Logan Review
March 6, 2017
An angry child, a 90 something year old and a Canadian lumberjack go on a road trip, and it is amazing. Logan is the third standalone Wolverine movie and is far better than its predecessor, The Wolverine, and is leaps and bounds above X-men Origins: Wolverine.
In the six years following X-men: Days of Future Past, this universe has hit the fan. There are no new mutants and the surviving ones must live in hiding. Everyone’s favorite curmudgeonly yet lovable jerk, Wolverine/Logan/James Howlett (Hugh Jackman) is a taxi driver who keeps Professor X (Patrick Stewart) drugged and locked up. They find a young girl and have to drive her to North Dakota while being hunted a paramilitary group.
This brief description is about as specific as it can be without spoiling too much. And this is a film you don’t want spoiled. At its best it was just about perfect. At its worst it was still better than most action films. The acting from the three leads was phenomenal. Stewart gives one of his best performances as the 90 something year old whose brain is considered a “weapon of mass destruction.” Jackman finally gets the Wolverine film he deserves. Dafne Keen plays a young girl Laurain, her first film role and her second role ever, after a run as Ana in “The Refugees” a BBC Worldwide and Atresmedia joint production, and she kicks butt.
This film benefited from its R rating and proves why some superheroes shouldn’t be shackled with PG-13, like Wolverine was on his last two solo outings. This is the most graphic X-men film to date and Logan doesn’t shy away from showing Jackman stabbing men in the face. Repeatedly. And that is one of this film’s strengths. It is not afraid to show the inherent violence that comes from having indestructible claws in your hands.
The reason this film is not head and shoulders above X-men 2: X-men United and X-men: First Class is the forgettable villains. They are men with guns. Where have we seen that before? X-2 dove into Logan’s past and Brian Cox was incredible as WIlliam Stryker. The same is true for Kevin Bacon in First Class. That can’t be said for Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) in Logan.
Aside from that, Logan is a great film. This film is easily one of the best I have seen in the last few months. It is better than Fantastic Beasts. It may be better than Hacksaw Ridge. If you enjoy action, western or superhero movies check this out. Or if you prefer buddy, road trip or sci fi movies you will find something to enjoy. Or even if you like movies that feature a shakespearean, classically trained and knighted actor being a smart ass, then this is the film for you.
☆☆☆☆☆
5/5 stars
