The 2017
movie “Logan” marks the end of
legacy, the final portrayal of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, and it’s about time
he got an Oscar nod for his iconic portrayal. Seriously, Hugh Jackman as
Wolverine is one of the great, long lasting character performances in movie
history. For 17 years he’s brought the famous comic book hero to life, has
given consistently solid performances, and still, no one is asking for him to
leave. This is a special case in which it’s the actors choice to end his
character in a blaze of glory, rather than drag it through the mud and get
tired. Obviously Wolverine was already the main hero of the X-Men films, but
he’s such an iconic hero that he really disserved his own stand alone series. Typically
when you have an A-list actor playing an iconic superhero in a successful
blockbuster franchise, things often get the exact same reception. Usually the
first film is regarded as a classic, the second is a solid continuation, and
the third spoils everything. Well, in the case of Hugh Jackman’s stand alone
Wolverine trilogy, the exact opposite happened. His first solo movie titled “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” is widely
regarded as one of the worst action movies of the past decade. His second solo movie
titled “The Wolverine” wasn’t
perfect but was regarded as largely superior. Now we have his third solo movie
titled “Logan”, which has been
unanimously praised as not only the best “Wolverine”
or “X-Men” movie by far, but
possibly one of the all time greatest comic-book adapted movies ever made. Now
just like with “X-Men Apocalypse”,
I’ll be basing this review on my own personal opinion, and not what everyone
else says. With all that addressed, let’s talk about “Logan”, the conclusion of “Wolverine’s”
solo film series, and the tenth installment in the “X-Men” movie Franchise.
One great thing about Wolverines film
series is that each movie has its own set tone, and represents a different
genera. The first movie was a superhero origin story, the second was a Japanese
martial arts film, and this third movie is done in the style of a Western. It
even makes direct reference to the 1953 classic “Shane”, which I personally watched with my dad at a young age. As
such it was very nostalgic to see how that movie actually plays into the theme
of this film. The year is 2029, a biological agent is killing off the mutant
race, with no new mutants born in the past 25 years, and the X-Men have been
regarded as heroes of old. We meet the old-man version of Wolverine, who’s lost
most of his healing powers due to the bio toxin, and is slowly being poisoned
by his own metal skeleton. He’s also taking care of a withering Professor X
who’s suffering from Alzheimer’s or some kind of mental deterioration. The two
have basically given up all hope, and are ready to just die already.
Fortunately for them, a mysterious little girl suddenly comes into their lives,
and subsequently gives them something they both previously lost, which is a
family. It’s revealed that she is Wolverines daughter, or at the very least the
23rd attempt to clone someone from our hero’s DNA. Thus she’s branded as X-23, and
apparently is every bit like her old man, right down to raped healing, sharp
claws, and a temper to match. Now a reluctant Wolverine must embark on a
mission to take this child to a safe-haven called Eden, before an evil group of
cybernetic solders and doctors called the Reavers get to her first.
As far as performances are concerned Hugh
Jackman and Patrick Stewart have never shined brighter than in this film. Both
have always been respectable in the roles of Wolverine and Professor X, but
this time they both add a great deal of emotional wait to the film, as both
characters are at the end of their ropes. Hugh Jackman’s performance speaks for
itself, and I really believe he disserves an Oscar nod for his work. Patrick
Stewart is frighteningly good this time around as Professor X, infusing the
character with pathos, as well as an over the top crazy side, and the same warm
humbleness we’ve come to admire from the character. There’s several moments
near the end in which his performance brought back memories of my own late
grandfather, and I couldn’t help but feel touched. Even some of the smaller
side characters like the mutant Caliban are played very well, and add something
to the film. Of course the big break-out character is X-23, played by new comer
Dafne Keen. I’ve been a long time fan of this character, and was beyond
thrilled to finally see her shine in a live action movie alongside Wolverine.
The young actress Dafne Keen is phenomenal in the role, and a real discovery.
