Logan Review

Logan is the definitive entry of the entire X-Men franchise and surely surpasses all the films that came prior to it. Old Man Logan is the generally adapted story line here taking the old on the cusp of dying Logan (Hugh Jackman) as he searches for final redemption and hope for the future.

The mutants are all but gone at this point in time and as one of the few remaining ones Logan attempts to keep it all together while looking after an ailing Xavier (Patrick Stewart) with both of them being far past their prime. The story sets up what's a very broken man that's seen his fair share of sorrows and one that can barely keep it together. Things start to change when Xavier keeps mentioning contact with a new mutant and eventually the fabled Laura (Dafne Keen) shows up in their lives.

Everything goes crazy as there are dark forces after her and reluctantly Logan takes Laura to a promised Eden. The entire film is more about the emotions and the journey to a place keeping the narrative as a self-contained story. Despite there being no huge stakes, the world of what remains is still very much at risk here and it's beautiful to see it unfold.

This is one of the first hero films to truly unleash its full dark potential by allowing absolute carnage and gore. There was nothing held back here as Wolverine took it to enemies with what he had left and Laura had some surprises as well. People were getting impaled, cut up and generally torn to pieces with a savage style not previously seen before. The balance of pace was perfect and while it had a long run time, the entire thing felt like a lovely ride.

If there wasn't a scene of extreme violence that showcased a torn apart man, there were moments of sorrowing emotion as it tugged at the heart. The acting was also perfect with both Jackman and Stewart absolutely nailing their conclusive roles as desolate X-Men with Logan being an amazing bow-out for both of them. The general tone of the film helped with this a lot by letting the actors fully embrace how bad things had gotten, but there were also moments of happiness and life with Dafne Keen really hitting the right balance as Laura.

The film was also beautiful to look at taking care to show a destroyed world while also having shots of picturesque landscapes. These spots were often used to help build the emotion in a scene and some of the scenes were really touching. Nothing was too complex with the movie keeping it intimate for the action and with only one minor bad CGI spot which was brief.

The Conclusion

Logan is the definitive take on Wolverine and by far the best of the X-Men films showing the true potential of what could be for future hero films. It's one that digs deep into the long development of a character to provide a pinnacle end of which all the future movies in this genre will be compared to.

The acting was unreal with the elder ones particularly nailing their beaten selves and that was a pleasure to watch. Logan brings not only a high level of visceral gore, but also one of beauty keeping the story as an intimate tale offering a perfect end for the true Wolverine.

Logan Review at Theater with AVX Viewing

Rating Overall: 10