables – excels in the quieter moments.

There are occasional flashes of humour, like when Logan and Mariko hide out from their pursuers in a love hotel and have to choose between the dungeon, nurse’s office and Martian themed rooms. For the most part though, the storyline is downbeat.

Twists and turns in the plot conceal few surprises and the inclusion of a second mutant is completely unnecessary. An additional screen during the end credits provides the obligatory teaser.