You wouldn’t think an unknown child actress could hold her own acting alongside
seasoned talents like Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart, but she nailed it ...
nailed the shit out of it! This wasn’t an easy role either, as the character
doesn’t speak much, and has to convey everything through her emotions. Whenever
she shoots a look it’s like piercing daggers, but she also conveys just the
right amount of sympathy to balance out her more beastly side.
Unfortunately, just like every other
Wolverine movie, the villains aren’t very good, and this time are just plain
forgettable. The main villain is a mechanical armed soldier named Pierce, and
he’s a bad guy taken right off the shelf. Nothing original, nothing menacing,
and he felt like a product from an 80’s action film. I’ll at least give the
actor Boyd Holbrook some credit, as he played the role well, and looked like he
was having fun as this clichéd evil cowboy stereotype. Also, as an X-Men fan,
I’ve never really cared for the Reavers, but I do like how they were handled in
the film. I like that their cybernetic details are very mild, so they can
function as threats without off-putting the films more down to earth tone. There’s
also this completely random evil doctor named Rice, who has some vague
connection to a character Wolverine apparently killed in one of the previous
films. This is the one character who I think should have been completely
removed from the film, as he did nothing and was very boring every time he was
on screen. Wait a second, I just noticed something about the cast. Over the past
five X-Men movies, this is the first one that doesn’t feature any cast members
from the “Game of Thrones” alumni
... that’s crazy.
At last we have an evil Wolverine clone
who’s also played by Hugh Jackman, and I have some mixed feels about this guy.
On the one hand, I like what the character represents, that Wolverines greatest
fight comes in the form of himself if he’d abandoned all humanity, and was a
completely savage animal. This evil Wolverine is also utilized in effectively
frightening ways, and one little detail I love is that his facial hair
resembles Sabertooth from the first Wolverine movie. The problem is that this
character didn’t seem to leave much of an impact on our hero, and he just
seemed to lack the tension required when having the older Logan battle his
younger self. There was never a moment when the real Logan sat down and thought
to himself that he’d have to face a younger, more aggressive version of himself,
and if he even stood a chance. I also didn’t like that the evil Wolverine never
spoke, and was just a puppet for the two boring human villains. I think this
movie would have benefitted greatly by giving the evil Wolverine clone his own
characterization, and motivation, rather than just being a tool. Maybe he
thought of himself as the real Wolverine, and old man Logan was just an echo
that needed to be silenced, just little things like that would have made this
character more interesting.
The fights with X-23 are also sensational, and I
have to give serious props to the little girl doing all the stunt work. Also,
coming off the heels of the super powered, special effects driven battles from
the previous “X-Men Apocalypse”, it
was a genuine breath of fresh air to see smaller scale action, with practical
stunt work, practical effects, and a great use of surrounding environments. One
of my favorite moments comes during a car chance. Our hero’s are in a vehicle
heading toured a fence at high speed, the driver shouts “Hang On!”, and in a
great twist, they actually can’t crash through it. Instead they have to back
up, and drag the chain link fence along with them, and I absolutely love little
touches like that. Oh, and of course this movie is ratted R, and its hard R.
While the 2013 movie “The Wolverine”
had a light R ratted version on Blue Ray, this was the first theatrical
Wolverine movie to get a really violent make over, and it’s mostly for the
better. I don’t care for violence and gore as a spectacle, but the brutally
violent content really helps convey the grit, drama and tone of the film. This
is a very savage world, with big consequences, and a lot of the personal
struggles our characters both endure and suffer through here wouldn’t have been
nearly as effective in a PG-13 movie.
Let’s talk about the theme, as every
Wolverine movie has a different theme of our hero rediscovering something he
lost. The first movie was about him re-discovering his humanity after being
pushed to the edge. The second movie was about him re-discovering what it means
to be a hero, after he lost everything he initially fought for. This third
movie is about our hero re-discovering what it means to have a family again after
losing everyone he loved. I personally prefer his character arch in “The Wolverine”, as he rediscovered his
hero status, and while “Logan’s”
theme of family is good, I think it could have been stronger. For example, the
scenes between Wolverine and his doubter are very good, and well acted, but I feel
the movie needed more scenes with them bonding. There’s a pivotal moment near the
end, when Wolverine takes his daughters hand, squeezes it, she softly calls him
“daddy” and then he smiles discovering how beautiful it is to be part of a family
again. It’s an excellent scene, but it would have been so much more impactful
if the movie gave us more scenes building up their father/ daughter relation.
