Is it a worthy send off? Do we finally get the Wolverine film we’ve all been waiting for?
For 17 years Hugh Jackman has played his most iconic role; the one that made him a Hollywood superstar. (Heck, for 17 years the poor guy probably hasn’t eaten a carb.) LOGAN marks his last time wielding the claws and the ridiculous sideburns. Is it a worthy send off? Do we finally get the Wolverine film we’ve all been waiting for?
Picking up some ways into the future LOGAN brings us an older and much changed man. His adamantium bones now slowly poisoning him, The Wolverine is finally showing his age. The X-Men are gone. Mutants are nigh extinct. His body weary and ravaged Logan self medicates the mental and physical scars with cheap booze and pills. Making a buck as a lowly limo driver he takes care of the one part of his old life that still haunts him; a Professor X losing control of his powerful mind. With hopes of earning enough to live out their final years in seclusion Logan tries to leave the life of a hero behind. Unfortunately a persistent woman and a mysterious little girl draw him in for one last fight.
Straight off the bat you realise this isn’t a Wolverine we’ve seen before. We’re thrown right into a much bloodier, violent and harsher world. Thanks to the success of Deadpool, Hollywood is willing to let a superhero film have that mythical R-Rating (or an MA over here). For a guy with damn near swords for hands Wolverine has been a largely nerfed and bloodless experience on the silver screen.
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Blood, gore and limbs fly as our nice Hugh swears and snarls like a darn sailor. Once you get over the initial jarring new tone (this isn’t your kids X-Men film) you won’t wipe that sly grin off your face. Things ramp up to an even higher degree once X-23 cuts loose and it’s almost unsettling watching such unmitigated violence from such a young girl. A veritable tiny whirlwind of unrelenting stabbing and impaling., she’s a sight to behold. Thankfully the action scenes never fall into the realm of gratuitous and action for the sake of action.
Director James Mangold has 2/3 of a terrific Wolverine film under his belt. The Wolverine’s 2013 romp in Japan was close to greatness and fell in the final act. Thankfully mistakes are learned from and this time Mangold sticks the landing. Gorgeously styled in ochre and brown sunsety hue LOGAN evokes the dusty aesthetic of the classic Wild West with a dash of classic noir framing to give it some terrific comic-book style “panels” and iconography.
Thematically have all the trappings, themes and style of a neo-western with Logan being the weary, old gunslinger finally succumbing to his years of violence and turning his back on the world only to be drawn back in for one last gunfight. For all the frenetic violence and action the pacing is wonderful with many chances to let things slow down and breath with some terrific character moments.
Jackman plays this older, grizzled and existential Logan to perfection; getting to flex his acting chops a lot more than usual. Patrick Stewart returns as an elderly Charles Xavier slowly losing his mind and plays it with a warmth and frailty that pulls on your heartstrings. The chemistry between the two after all this years is perfect; providing a surrogate father and son relationship that humanises the mythical Wolverine. Newcomer Dafne Keen plays Laura with a quiet and commanding intensity that slowly unravels as she finds her humanity. The trio’s road tripping family dynamic is the heart and soul of the movie.
It’s almost painful to think we finally get the Wolverine film we’ve wanted for 17 years and it becomes his swan song. Patrick Stewart, upon seeing LOGAN for the first time, decided there was no better send off for his time as Xavier and promptly declared this the last time. Having seen the film I agree. There’s no more that needs to be said for Jackman and Stewart and the characters they’ve played since 1999. You can’t follow this.
Make no doubt, LOGAN should be held in the same breath as instant classic The Dark Knight. It’s a great film. Full stop. Don’t let the “superhero” and “comic book” labels hold it back. LOGAN is a comic book movie that transcends comic book films and a truly fitting send off for Hugh after 17 years. Now let the man eat a damn carb..
