Logan (20th Century Fox) [Movie Review]

When anyone mentions the term “comic book movie” to most people, you can hear a collective groan from critics combined with a dull roar among audiences. Prepare to shed all of those preconceptions with the closing chapter in the Wolverine Origins trilogy with the bloody-thirsty finale, Logan. After Hugh Jackman said that he’s finished playing one of the most iconic comic book characters of all time after seventeen years, he delivers one of his most blistering performances to date.

The world within Logan is a dystopian future where mutants have been systematically murdered in what can only be described as genocide fuelled by the fears of humanity. Wolverine now lives in a desolate abandoned compound in Mexico while moonlighting as a limo driver under a fake identity. He’s looking after an ageing Professor X (Patrick Stewart) who is psychologically decaying while his powers become volatile. Once Logan finds a little girl named Laura (Dafne Keen) with powers of her own, Charles Xavier urges Logan to get her to safety to find others like her. Logan schools Laura on how to wield her powers, live with her actions and learn let her humanity shine. They have a father/daughter dynamic similar to Jean Reno and Natalie Portman’s characters in Leon: The Professional that isn’t shy when it comes to powerhouse action sequences.

Logan admirably rises above typical comic book movie clichés thanks to the crisp writing from veteran screenwriter Scott Frank (Minority Report) that truly gives the film its endearing spirit. Director James Mangold seemed like he was visually on a vendetta to redeem himself after the blunder that is The Wolverine with a breath-taking colour palette and razor-sharp editing. Jackman injects a tonne of heart into Logan by showing that even a wild card like Wolverine can be a hero in a world gone mad. Keen’s breakout performance is sure to solidify her as one of the upcoming ladies of sci-fi and fantasy, among the likes of Millie Bobbie Brown of Stranger Things fame.

The movie wears its R-rating like a badge of honour and takes audiences on an unforgettable thrill ride whether you’re a comic book fan or not. Logan looks like it will endure as a classic touchstone for the comic genre because of how faithful it is to the tone of the character and the storyline of the “Old Man Logan” comic series from which it takes its heart. Prepare to be amazed by the best comic book movie since Watchmen, because Logan lives up to every promise it makes to fans of the character and more.

Directed by: James Mangold
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Dafne Keen
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: March 3, 2017 (United States)
Run Time: 137 minutes

Check out a Logan official movie trailer