Hugh Jackman’s role as Wolverine will be sorely missed after his astounding performance in “Logan.”
STARS: 5/5
Wolverine is by far the most well-developed character in the X-Men saga, produced by 20th Century Fox. The success of this character is derived not only from the much-loved comics, but also Jackman’s caliber in his eight — nine if you count his one-line cameo in “X-Men: First Class” — performances as Logan.
In “Logan,” Jackman brings the Wolverine saga to an explosive and satisfying end. Rated R for brutal violence, language and excessive impaling, “Logan” is an adults-only Wolverine story.
Somewhat based on the “Old Man Logan” comics, “Logan” follows Wolverine during the last stages of his life.
He’s held up in an abandoned water plant in Mexico, hiding the aging Professor X (Sir Patrick Stewart) from the world. Alongside his accomplice Caliban (Stephen Merchant), Logan cares for Xavier as he loses control of his abilities, but Professor X has one more mutant to save: Laura (Dafne Keen). Created from a copy of Wolverine’s DNA, Laura, or X-23, is every bit as deadly as her “father.”
The beauty of “Logan” is how little it resembles the more traditional X-Men movies. There’s no sign of campy, costumed heroes in the film. It’s more serious than any superhero film has ever dared to go. “Logan” comes off more like a noir drama than a comic book movie.
As Logan struggles with newfound “fatherhood” and his impending death, Professor X struggles with dementia, mortality and a catastrophic event caused by his lack of control over his mutation.
Director and co-writer on the script James Mangold turns Wolverine into a western anti-hero who comes out of his misery just long enough to right whatever wrongs have been done to the people he cares for. He humanizes the mutant world by making the story about the family Logan has created and what he’ll do to protect and avenge them.
Mangold’s script, written alongside Scott Frank and Michael Green, is a refreshing, exposition-free take on an old franchise. Audiences know these characters well, so Mangold and company waste no time reintroducing old topics. Hopefully “Logan” will set a precedent for future films, encouraging them to take into account the knowledge their audiences already possess.
For instance, the audience never really finds out what disaster happened to make Logan hide Xavier away. It isn’t necessary to explain because the emotions surrounding the event allow the viewer to fill in the gaps.
While past X-Men flicks have revolved around the conflict between humans and mutants, “Logan” sets aside the mutant factor to favor a more serious, character-based plot.
The film is as dark and daring as anything by Clint Eastwood or Quentin Tarantino and is barely a superhero flick at all. Mangold makes the relationships between the characters the most important element of the production, which is why the film is so successful.
Jackman isn’t the only one leaving behind the X-Men saga in “Logan:” Patrick Stewart announced the film would be his last as well.
It’s heartbreaking to know we’ll never see Jackman as Wolverine again, especially after his remarkable performance in “Logan.”
In “Logan,” Jackman brings the Wolverine saga to an explosive and satisfying end. Rated R for brutal violence, language and excessive impaling, “Logan” is an adults-only Wolverine story.
Somewhat based on the “Old Man Logan” comics, “Logan” follows Wolverine during the last stages of his life.
He’s held up in an abandoned water plant in Mexico, hiding the aging Professor X (Sir Patrick Stewart) from the world. Alongside his accomplice Caliban (Stephen Merchant), Logan cares for Xavier as he loses control of his abilities, but Professor X has one more mutant to save: Laura (Dafne Keen). Created from a copy of Wolverine’s DNA, Laura, or X-23, is every bit as deadly as her “father.”
The beauty of “Logan” is how little it resembles the more traditional X-Men movies. There’s no sign of campy, costumed heroes in the film. It’s more serious than any superhero film has ever dared to go. “Logan” comes off more like a noir drama than a comic book movie.
As Logan struggles with newfound “fatherhood” and his impending death, Professor X struggles with dementia, mortality and a catastrophic event caused by his lack of control over his mutation.
Director and co-writer on the script James Mangold turns Wolverine into a western anti-hero who comes out of his misery just long enough to right whatever wrongs have been done to the people he cares for. He humanizes the mutant world by making the story about the family Logan has created and what he’ll do to protect and avenge them.
Mangold’s script, written alongside Scott Frank and Michael Green, is a refreshing, exposition-free take on an old franchise. Audiences know these characters well, so Mangold and company waste no time reintroducing old topics. Hopefully “Logan” will set a precedent for future films, encouraging them to take into account the knowledge their audiences already possess.
For instance, the audience never really finds out what disaster happened to make Logan hide Xavier away. It isn’t necessary to explain because the emotions surrounding the event allow the viewer to fill in the gaps.
While past X-Men flicks have revolved around the conflict between humans and mutants, “Logan” sets aside the mutant factor to favor a more serious, character-based plot.
The film is as dark and daring as anything by Clint Eastwood or Quentin Tarantino and is barely a superhero flick at all. Mangold makes the relationships between the characters the most important element of the production, which is why the film is so successful.
Jackman isn’t the only one leaving behind the X-Men saga in “Logan:” Patrick Stewart announced the film would be his last as well.
It’s heartbreaking to know we’ll never see Jackman as Wolverine again, especially after his remarkable performance in “Logan.”