Also, the passing is a little slow at times.
I can’t say that the film is boring, but it definitely feels long, especially
in the first 30 minutes. Combine that with the films joyless overtone, and it
makes the movie a little difficult to watch at times. Now there are several great
highlights throughout that help keep things balanced. There are
some deeply thrilling moments that don’t rely on strait forward action. Particularly
when Professor X’s mental state causes a psychic shock wave, freezing everyone
around him except for Wolverine and X-23, who both have to work together to stabilize
him. I especially love the simple moments, like this humble little dinner scene in
which our heroes share a meal with a family. It’s beautiful seeing them
bounding with strangers, while subtly reminiscing about old times. My favorite
little touch of all is that the X-Men Comic-books actually exist within the
movie, and are based around events from the previous films. That is frisking awesome,
and a very original idea that I’ve never seen utilized in a comic book
adaption. It’s also pretty serial to see Wolverine looking through a comic book
with pictures of himself in the classic yellow and blue costume. There are even
toy action figures, as we see a little boy holding a polished Wolverine doll.
As we build to the finally, our heroes
meet more genetically cloned mutant children who are being hunted by the Reavers.
Watching these kids unleash their powers on the attacking solders is the closest
this film ever gets to feeling like a real X-Men movie, and it’s great. The
climax in general couldn’t be simpler, as it’s just Wolverine and his daughter
fighting off armed troopers in the woods, just to keep some kids safe. It’s so
simplistic, yet it’s so much more engaging then the super-powered brawls we
usually get from most comic book films. Seeing Wolverine and X-23 fight side by
side is a dream come true, as well as pure bad ass. This is also the most
intense climax of the X-Men series as our hero is beaten, bruised, bloody and
out of breath the whole time. When the fighting concludes, we get to the films big,
emotional highlight ... the death of Wolverine. To kill a big name super hero
like Wolverine is a risky venture if not handled well, but I’m happy to say
that it was very well earned in this film. All the previous themes in the film
come together beautifully, and the scene was shot with perfection. The acting
on display is sensational, and Wolverines final words are as impactful as they
get. Also, I love that final shot of Wolverines grave, and how the cross is
turned on its side to resemble an X. It’s the best closing moment of any X-Men
movie by far. Although, I didn’t care for Johnny Cashes “When a Man Comes Around” playing during the credits. It should have
been Johnny Cashes “Hurt” instead,
that would have been awesome to hear during the credits, but that’s just me
nit-picking.
You really have to go into this movie
with the right mind set, that this isn’t a fun, summer pop corn flick. “Logan” is a brooding, dramatic and
emotionally draining experience, which for me makes it a little harder to
re-watch. To be honest, I’d actually rather watch the previous “X-Men Apocalypse”, not because it’s
better mind you, but because it’s a lot more “fun”, and easy to watch again
after a long days work. When I watch “Logan”
again, I really need to be in the right mind set to appreciate it, and to an
extent, enjoy it too. Also, while I can safely say I love 2013’s “The Wolverine”, I just can’t bring
myself to say I loved “Logan”. I
just felt that it could have been stronger in parts, and the experience was
just a little too draining at times. This is definitely a good movie, as well
as ambitious, and it’s great to see that the risk paid off. This was a project
that clearly came from the hearts of the cast and filmmakers, which is really important
now days because studios have had too much free range to crank out whatever
will make them money. Plus, there’s still plenty things in the movie I loved,
ranging from the solid performances, the fierce action, and especially for the
theatrical introduction of X-23. I feel
that the “X-Men” franchise really
needed this movie, as it defied genera conventions, and was a very meaningful
send-off to Hugh Jackmans long standing legacy as my all time favorite
superhero.
I give “Logan” 4 stars out of 5.
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