If this really is the last time that we’ll be seeing Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart in their two iconic roles then, writes Matthew Wilson, they couldn’t get a finer finale than Logan.
In 2000, a comic-book movie based on Marvel’s X-Men was released featuring an unknown actor called Hugh Jackman in the role of Wolverine. 17 years and 9 cinematic outings later and Jackman takes his iconic role to its finale with Logan. Whether this is Jackman’s last run or not remains to be seen, but if it is, then finally being able to see an R-Rated Wolverine movie would’ve been enough but this last ride gives enough poignancy to stand out from the brutality, giving us probably the absolute finest chapter in the X-Film History.
Set in 2029 where mutants have been nearly wiped out, Logan (Hugh Jackman) and Charles (Patrick Stewart) live in hiding with Caliban (Stephen Merchant). Charles mind is failing and requires constant sedation or risk a dangerous, psychic seizure while Logan works as a limo driver, slowly realising that his healing ability isn’t working as it should. Against his will, Logan finds himself involved with Laura (Dafne Keen), a mutant born in a laboratory now wanted back by her creator Zander Rice (Richard E. Grant) and his band of mercenaries led by Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook).
Recognising his own abilities in Laura, Logan takes himself, Laura and Charles and makes an escape northwards for a sanctuary in North Dakota. Having to contend with a violent little girl who shares more with him that he’d like, a brilliant friend slowly falling to a disease, and a ruthless group of killers after his head, Logan finds himself pushed back into the reluctant hero role only this time he’s fighting his own impending morality and having to face the reality of his tragic existence.
Compared to previous X-Films, this one is much more streamlined; once everything’s set up it becomes solely focussed on Logan getting Laura to safety. There is a little more to it than that but ultimately this is a road-trip movie and all the better for it, the lack of anything word-ending or catastrophic allows things to be kept focussed and the character work pushed to the forefront.
The characters are what make the film, admittedly the villains are underwritten with Zander not given enough screen time to develop himself properly, a personal connection to Wolverine ends up a missed opportunity, and while Pierce is suitably dickish he does come off as a glorified henchman. There is a third villain who comes in late to the game but to spoil who it is would ruin the surprise.
The heroes though carry the film, Merchant could’ve done more as Caliban but he’s given enough to work with to show a weaning heart who’s trying to help Logan but realising that Logan doesn’t want it. Logan is easily the best he’s been since X2, right from the start with Jackman going mental on a group of carjackers we see a very different Logan, the rage is still there but the humanity’s gone. It’s definitely the darkest Wolverine has been with depression and suicide hanging over him throughout, the arrival of Laura isn’t a breakthrough, if anything it just causes more problems, but it gives him a purpose again and even through the grizzled, weakening features we get the sense something is keeping Logan with her. This is absolutely Jackman’s best turn as Wolverine, he’s let loose in the best way possible, going through unfiltered rage to broken sadness, it’s all been refined from what’s been before but Jackman’s old man Logan is almost painful to watch.
Likewise we get a different Professor than before, the once great mind is losing his faculties, forcing Logan to keep him sedated turning Charles into a foul-mouth loon but one who’s safe. Seeing him so weak here hurts just as much because we’re so use to seeing Charles as the authority figure and here he’s a shell of that; having to choose between being numbed out and secured, or functional but dangerous. At first it’s quite humorous to hear Stewart drop a few F-Bombs, but the more you stay with him the more you see that he’s still got a mentor edge to him, it might be hidden away but he’s still there for guidance when needed.
Newcomer Keen steals the show as Laura, she’s been in almost nothing beforehand and comes charging in at full speed and steals it away. Laura is a lab experiment gone awry, resorting to violence before anything else and rendered almost mute meaning Keen has to rely on expressions and movement to convey herself; not that that’s an issue because Laura is adapt at jumping around and clawing her way through anything in her path. Through her interactions with Logan and Charles though she sees what it’s like to have friends, and more importantly what it’s like to have family.
James Mangold also returns after The Wolverine and definitely shows improvement here, the action beats hit hard with an early escape showing Laura’s viciousness and setting up the stakes while a Hotel Scene brings the deadliness of Charles condition into play. A Home invasion later on kicks thing into high-gear with some of the most brutal action to come out of a comic-book movie, there’s plenty of harsh scenes throughout but the home invasion shows just how bad it can get with just a mess of violence that sticks out for how hardcore it is…. Then they top it all with the entire last act in the Forest, I’m not even going to go into details about what happens, just trust me when I say that everything you’ve waited 17 years to see is here and they pull it off.
As amazingly violent as the film is what really sticks out is how tragic it is, there’s a real feeling that Logan’s depression absorbs anything good and turns it against him. Anyone he meets gets hurt or worse and most of them are innocent, just people looking to help, it hits all the harder with the R-Rating because they can really go further with Logan and how hurt he is by losing everyone. There’s so much to be said about how far Logan has come but it’s not been an easy road and this final leg is the most difficult emotionally as well as physically.
You know what, call it hyperbole but Logan’s the best X-Film to date, the stripped back story, the fantastic trio of damaged heroes and Mangold utilising his best Western tricks to carry this brutally tragic tale to the only conclusion it could’ve. Jackman might be gone but if this really is it then he couldn’t have gone out on a higher note.
Logan is out now in cinemas.
