Written by: Kevin Berge
This movie was previously just titled The Wolverine 7: This Time With Less X-Men Extras. (Image Courtesy of: wired.com)
Quick Take: Logan fully embraces all that Wolverine can be as a character, tasked Hugh Jackman to carry a film about pain, sacrifice, and hopelessness. The result is the best film in the X-Men franchise with intense drama and visceral action that all who can stomach the gore will enjoy.
***This is a review for the recently released Logan which is still in theaters. Therefore, the reader is not expected to have seen it yet. Beyond the basic set-up for the film, there will be no spoilers, so all readers can read ahead without worry.***
There have been many great X-Men films over the years, but only Logan stands as a truly great film on its own merit. This post-apocalyptic action-drama western may star X-Men characters, but its influences are more clearly affected by westerns including Shane (which repeatedly cameos in the movie) and 1970s filmmaking.
The finest comic books are not defined by their hero's successes but their failings, driven by the weight they carry. Logan echoes that by following The Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) at the end of his life, almost alone and dying with little hope. Set in 2029, 20 years after the last mutants birth, Logan is one of the last of a dying breed.
He is scarred and weary, trying desperately to keep Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), the last of his friends living, from dying in spite of dangerous mental issues. However, Logan is thrust into action when a young girl Laura (Dafne Keen) is brought under his protection who might be the last remnant of hope for mutant kind and Logan's own humanity.
The X-Men franchise has known what it had with Hugh Jackman since the first film, centralizing the story around him almost to an absurd degree. While that over-reliance hampered the series at times, it is easy to attach to Logan from the start with so much time spent developing Logan as a world-weary man with a heart of gold.
Here, Jackman never has to be likable because the audience already likes him. He can play Logan at his worst, unable to accept himself and his effect on others. He sells a man who has been crippled and lost hope while also being his most visceral in the action scenes, coming off as a true mad dog.
For fans of the series, it should be noted that the R-rating of the film was easily earned with Wolverine's claws used to their fullest. The brutality is well directed to be both intense and never overdone even with a few truly shocking visuals along the way. The violence is a part of the storytelling not the foundation of the movie.
There have been many great X-Men films over the years, but only Logan stands as a truly great film on its own merit. This post-apocalyptic action-drama western may star X-Men characters, but its influences are more clearly affected by westerns including Shane (which repeatedly cameos in the movie) and 1970s filmmaking.
The finest comic books are not defined by their hero's successes but their failings, driven by the weight they carry. Logan echoes that by following The Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) at the end of his life, almost alone and dying with little hope. Set in 2029, 20 years after the last mutants birth, Logan is one of the last of a dying breed.
He is scarred and weary, trying desperately to keep Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), the last of his friends living, from dying in spite of dangerous mental issues. However, Logan is thrust into action when a young girl Laura (Dafne Keen) is brought under his protection who might be the last remnant of hope for mutant kind and Logan's own humanity.
The X-Men franchise has known what it had with Hugh Jackman since the first film, centralizing the story around him almost to an absurd degree. While that over-reliance hampered the series at times, it is easy to attach to Logan from the start with so much time spent developing Logan as a world-weary man with a heart of gold.
Here, Jackman never has to be likable because the audience already likes him. He can play Logan at his worst, unable to accept himself and his effect on others. He sells a man who has been crippled and lost hope while also being his most visceral in the action scenes, coming off as a true mad dog.
For fans of the series, it should be noted that the R-rating of the film was easily earned with Wolverine's claws used to their fullest. The brutality is well directed to be both intense and never overdone even with a few truly shocking visuals along the way. The violence is a part of the storytelling not the foundation of the movie.
You can stop production on the Last of Us movie. It's already been made. (Image Courtesy of: agonybooth.com)
This is not only Jackman's best performance but also Stewart's best as Xavier. The professor has never been more vulnerable, and Stewart is forced to play multiple sides to the character as he shifts from proud anger to adolescent friendliness. Keen has to complete this trio and is a delight to watch even with little said.
James Mangold returns to directing this film after also directing The Wolverine, and there is an extra level of freedom to his direction here that was missed in that film. He is free to unleash Logan as a monster of fear, of rage, and with protective fervor. The cinematography from John Mathieson keeps focus on the faces of the characters rather than taking too many risks, but it works with this character-focused drama.
The writing by Mangold, Scott Frank (Minority Report), and Michael Green (Heroes) captures the emotion at the height of the film though the script may be occasionally too reliant on profanity. The central story is a brilliant build to a climax with several twists along the way that also aid in building up emotion.
Few movies have ever been able to capture a character so fully so late in his run, yet it feels like Logan was always been the end goal. This film stands at the end of a timeline that is largely undefined, abandoning the reset that came with Days of Future Past as well as the decisions of Last Stand.
Still, it matters for what it represents. This is all about the potential of mutant-kind, the embrace of the fear they create as well as the hope they stand behind. This is a vicious and dread-inducing film, yet it is not wholly dark. This is the last ride of a cowboy who has long since given up his watch with the promise that others could stand to take up his mantle.
Logan is a perfect tribute to a character who has dominated the comic book film world for a decade and a half. X-Men will continue with its second cast as well as other offshoots, but this was the true end of the original franchise with Jackman and Stewart allowed to showcase their characters in their truest moments.
James Mangold returns to directing this film after also directing The Wolverine, and there is an extra level of freedom to his direction here that was missed in that film. He is free to unleash Logan as a monster of fear, of rage, and with protective fervor. The cinematography from John Mathieson keeps focus on the faces of the characters rather than taking too many risks, but it works with this character-focused drama.
The writing by Mangold, Scott Frank (Minority Report), and Michael Green (Heroes) captures the emotion at the height of the film though the script may be occasionally too reliant on profanity. The central story is a brilliant build to a climax with several twists along the way that also aid in building up emotion.
Few movies have ever been able to capture a character so fully so late in his run, yet it feels like Logan was always been the end goal. This film stands at the end of a timeline that is largely undefined, abandoning the reset that came with Days of Future Past as well as the decisions of Last Stand.
Still, it matters for what it represents. This is all about the potential of mutant-kind, the embrace of the fear they create as well as the hope they stand behind. This is a vicious and dread-inducing film, yet it is not wholly dark. This is the last ride of a cowboy who has long since given up his watch with the promise that others could stand to take up his mantle.
Logan is a perfect tribute to a character who has dominated the comic book film world for a decade and a half. X-Men will continue with its second cast as well as other offshoots, but this was the true end of the original franchise with Jackman and Stewart allowed to showcase their characters in their truest moments.