Logan achieves a feat not seen since Christopher Nolan’s upended the comic book genre with The Dark Knight, and stands on its own as a poignant drama.
Directed by James Mangold
The X-Men films have always been a guilty pleasure of mine. Not because they are bad mind you, but because for the most part the convoluted timelines and repetitive story arcs grew tiresome. There was always the feeling that they belonged to a franchise, and there was no end in sight as long as the money rolled in. Story be damned. With Logan we finally get the brutal take on Wolverine fans have been clamoring for, as well as a surprisingly emotional story about the end of one man’s journey.
Set in the near future where mutants are gone, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X somewhere on the Mexican border. Until one day a mysterious woman begs him to take care of young girl, not unlike himself.
What might surprise you about Logan, is just how much of a western it is. There is clear inspiration from ‘The Road’ and even ‘The Last of Us’, as it transcends the typical superhero genre and really hones in on its characters. There is no plot to destroy the world, or a narcissistic super villain. Death, aging and regret is front and center of the movies themes, and no punches were pulled in its execution. There is an intimacy to the whole affair, and Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart get to dig deep into layers of their characters we haven’t seen before. And the action, oh boy is it ever so satisfyingly brutal. But more impressively, its always executed with a keen eye to build character.
Part road-trip movie and part father-daughter drama, Logan is a somber affair that more often than not resembles an art-house drama. This is a refreshing reminder of just how good comic book movies can be when set free when their franchise conventions, and a beautiful swan song for the original X-Men characters.
Must watch for: Fans of dramas, road trip movies, dark comic book adaptations and action.
leonthesleepy 