Logan

Logan

Starring Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Boyd Holbrook, Dafne Keen

Directed by James Mangold

The Story:
In the year 2029, mutants are all but extinct, and a very aged Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) now lives in hiding as a limo driver who's working to earn money to buy a boat so he and an equally aged Professor X (Patrick Stewart) can live on the ocean.  But for now he has the Professor holed up in an abandoned factory in Mexico in a room that prevents him from using his telekinetic abilities, as he's suffered brain damage and now is prone to deadly seizures.

Logan is visited by a woman wanting his help, but he wants none of it.  Then Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) arrives, threatening Logan that the woman has someone he wants, and Logan agrees to take the woman and the young girl Laura (Dafne Keen) to a place called Eden, a place where mutants could exist in peace - if it exists.  Logan, the Professor and Laura set out on a cross-country road trip to get Laura to safety, as they're being pursued the entire way by Pierce and his men - as well as time itself.

The Synopsis:
When you think of the term "superhero movie," you probably imagine a PG-13, family friendly adventure romp through scene after scene of action-filled CGI effects and a final, climactic scene where the fate of the world hangs in the balance.  "Logan" manages to take what we think a superhero movie is and throw it on its head, stab it through said head with several Adamantium claws, and leaves us wondering what we've wasted our lives with by seeing previous superhero movies, which - in comparison - looks like we've been cheated out of some very amazing moments.

"Logan" is written and directed by James Mangold...a man who struck gold (see what I did there?) with a film that far transcends the superhero subgenre and produces a film so rich with dramatic feel, character development, mind-bending action and heart-tugging moments it's like we're viewing something nothing short of a cinematic masterpiece that perfectly runs on all cylinders and produces a top-notch product. 

Loosely based off the "Old Man Logan" comic, this is the swan song of Hugh Jackman, who has been the only actor to play Wolverine through all ten X-Men (and X-Men spinoff) movies since 2000.  Jackman - a polished professional - knew this was going to be his last film as Wolverine, and set out to make every bit of time well spent for himself and the viewer, treating us to a very fitting conclusion to one of our most beloved superheroes, one we've seen grow up on screen from an animalistic cage fighter to someone who travels back in time to save the entire mutant race, and everywhere in-between.  He emotes with such emotion that I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see his name come up for awards shows next year - maybe even Oscar.  Since "Logan" got the dreaded - or in this case prestigious - "R" rating, we finally get to see this character in the truest sense of the word: Wolverine cusses like a sailor and literally rips people limb-from-limb, something that was neutered in the previous PG-13 installments.

The film follows Logan - who is now a very old man, in physical, mental and emotional capabilities - as he comes to terms that he and Professor X are the last of the mutant kind, and we see the toll the past has taken on both these beloved characters.  Wolverine doesn't want to fight anymore because, as he's aged, his regenerative capabilities have greatly diminished, and he's pretty much lost everything and everyone worth fighting for at this point.  The Professor is now a frail old man who suffers from powerful seizures that threaten the lives of anyone around him, and is now neutered to living in an abandoned silo, bedridden and pumped with drugs to prevent the seizures from happening.   Also having lost everything, the Professor finds little hope in life - until he communicates with a young girl named Laura who is a lot like Wolverine: a mutant, gifted with regenerative abilities and her own set of Adamantium claws.  Together, the three travel to North Dakota in hopes of finding a place called Eden where Laura can live in peace.

As much as has been said about Hugh Jackman's performance, there's also Patrick Stewart and newcomer Dafne Keen who also need to be recognized.  Patrick Stewart has been playing the Professor for as long as Hugh Jackman has been playing Wolverine, and now we see a completely different side of the man.  He's no longer a confident, powerful professor but a bedridden, almost senile old man who has pretty much lost all his powers due to an undisclosed brain issue.  Patrick Stewart, always an excellent actor, shines here in a whole new incarnation of the Professor, and someone who should also be hailed by critics come awards season (Best Supporting Actor wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility).

Finally newcomer Dafne Keen truly shines as Laura - aka X-23 - who doesn't speak for most of the film, but delivers a powerful performance just through her wide-eyed stare and childlike, yet very deadly, presence.  When she does speak, it's as profound as anything someone twice her age would say, and carries a lot of emotional power in it.

It's the chemistry between these three actors that carry the film, and without it the film would've lost a lot of its power.  The three work seamlessly together, and even though they're not the traditional family, they become closer than family through their journey.  Plus it was really cool seeing Wolverine and Laura fighting side-by-side, the perfect daddy-daughter date.

When it comes to the fight scenes, there's four in particular that are stunning, powerful and filled with adrenaline-fueled mayhem.  Unlike the other superhero movies there's not a lot of CGI used, and the camera doesn't pan out to a huge battle scene.  Instead, we're thrust into the middle of the battles as Logan and Laura fight side-by-side against countless foes, using only their wits, warrior talent and Adamantium claws.  The fighting is almost like watching poetry in motion, or a beautiful dancing duo performing on the biggest stages in the world.  And by "beautiful" I mean downright bloody.  "Logan" truly lives up to its R-rating, as we see Wolverine killing men in ways we've never seen before, which helps deliver the emotional impact in a way a PG-13 version wouldn't.   We see men literally losing their heads, limbs and other appendages, as well as several headshots that won't soon be erased from memory.  And it...is...beautiful.

The Summary:
"The Dark Knight" is a film in the superhero subgenre I often used to compare all other movies of that style to.  Not anymore.  Now "Logan" is the gold standard of superhero movies, a pitch-perfect film that leaves you forgetting you're actually seeing a superhero movie.

The Score: A+