I saw “Logan” last night. Wow. It is the most brutal superhero movie I have ever seen. Not really because of the violence, although it earns its R-rating with that, it’s more the people and relationships that will break you.
You can almost see “Logan” without having seen the other X-Men movies because it’s as much a family drama as anything else. Not the ‘traditional’ parental unit led family, but the one we create as life goes along. And that’s when the movie is at its best, when the quieter, more intimate moments are happening. The relationship between Logan and Charles has always been the lynchpin of the X movies that had the older version of the X-Men, and here, it brings award-worthy performances.
“Logan” is a fitting end to Hugh Jackman donning the adamantium claws. He is raw, vulnerable, and 100% the Logan we have come to know. But he also faces challenges you never imagined Wolverine dealing with, heck, he never imagined dealing with them. Jackman has always brought more gravitas to Wolvie than anyone expected out of a comic book character, but here, as he faces a changed world, a sudden new responsibility, and the pain that love and loyalty can create, he is on another level with his performance.
Also, as I mentioned, Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier, leaves it all on the screen. Anyone who has followed Stewart’s career knows he is an award-winning Shakespearean actor who can bring dignity to any part he plays. In “Logan” he imbues the normally formal and staid Professor X with a wild, painfilled, melancholy as the man who can control minds, begins to lose control of his own. Charles has always been a teacher, but also a father to Wolverine, he knows there are lessons yet to be taught and love yet to give, if time allows. Oh, and in this rated-R expedition, he will slay you with language so salty he is in the same league as Deadpool.
Of course, I cannot write this review about our mutant family without introducing Dafne Keen as Laura, aka – X-23. She spends half of the movie mute and yet you know exactly what she is thinking, feeling, and even saying with the flick of an eyebrow or curl of a lip. Laura fits right in with Logan, no matter how much he hates the idea. Her relationship with Charles is one of the great emotional peaks in the film. Keen is a great find, with a bright future, if she chooses to continue acting.
Having seen basically every superhero movie, I can say “Logan” is, as they’ve promised, unique. No other film in the genre deals with the issues our heroes face, and you are locked to the screen. There are laughs, warm moments, thoughtful moments and, yes, heartbreaking moments. I admit I cried at least three times. (If you are at all attached to these characters, take tissues.) I loved it. -Kate Garner
That’s why my rating is: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 stars)
“Logan” – Rated R – Run Time: 2 hrs 17 min
