Logan Review: One Last Time

Marvel’s Old Canucklehead Logan Earns His R-Rating

By Nolan P. Smith

For 17 years, Hugh Jackman has portrayed the most popular mutant on the planet on the silver screen. But with Logan, Jackman’s run as Wolverine has come to an end, and what a way for it to end.

From director James Mangold, we get the grittiest superhero outing to date. That is, if you can call it a superhero movie. The film takes place in the distant future, in a world without the X-Men, hardly any mutants left on the planet, and an aging and sick Logan (Hugh Jackman), also known as James Howlett. It’s a different world, a scary world, but one that Logan survives in with a mundane job and caring for a mentally ill, older Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart). But his world goes from routine to crazy when a metal-armed man, Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook), comes looking for a little girl. Of course, this little girl changes the game.

Enter Laura (Dafne Keen), a mysterious, silent girl with a secret, and a mutant power that is frighteningly like Wolverines. The movie focuses on Logan, the Professor and Laura’s journey to a safe haven, which brings Pierce and the rest of the Reavers hot on their trail, complete with a surprise enemy that takes it to our heroes. To see Logan let loose in all his R-rated glory is amazing, but seeing the small Laura fight with an animalistic rage is a sight to be seen. These two worked so well together, as we possibly see the past and the future of the X-franchise.

This does not feel like an X-Men film, or even a Wolverine film. It feels like an emotional romp through the lives of people being torn apart by their demons inside. Jackman wows in his last call as Wolverine, and Keen shocks and surprises as the young X-23 steals a hard fought show. Logan can now be added to one of the best films of the year list, and is easily in the top 5 of comic book based films ever made.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10.