The Skid Reviewer
In some ways, Logan is the Wolverine film that many fans have long awaited, replete with a heavy dose of R-rated violence, adult language and earth-shattering, gut-wrenching revelations.
And yet, Hugh Jackman’s final appearance as the X-Man that made him famous also serves as a meditation on the very nature of superhero stories and the comic-book movie genre itself.
Based loosely on the Old Man Logan storyline from the comics, the film takes place in a future that’s not quite post-apocalyptic, but sure seems to be teetering on the edge. Mutants have all but vanished from the population, and the few that remain appear to be in hiding. That includes Logan and a diminished, ancient, and mentally deteriorating Professor Xavier.
The return of Patrick Stewart to the role is one of the hugely satisfying aspects of Logan, as the revered thespian finally gets to bring a true depth to the character -- if in a distinctly new way. His Professor X has always been mostly sidelined in the movies, but not in Logan: Sometimes tragic, sometimes hilarious, this is an Xavier you’ve never seen before.
With Logan, Director James Mangold looks to push the boundaries of the superhero movie genre and even question it. There are no colorful costumes in Logan, no crazy, CGI-fueled threats from up above. In their place are just the four-color comics that Laura reads, and which Logan scoffs at as mere confections that skew what life was really like for the X-Men. In fact, the world of Logan seems eerily like an extension of our own -- if one or two steps worse off.
The film has plenty of action set pieces that impress not just in the bloody, ruthless slicing and dicing that Wolverine finally gets to do, but also because of the more inventive spins they sometimes put on the characters’ powers.
One particular standout is an extended and intense sequence where Logan must slowly fight his way through one of Xavier’s paralyzing psionic episodes -- it’s a scene that has to be experienced firsthand for its full, visceral effect in order to be truly appreciated.
Dafne Keen who plays X-23, shares a special bond with Logan, and the young actress is perfectly cast in the make-it-or-break-it role. She’s a vicious berserker, but Mangold and his co-writer Scott Frank also give her a dose of wry humor, particularly in her interactions with Wolverine, and a warmth that makes her much more than just another action figure. As popular as X-23 is in some fan circles, the character isn’t just stunt casting in Logan; the connection between her and Logan comes to inform the latter’s character arc over the past nine X-movies and truly is the bedrock of this film.
Boyd Holbrook and Richard E. Grant play the main villains in the film as Donald Pierce and Zander Rice respectively, who both were integral in Laura’s life before she joined Wolverine. Holbrook is scary and funny at times as a sort of evil fan boy who looks back at the old days when mutants roamed the earth like a kid flicking through a baseball card collection, though Grant unfortunately doesn’t have a ton to do aside from dropping some exposition which ties a few disparate plot points together in the final act.
That’s fine though, because the film is all about Jackman, Stewart and Keen.
Mangold doesn’t pull any punches when dealing with how this group has reached this point in their lives, what has happened to the rest of the world’s mutants (and the X-Men), and where it’s all leading. It’s a refreshing take on the modern comic-book movie, where all bets are off and no holds are barred. That, combined with Mangold’s Western influenced styling but also a willingness to still INSERT IGNORE sci-fi elements, adds up to a thrilling, one-of-a-kind experience.
Logan is in many ways an emotional, heavy picture, but it’s also an uplifting one that reminds us that it’s okay to fight for something more, something better.
It’s an amazing swan song for the Wolverine character, and for Jackman, and perhaps the best X-Men movie yet.
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(The Skid Reviewer is a YouTube channel run by two comic book fans from Nagaland who make videos about anything that catches their fancy)