Already ranked as the 42nd best film ever made by IMDB users Logan is a beautiful farewell letter to Hugh Jackman’s iconic Wolverine. In a unique mix of the classical western- and modern superhero genre Wolverine gets the dignified exit he deserves.
In 2021 mutants are risking extinction. Despite being a self- healing mutant the character Logan (Hugh Jackman) is visibly sick and struggle in his day to day life as a stretch limo driver in El Paso. There he is caring for the old and suffering Professor X (Patrick Stewart), the most powerful telekinetic mutant in the world. But soon Logan’s legacy sneaks up on him and he is forced to aid a young mutant escape forces beyond her control.
Hugh Jackman shines as Logan/Wolverine. Stating that he won’t play his iconic role again Jackman gives the part he has played for almost 20 years a worthy ending. His antihero Logan is worn and troubled and Jackman gives a depth to Wolverine that we haven’t seen before.
The most memorable character is the young mutant Laura. Mute from her first appearance and with eyes that pierce through you with rage the actress Dafne Keen, who is only twelve years old, makes a memorable cinema debut. Chloë Grace Mortez performance as Hit Girl in Kick Ass is in serious competition for the best murderous girl in superhero films. Together Logan and Laura form a Father- daughter relationship that makes you draw parallels to Joel and Ellie from the hit videogame The Last of Us. It’s beautiful and it becomes the core of the film.
The director James Marigold manages to bring a seriousness to Logan that the previous X-men films haven’t been close to capture due to inspiration from classical western films. On Logan and Laura’s road trip through the country we recognize classical western settings: deserts, bars and beautiful mountains. The colours are muted, the costumes don’t catch your eye (in a good way) and the story is full of moments that will warm your heart, and moments that will quickly crush it.
With Logan the typical Marvel formula has been turned upside down. Instead of a fasted paced action movie with aliens threatening mankind Logan uses a slower pace which give the characters more depth and allows the audience to better understand their struggles. They become rounded and layered, more realistic. Because of this new formula, the director choose not to add an post-credit scene, so don’t wait around in the cinema.
Logan has a well-deserved R rating for its swearing and very graphic violence that will surely scare away some X-men fans. But without it Logan would not achieved the level of seriousness it needs. The mesmerising choreography is mixed with a perfect score by Marco Belatrami that will surely make you want to hide your eyes behind your fingers. But with a perfect mix of absurdity and morbidity Logan manages to get the audience to laugh out loud in the dark cinema and at the same time scare them to their core.
This is a beautiful end of an era.