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[Movie Review] Logan (2017)

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Plot Summary: In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hide out on the Mexican border. But Logan's attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are up-ended when a young mutant arrives, being pursued by dark forces.

Director: James Mangold

Writers: James Mangold, Scott Frank

Runtime: 2hr 17min

Main Cast:

  • Hugh Jackman as Logan
  • Patrick Stewart as Charles
  • Dafne Keen as Laura
  • Boyd Holbrook as Pierce
  • Stephen  Merchant as Caliban

Review: by Anthony

I was really interested to see Logan, mostly to see how it would follow the last solo outing for the most popular mutant The Wolverine.  I was interested to see if Logan would stumble in the same pitfalls of The Wolverine that turned what could've been a good movie into a very subpar comic book movie.

Logan is loosely based on the 2008 Mark Millar alternate universe story Old Man Logan, set far in the future with a worn down and tired Logan.  A Wolverine with a failing healing factor and few friends left to confide in.  The twist of this adaptation we see in the trailers is the young girl Charles Xavier tells Logan he has to care for and look after because she’s very much like Logan. So we have a reluctant participant in this old man Logan being dragged into caring for this young girl when all Logan wants to do is just be left alone.

What I Liked:

There was a surprisingly large amount of things I liked in this movie.  Reflecting on the success Deadpool had with an R-rating, Logan also was given an R-rating and it’s a thing of beauty.  Dafne Keen playing Laura was another bright spot in Logan, just like in the comics Wolverine is best when he’s paired with a young mutant to mentor.  Lastly, the actual plot of the movie is good, there are a few elements of the story that were really interesting to me that I thought were well done.

A mutant with nigh indestructible claws and a healing factor that fights like a bar room brawler that’s often against foes with guns would result in many many bloody and gory encounters.  Wolverine with his adamantium claws is a close-up fighter so to close any gaps he has to endure multiple gunshots to finish off his opponent with a variety of slashes, impaling, or severing of body parts.  The bloody fights aren’t just reserved for Logan, Laura gets her share in the spotlight, arguably even more so.

Which brings me to Dafne Keen as Laura.  I really loved her in Logan. She is a wild child. A feral killing machine. She’s a young Logan if she never had anyone to look after her and show her wrong from right.  Even in the midst of this wild unbridled savageness there’s some innocence and longing for a sense of a normal life and Keen captures and portrays this in Logan which is no small feat for a young relatively unknown actress.

Lastly, the overall plot is pretty basic yet solid, but there are some interesting situations the movie shows and presents that I enjoyed.  The movie is set in 2029 with not only an aged Logan but an aged Professor Charles Xavier.  The years taking its toll on Logan is on the surface, ready for anyone to see. Scars everywhere, healing factor severely slowed down, limited stamina but for Professor X what happens when the worlds’ most powerful and dangerous mind starts to falter?  Another thing I liked was something I initially perceived as a cheap play to the audience.  Having  Logan pick up an X-men comic looked so cheesy but the idea of the actual X-men team doing something once or twice being told in comics overly exaggerated as soap opera tales for kids is a cool idea.

What I Didn’t Like:

The movie forcefully reminds you that you’re watching a movie in the X-men universe and often it just abruptly interrupts the flow of the movie. There are plot holes in every movie but there are some in Logan that I think could’ve been prevented if it weren’t for the heavy-handed forced connection of Logan to the older X-men movie.

8.2/10

Summary

Logan is a serviceable, enjoyable, violent, R-rated, movie telling a good story of a man at the end of his days trying to the right thing one more time. The problem is that this almost good movie is weighed down by having to be a comic book movie as well. Logan is a square peg forced into a round hole. Maybe the next solo X-men movie will just let the story be told without having to force the issue of tying into an existing universe.

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Images Courtesy of IMDB

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