Bigger. Bigger stakes. Bigger cast. Bigger explosions. Bigger budget. The superhero movie is spiraling in size and scope. Cue Deadpool, an irreverent take on the genre that, by virtue of a reduced budget, was allowed the creative freedom to fully represent its titular character with the R-rating it deserved. A massive box office and critical success, it showed another way to deliver one of these tales, paving the way for Logan. The Wolverine, as portrayed by Hugh Jackman, has appeared in seven films since 2000, but in this, his eighth and likely last outing, we finally get a depiction that not only feels true to the character but signifies a peak for Jackson and Fox within the superhero genre.
The year is 2029. The mutants that once threatened to flourish across the earth have all but disappeared; no new aberrant has been born for years. The X-Man formerly known as the ‘Wolverine’ ekes out a living as a limo driver on the US/Mexico border. His healing powers diminished, he suffers from the crippling pain of past and present skirmishes, dulling these aches with alcohol and an ambivalence that extends to all except one, his former mentor Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). Now in his 90s, the onset of dementia has turned his psychic abilities into a weapon requiring supervision and sedation. Looking to escape the world and find peace in seclusion, Logan’s plans are disturbed when a young girl named Laura (Dafne Keen), is thrust into his care. Imbued with familiar abilities, her arrival sparks a cross country journey, seeking sanctuary from those who pursue her.
While comparisons will be made, Logan is no Deadpool. The latter was undoubtedly entertaining, a film that through an R-rating and sheer character won over many viewers. Logan is a far more solemn affair, more akin to a road movie or Western. It’s a melancholic time, and the fact that no new mutant has been born in over 20 years hints at a nefarious scheme while drawing on Children of Men-inspired bleakness. Mutants have become the thing of legend, revered through comic books and toys, the eponymous protagonist among them. Logan is ravaged by his past, his experiences finally taking their toll on his body. This is a man who has turned his back on the world but still continues to shield it, through his ongoing actions to care for Professor Xavier. As the film kicks into gear he has another responsibility thrust upon him, young Laura. It’s a familiar tale, the broken man finding a connection and himself in the process, but one delivered with a superhero twist. In this way, it’s taking a leaf out of the Marvel playbook, and the result is the best X-Men/Wolverine movie Fox has ever made.
Logan certainly earns its R-rating, not just for the language or a few grisly scenes, but for the ferocious brutality the film often indulges in. Logan is put through the wringer, and a sense of doom lingers over most of the characters introduced. While graphic at times, it never wallows in it. Fast, bloody, action rips people apart, the more brutal moments suffered by Logan himself. It doesn’t dwell too much, but a cleverly staged “slow-mo” sequence in a hotel room allows you to take in the full effect of those adamantium claws. More than this, violence is used as a tool to hold a mirror up to Logan, as he reflects on his past and makes a concerted effort to move on. With the emergence of Laura, he’s pulled back into a world he’s tried to forget, and with her lack of understanding, he not only has to confront violence once again, but delves into its moral aspects, teaching her right from wrong. It’s a smart way to offer insights as well as some tender, and often humorous, moments.
At the core of Logan’s success is how it has a better grasp of the character and how to use him than in any previous outing. In this instance, he transcends the broodiness that characterized him for so long into a melancholic, broken individual. A man fighting his instincts and his legacy, one that is present in the minds of many of those he encounters. It’s a story and world perfectly aligned to explore the aspects of this ever-reluctant hero.
Hugh Jackman has always been invested in the series, but this time feels like he’s truly able to inhabit the character, the shackles taken off like never before. Similarly, Patrick Stewart turns in his best work in the franchise as the aging Professor X. He adds a moral conscience, a wisdom, and at times hilarious flippancy, no doubt due to his awareness at being near the end of his life. It’s a saddening position we find him in, but again, the film crafts a poignant and fitting arc for him, including a rather wondrous moment involving 1953’s Shane, one shared with young Laura. Dafne Keen’s X-23 says barely a word but makes a hell of an impact. This is her own origin tale. She’s tormented in her own way but tempered by the innate child and a sense of marvel (no pun intended) at a world she is seeing for the first time after growing up in a research facility. Her presence and personality ensures the film doesn’t overload on brooding characters and serves to peel back the layers of Jackman’s Logan. She also brings levels of kickassery not seen since Hammergirl made her entrance. Keen is a talent to keep an eye on.
Within the context of previous X-Men/Wolverine films, Logan is stellar, but objectively, it’s not without its flaws. A lengthy runtime shows off some excess fat, and as ever, the villains seem to get the short end of the straw. Boyd Holbrook’s Donald Pierce is an adequate, if one-dimensional, bad guy, while Richard E. Grant’s Dr. Rice seems to have been roped in as a nefarious scientist/bad guy due to his quintessential Britishness rather than having to deliver anything truly of note. The deployment of a new “weapon” to take down Logan and recapture X-23/Laura feels like a relic here, a staple of a bigger blockbuster, either that or the aforementioned heavy handed metaphor for Logan’s inner conflict. Either way, it’s an odd misstep.
Fans of the source material, notably the Old Man Logan and X-23 comic books, may have some gripes. In the former, notably, there is a specific incident that weighs on Logan, the search for redemption being something that drives him on; here that guilt seems repurposed onto Stewart’s Xavier. It robs the film of a little of its potency, diverting investment away from the lead. Despite these flaws, the film packs an emotional punch. It’s dark at times, brutal even; these things are an inherent component to the tale and its lead, not a thing shellacked on top of the film for mood like in much of the DC fare. There’s certainly a payoff for those who have followed the cinematic (mis)adventures of this man over the past 17 years, and a sense that this is an ending permeates the film. It’s sad, hopeful, but above all cathartic — a eulogy of sorts to this tortured man who long ago lost his chance of a normal life.
Logan stands as not just the best Wolverine movie, but a damn good film in its own right. It understands the character, embracing his mortality and legacy rather than massive stakes, delivering an intimate, raw, and often emotional experience. The best compliment is that it feels like the perfect end to Jackman’s tenure, and yet leaves you wanting more. The Wolverine saved his best till last.
Logan is released nationwide on March 3rd.