Logan
Hugh Jackman has been Wolverine, aka Logan, for close to 2 decades. Logan marks Jackman’s last (supposed) go around as the iconic super hero and first in a rated R film. And if you were wondering what a R rated Wolverine would look like, you don’t have to wait long to find out that it’s pretty awesome.
The violence isn’t excessive, but it’s extreme and if you’re an action fan, very entertaining. It also appears that Jackman is making up for lost time, letting F bombs fly like he is hanging out with Jordan Belford. But the cursing doesn’t feel out of place. It fits the character and emotion of the film, kind of like he has been holding it in for years and finally says, F*#K IT.
Logan tells the story of a near future, post mutant world that finds our former heroes have fallen from grace. Logan and Charles Xavier aka Professor X (Patrick Stewart), who both look like they have been through some serious shirt, have gone underground after the two have started to lose a grip on their powers and therefore, their lives. As the first new mutant of the past 2 decades emerges, the two are forced out of hiding and depart on their version of a buddy road trip to save the mysterious girl Laura, played by Dafne Keen.
Although based on and around comic book characters, this movie did not have a “comic book” feel to it. There was a gritty realness that felt more grounded and much more emotional that what we have come to expect.
This deep emotion felt was due in part to some truly riveting performances. Since the file was not packed with characters, director James Mangold as able to dive deeper and focus on the character of Logan. Showing the humanity of the Wolverine and his struggle to come to terms with loss, on many levels. And if this truley is Jackman’s final time in the claws, he goes out on top.
Dafne Keen (who is only 12!) gave a fantastic performance as Laura that really builds up as the movie progressed. But the stand out of the film to me was Patrick Stewart, he is tremendous. Giving his best portrayal of the beloved Professor X, Stewart played a grieving, vulnerable, and torched man, imprisoned by his greatest strength, his mind. This drastic departure for the Charles Xavier we have come to know really hit hard and was riveting to watch.
As the film progressed, I did find myself wanting a bit more from the X-Men universe that I grew up with. We don’t really know how we got here or what happened to the other X-Men. This never became a major distraction, but a couple more callbacks and cameos would have help satisfy that curiosity and allowed the focus to remain fully on the story at hand. With that said, Logan is completely self-contained, not relying on other movies to prop it up.
So, you should see this movie if…
- You have seen all 8 of Wolverine’s on screen appearance so shit, might as well make it 9
- You dying to see anything Deadpool, even if it’s just Ryan Reynolds’s blurry ass
OR
- You’re looking for a gritty, bloody, action packed movie that surprisingly has emotional weight to it
Rating: 4/5
