Review 404: Logan

Logan is intense, brutal, spectacular and at times thoughtful superhero movie and a fitting swansong for Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and the character in general.

Inspired by the ongoing series Old Man Logan by Mark Miller and Steve McNiven,
In the near future, A weary Logan (Hugh Jackman), cares for an ailing Professor X (Patrick Stewart) in a hideout on the Mexican Border.

But Logan's attempts to hide for the world and his legacy are up-ended when a young mutant, Laura (Dafne Keen) arrives, being pursued by dark forces.

The plot is brilliantly well round. I see a lot of finality in this film from the the post apocalyptic setting, to the characterisation of Wolverine and Professor X and the films themes of Ageing and loneliness. With this film, we get a version of Wolverine who is broken down, old, damaged by his experiences, he's had it rough, he's broken down, ridden hard, put away wet, his healing factors failing him and he's suffering from Adamantium poisoning   a world where mutants are an endangered species and there seem to be none left.

Stylistically this movie is like a western, it's violent, both in terms of action and the world it's set in, full of dangerous foes and antiheroes, namely Wolverine which gives the film plenty of opportunities to get down to the bare bone of who Wolverine is a character, an antihero, a reluctant hero, he's trying to hide away from his former life

Loss: 

Ageing: The Logan we see in this movie is old, his powers aren't what they used to be. He's fading on the inside and his diminished healing factor keeps him in a constant of chronic pain-hence his use of booze as a painkiller. We've seen both Professor X & Logan in action over the course of 17 years and 8 films, saving the world. But what happens when you're in retirement and you're career is over? These are the questions the film poses and taps into brilliantly and showcases brilliantly with these particular and very specific characterisations of these two characters, it's clear from the Logan's fighting style and his occasional coughing fits and alcoholism as well as the instability of Professor X's telepathic powers that these are past-their-prime versions of these characters. Ageing is a natural part of life. Your have a time when you're in you prime, you maybe save the world and then grow older & wiser possibly and try to guid the next generation - just like what happens with Logan, Professor X & X-23.

Deep, unbearable regret: Logan is at its core a film about living with a legacy - a legacy of violence no less. Logan is a character who has lived so many lives and killed many people and having to live that trauma for so long is starting to take its toll on him. Logan attempts to come to terms with that moving forward and that made for beautifully touching character study.

Loneliness: Wolverine is the ultimate loner, someone who has lived so many lives and suffered greatly as he watches those around him whom he respects admires and loves die. And now he's living in a post-apocalyptic world. An world that inspires loneliness 

Systematic Dehumanisation: The setting in this film is very vibrant, very much post-apocalyptic - a world where mutants are an endangered species and there are not many left due to a .
Now Zander Rice (Richard E. Grant) is looking to create mutant clones in order to control the X-gene as well as use them as soldiers.

Returning director James Mangold's direction is sharp and visceral. The scenery is breathtaking, the locations are gorgeous, the cinematography is beautiful (and captures the bleak, lonely feel of the film's post-apocalyptic almost Western like setting), the special effects (consisting of minimal CGI) are superb and add to the films more grounded and realistic tone, the score by Marco Beltrami is terrific, the make-up is astonishing and beautifully detailed, the production design is stupendous, bringing to life the, run down, beautiful post-apocalyptic world the film takes place in. The costumes are brilliant and the ending was heart wrenching.

The acting is excellent, Hugh Jackman simply excels in this film in his final salvo as Logan/Wolverine. He's tired, hard drinking. He's not the man he used to be, it's painfully clear from this characterisation and his fighting style that his powers aren't what they once were, he now moonlights as a chauffeur to make ends meet.  he is the one person who stayed behind to take care of Charles.

Patrick Stewart give a sympathetic, touching performance as Professor X, he's not the genius professor/mentor figure he use to be, he now suffers from Alzheimer's. He's older, tired and ill in this outing, like Wolverine, he's had it rough and his telepathic powers are also failing him and at times faulty unstable and at times he doesn't even remember who Logan is. Over the course of the film he becomes an incredibly powerful parental figure to Logan which mirrors his eventual become of a parental figure to X-23. The very sad and unstable, Professor X also brings a much welcome amount of humour, levity and lightheartedness to an otherwise bleak and violent film. His father/son relationship with Logan is both poignant and relatable.

Stephen Merchant gives a gently touching performance as Caliban, he's one of the last friends that Logan has and has dedicated much of his time helping him take care of Professor X as well as Logan's own inner demons, he's aware

Boyd Holbrook is brilliant as Donald Pierce, he's just as charismatic as he is ruthless, relentless and calculating. But he also has a great admiration and respect for Wolverine. He's a fan of him and you really get a strong sense of that in the scenes when him and Logan are together. He too brings a good deal of levity and lightheartedness to the film - which is nice.

Unfortunately, Richard E. Grant's Dr. Zander Rice is criminally underused in this film.
His appearance throughout the film is sporadic and his motivations only becoming clear in the third act. He most defiantly has a role in that he's the puppet master behind Pierce and the Reavers and in that he's in fact a brilliant mind that is trying to create his own mutants and Grant does fine with what he's given but ultimately Rice is more of a presence than an actual nemesis.

Dafne Keen is highly effective here (possibly a breakout) as Laura/X-23 able to portray a lot, whilst saying very little

Elizabeth Rodriguez, Eriq La Salle and Elise Neal round the cast in small but significant roles, all of whom deliver solid performances

Goodbye and thank you Hugh Jackman, 4.5/5.

The Anonymous Critic.