Logan

            Ladies and gentlemen, after over 17 years, the era of the Wolverine has come to an end. “Logan,” the latest film in the “X-Men” franchise has been released, meaning that Hugh Jackman will no longer be playing the character that made him a household name. Does it feel like a fitting conclusion? Well, before we go into that, let’s discuss a few things.

            Ever since the dawn of the millennium, Hugh Jackman has been the man unleashing the blades of the Clawed-Canadian, and not one actor has dared to even offer to carry on the torch for him. Even in brief cameos in the new timeline trilogy and “Deadpool,” he’s always been there. Of course, with Wolverine’s popularity at a high, mostly because of Jackman, surely he’d receive his own solo film. That is something that happened, but instead, he got his own trilogy.

            The first of the “Wolverine Trilogy” is “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” released in 2009, directed by Gavin Hood. And looking back on it…it’s not that good. Granted, I didn’t think the film was AWEFUL and unbearable to sit through. I thought it had some fun moments here and there, and I do think one of the best aspects of it was the inclusion of Liev Schrieber as Sabertooth. His chemistry with Jackman, including the element of making the two brothers, was a great contrast that adds to the rivalry…just kind of wish the rest of the film was as good as that. Everything else is crap, crap, and mega crap.

            The second installment, “The Wolverine” directed by James Mangold, took to adapting the Wolverine in Japan story from the comics, which discusses Logan contemplating his immortality, and trying to protect the granddaughter of an important ally of his from WWII. Not only was the action better, but everything else was brought up to a much higher level than the last film. The action, the narrative, the performances, it almost feels like the Wolverine movie that we wanted. Sure, there were some hiccups in the story, especially near the end, as it still being toned to PG-13, despite being filmed for an R rating, but it was a step in the right direction.

            When the announcement of a third Wolverine movie was coming out, and after “Deadpool” showed us R rated Marvel movies can still be successful as hell, it was confirmed that this third movie would be R rated. Meaning, it was going to be dark, violent, and really ballsy…however, what we weren’t expecting was Hugh Jackman to say this would be his final performance as Wolverine.

            So, is “Logan” the swan song that Hugh Jackman wanted it to be for fans? Well, I’m not going to lie…not only is “Logan” good, it’s a film where the more I think about it, the more I love it.

            In the year 2029, mutants are essentially an endangered minority, as Logan is one of the few left in the world. However, because of the adamantium, his body has become poisoned and his healing factor is getting slower and slower, making him less capable of fighting back. Soon enough, a little girl named Laura comes into his life, being hunted by officials that want her weaponized. Now Logan and a sick and dying Charles Xavier must get Laura across the Canadian border, before this game of cat and mouse gets them all killed.

            Not only does “Logan” work as a superhero film, it works as an incredible western and family road drama. You have this journey of these three people traveling across the country, mostly desert and open ground, trying to escape government officials that are up to no good, and you see the chemistry between the three of them build up and pay off in one of the most emotional experiences I’ve ever seen on screen. With the kind of praise that critics have been giving it, I now completely understand why they would suggest this as an early Best Picture contender. James Mangold not only proves his absolute excellence as an action director, but in terms of drama, he handles it better than we gave credit for.

            And may I say, this is easily the best acted of not just the “X-Men” series, but one of the best acted action movies I've seen thus far. Hugh Jackman delivers his best performance as Logan, and I’d dare say it’s worthy of an Oscar nomination. You see the emotions that he’s struggling with, both from his time of seeing so much hell on this earth happen and seeing people he loved taken from him, time and time again. That emotional baggage catches up to him, and with his body starting to fall apart, it’s even more emphasized. Even in moments when he has to set his claws loose, it takes a drastic toll on him, and you fear that this moment could be his last. It’s the most human that you feel out of the character in so long. Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier also gives a performance that had me close to tears several times. When you first see him in this movie, you feel so helpless that he’s reduced to such a horrible condition, and how it’s lead him to do things that completely break his spirit. He takes it upon himself that he’s hurt people worse than anyone could ever imagine, and that he doesn’t deserve the generosity that Logan continues to give him since, despite him being the only true sense of connection he has left with the other X-Men. He really does have the most heart breaking scenes in the movie, and whenever he and Jackman work off of each other, it truly emphasizes the father-son relationship that they’ve had since day one.

            However, the true scene stealer is from Laura aka X-23. For those who don’t know, X-23 was a character that was originally created for the cartoon “X-Men Evolution,” but instead of being a teenager, they make her into a child. I honestly thought it was good decision to go with, and Dafne Keen, in her film debut, is absolutely incredible. She’s mostly silent in the film, allowing her physical actions to carry the performance, and she does it magnificently. It reminded me a lot of the acting levels of Tom Hardy and Ryan Gosling, someone who can carry a performance with very few words, but deliver the same or more emotion with just their eyes alone. Much like how Jackman and Stewart share a great father-son connection, Keen adds that element of a daughter to the mix better than I was expecting. You truly feel that heavy mix of frustration and concern with all three of them, and not once does it ever feel dull.

            While I do love the film, I do have one complaint, which is more of a nitpick, honestly. I didn’t really like who Wolverine fights in the end, because it feels like a cheap cop-out. I was kind of hoping that the climax would feature Liev Schrieber as Sabertooth, allowing the whole Wolverine/Sabertooth storyline to finally come full circle and conclude…but we didn’t really get that. But that’s just a nitpick.

            Yeah, I have to say, I truly love “Logan” and I would dare even say it's become one of my favorite comic book movies. With its action, characters, storyline, and the heavy emotion that was brought to all of that, I feel like it’s a film that is going to mark a major change for the superhero genre. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” you have some new heavy competition.

Rating: 10/10