LOGAN – Review

One of the reasons why many fall in love with comic books is because they have a history of focusing on people treated like outsiders. They tell stories about individuals who feel different – men and women simply trying to live a normal life while dealing with an intolerant world. With many of the superhero film adaptations, the approach to telling these stories has been wrong. You usually watch a superhero character that also has human characteristics… not the other way around. The focus is on the “super” difference, not on the idea that humanity is actually comprised of individuals with differences (some big, some small). It’s interesting how most superhero film adaptations get this confused.

LOGAN successfully corrects this by weaving humanity through the title character’s adamantium body. Wolverine has the unique power to miraculously heal himself within seconds. But now as an old man, Wolverine is less like the self-healing ferocious and agile beast he once was. He’s more like a man; a man made of flesh and blood and filled with pain and torment. You can see the sadness in his eyes. You can see the impact it has taken on his body. He resembles less of the superhero we’re used to seeing and more of the man he’s always been deep down.

James Mangold has delivered an X-Men film unlike any that has come before it. After the initial shock of hearing the character use the f-word on screen followed by the limb severing visceral violence, what will hit the hardest for fans is witnessing Mangold slice open and get to the emotional core of this beloved character we have watched evolve for now eight films (nine if you count a brief cameo). LOGAN is a poetic journey that is about unexpectedly finding new life after giving up on cheating death.

When Hugh Jackman announced he would be hanging up the claws for good with this depiction of “Old Man Logan,” there was excitement among fans for this direction but also an air of melancholy surrounding the project. While Mangold might not have done right by fans with his previous Wolverine solo outing, LOGAN delivers the excitement and emotion that fans anticipated. It’s a film that’s focused on the characters and their journeys without feeling the need to connect to an extended universe. Sure, there are nods for fans, but it’s not in the service to those callbacks or an overarching story.

The character that many fans will recognize and will quickly love is X-23 (though called Laura in the film). Played with ferocious conviction by Dafne Keen, the young character comes into the life of Logan at the wrong moment. Logan is having troubles of his own dealing with both his own health and that of the mentally ill Professor Xavier (once again, the phenomenal Patrick Stewart). The three head out on an unorthodox road trip of sorts after a group of mercenaries attempt to capture Laura.

Following in the footsteps of such classic pairings as the gunfighter and his son in EL TOPO and the LONE WOLF AND CUB series, LOGAN positions the character having to play father to a new young one while serving as a son and caretaker for his dying mentor. The struggles of this situation and the duo roles he must tackle becomes the centerpiece of the film. Cinematographer John Mathieson chooses to accentuate these relationships with tight camera shots, focusing in on the facial features and contemplative looks. Some of the camerawork is a little too close and intimate. Given the wide dusty landscape, Mathieson could’ve taken a note or two from John Ford and opened up the lens just a little bit more at times.

However, that’s a minor complaint in a film that tells such a beautifully rich and fulfilling story. Although it most likely won’t see the award attention it deserves, Hugh Jackman pours everything he has into his swan song. It’s a brutal film, both physically and emotionally. Mangold has given Jackman fans a fond farewell, capped off with a closing shot that might be one of the most powerful images in the X-Men franchise.

In 2000, Bryan Singer ushered in a new era of the superhero film with X-MEN. It gave birth to the cinematic version of Wolverine. The character has served as a father figure to Rogue and others over the course of several films, but never has the idea been explored as explicitly as it is in LOGAN. Mangold shows us that children are thrown into this world. Adults are sometimes thrown into the role of parents. But it’s through unforeseen circumstances that you can find a new meaning to your life. You discover that differences can be a uniting force, and how that can be a theme we learn from when the focus isn’t on the capes but the people wearing them.

Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5

LOGAN is now playing in theaters everywhere