Films > Film Reviews

Logan

05/03/17

Unsheathe those adamantium claws and get yourself a ticket for Logan, because this is one comic book film which should not be missed.  

In the near future a weary, weak and old Logan (Hugh Jackman) cares for the ailing Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) in a secret hideout on the Mexican border. For unknown reasons most of Mutant kind have been wiped out and both Logan and Charles are not doing so well themselves. Logan's plans to lay low and look after the professor are upended when a woman asks for his help to transport the mysterious girl Laura up north, all the while being relentlessly pursued. And so begins the action packed but equally emotional journey of Logan.  

It's worthy mentioning the rating of Logan is a 15, something that is immediately made obvious in the opening minutes of the film in a brutal and gritty fight scene. It's safe to say that part of the joy of this film comes from that age rating. It's likely we have the success of Deadpool to thank for that, but while Deadpool used its rating for over the top gore and delightfully distasteful humor, Logan instead uses it for gritty and exceptional fight scenes as well as to more accurately portray the main characters and the world around them. Without the 15 rating Logan would simply not be the same film, and I would argue as a result would likely not be nearly as entertaining to watch as a result. Hearing Charles swear the first couple of times is admittedly very weird and almost warrants a nervous laugh. But him swearing makes perfect sense within the context of the scene, it makes his character more believable and relatable. As the trailers suggested Logan was always going to be a very darkly themed film. Yes, other films in the X-Men franchise have dark themes as well but the difference with Logan is that the tone of the film remains consistent throughout. Magneto's character in X-Men Apocalypse deals with very dark subject matter but that film also has all the good guys suiting up and in spectacular fashion taking out the bad guys. In Logan there is no superhero moment per se, no blaze of glory that saves the world. As a result the film is far less cliché and far more unpredictable and entertaining as a result.  

As mentioned above, Logan features some truly amazing fight scenes, so awesome in fact that they are worth the price of admission alone. There are no aliens or robots to be found here, just the plain and simple asshole military types. That coupled with the rating means that the fight scenes are gritty, brutal and filled with plenty of blood. You will see Logan dismember and kill countless guys and feel every punch, knife and bullet that he receives in return. I can't stress enough how entertaining it is to finally see Wolverine properly kill some dudes. Now while Logan's fight scenes are great there is one aspect of the action that’s even better than him and that is of course Laura's or X-23's scenes. Rather than a damsel in distress that needs constantly looking after X-23 can hold her own and when she does she does so in style. If Logan's fight scenes are gritty, brutal and soaked in blood then Laura just takes it to the next level. The fact all of this comes from a little girl is very shocking and in that sense I found to be very reminiscent of characters such as Hit-Girl from Kick-Ass or Ellie from The Last of Us.  

While the action scenes are great it’s the downtime between the fights that again really sets Logan apart from other films. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart are exceptional throughout as is Dafne Keen as Laura who is convincing and brilliant throughout the film and I'm sure will go on to have many more successful roles. Anyone who has followed and grown attached to Logan and Professor X over the years are in for a very emotional ride. Even without prior knowledge of the characters the performances from Hugh and Patrick are incredible. They both genuinely feel heartfelt and sincere and handled with maturity and finesse. Most of the film is spent with these characters and each scene together feels like it serves a purpose and pushes plot and character progression forward. There are a few pacing issues and the film can almost be seen as having very distinct beginning and end segments but none of this badly affects the overall narrative or the stories told within those distinct segments. The overall quality of the rest of the characters is also great, I particularly liked Boyd Holbrook as the main face of the relentless pursuers. The film also features a fitting soundtrack and the overall quality of the film is at an exceptional standard at all times. The film is so well directed its hard to believe that the director James Mangold w,as also responsible for the far less entertaining The Wolverine from 2013.  

In conclusion, this film is thoroughly entertaining, both action packed and emotional and with a consistent quality that remains throughout its run time. For fans of the X-Men films or franchise there is plenty here that will make the film more enjoyable but even with no prior knowledge or even a dislike of comic book films in general this film can most definitely be enjoyed by anyone who loves great action and fantastic characters with a heartfelt plot.

I rate it six blood soaked adamantium claws out of 6.