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It’s difficult to talk about this movie without spoilers, so I’ll only touch on the overall experience. ‘Logan’ is an excellent farewell to Hugh Jackman’s reign as the ‘Wolverine’. The movie is brutal, visceral, bloody and violent, finally taking the character to place that matches the carnage usually only saved for print. But it also uses Jackman’s strengths as an actor to completely round out this hero. His portrayal is spot on, full of emotion and struggle as Logan comes to terms with his life and the choices he has to make for those he loves. Logan’s tale could be seen as one of tragedy, beset by loss and death. But in the end, it’s his resilience to not only the physical wounds but those of his emotional psyche that have made this character stand apart from characters whose own development is often as thin as the paper it was originally printed on. You feel everything Logan does. But once again we rally behind this hero as he finds his way.
On a side note, Stewart is Xavier. Such a performance. Again, for the sake of keeping spoilers at bay, I’ll keep it light, but have to say I’d watch Stewart and Jackman bitch at each other for another 8 hour road trip if they’d make that movie. Complete chemistry.
Writer/Director James Mangold uses some classic characters to paint Logan’s world in a uniquely different light, one of bleakness. I’m afraid that our actual world will very much look like the 2029 we see on screen. It is a hard place to live, with very little to redeem it.
As a fan of ‘Wolverine’ since the late 80’s, I’ve been waiting for the claws to really come out. And they do. But not gratuitously. Just realistically. The man has scalpels attached to his hands. There would be blood! But I can’t stress enough that the R rating is more than the action sequences. This drama and story are deeper and darker than most, especially for this genre. Which is a refreshing change. No more kid stuff. This was made for the fans who have been reading ‘Wolverine’ for years, with no thought given to toy sales. I only wish this was their next to last movie, especially since it jumps ahead so far in time. Sadly, this film series just hit its stride as it was ending, making Jackman’s departure bittersweet.
So, to wrap it up: Highly recommended. Great writing, great acting. A perfect send off to a beloved character. And we are sorry to see them go. And to whoever is rebooting this character, you had better think long and hard because our standards as fans just went way up. #geekdtv
