Logan – Movie Review
So, there is this X-Men franchise that started in 2000 and has like 10 movies or so now? 17 years! It took them 17 years to do a movie that makes a clear point on why mutants in the X-Men universe are so hated in all the other films. While they present enough reasons in previous films, it always felt way too over the top to be taken serious. Now this movie though, feels grounded enough to really bring that point across.
Logan (Hugh Jackman) is the third movie in the, what now can be called, ‘Wolverine Trilogy’. The movie makes quite the jump and plays out its story in a not too distant future. Logan got old, the X-Men don’t exist anymore and mutants in general are in hiding. Instead of being a new step in the evolution of mankind, mutants are pretty much extinct and outlawed. Logan trying to get by with doing a limousine service to collect some money. That money he needs to take care of Professor X (Patrick Stewart) who is in hiding with another friendly mutant. While thinking that there are no more mutants born, Professor X makes telekinetic contact with Laura (Dafne Keen). Laura is a mexican kid on the run from a mysterious company hunting her. Logan, as reluctant as ever, doesn’t have much interest in being the hero and helping Laura. Company goons discover their hideout. Logan, Professor X and Laura have to flee and try to resolve the situation. Laura has coordinates that point to a location that is supposed to be a safe haven for young mutants. While Professor X is willing to give it a shot, Logan isn’t so sure about it. So much for a rather sparse summary of the plot without giving too much away.
This movie takes some risks (as well as some social commentary here and there) and I’m so glad it did! After Deadpool’s success I guess studios woke up and decided to do comic movies for adults now. And man, it feels so good! X-Men in 2000 started the whole comic movie trend. It’s so good to see an adult, more violent and realistic approach to the material. Especially with the Wolverine character. He was always rooted in anger, violence and more an anti-hero. It’s good to see that anger really play out in Logan’s violent outbursts and the aftermath of it. It’s good to see the movie not playing it safe and instead going into its gritty feel right from the start. After the first five minutes we know that this really is a film that shows the brutality that can be ‘Wolverine’. Suddenly you understand that blood adds weight to certain decisions our characters make. All the violence helps to give everything gravity. Even though it’s rather violent it certainly is not a splatter movie. The movie uses violence in well timed doses and doesn’t overplay it. At least for my sensibilities. It’s a serious movie for grown ups! Finally!
Overall I would say it’s a quiet movie. Some parts are even pretty much a roadmovie. Most parts actually. The action scenes are well timed and well placed throughout the film. They are not mind numbingly long like in so many other movies of its kind. A pleasant and welcome surprise in that case. It’s also not a CGI overload and feels very natural and grounded. The future they envision there isn’t over the top and drawn rather realistically. No flying cars or anything. you could almost call it dystopian. It’s not really hopeful, that’s for sure. It kind of reflects our times.
Hugh Jackman started this part in 2000 and played this character since then. It’s safe to say that his interpretation of the character helped comic book movies become what they are now. We can’t thank him enough for that! Logan is probably his final role in this character and I’m so glad they gave him this fantastic material to work with. It seems like it’s the first time we really get to see the pain and struggle this character goes through. All hope gone and his worst fears have come true. Fears and doubts he has since the first movie where he has questioned everything and most importantly Professor X, his plans and his school. Logan is a broken man. He was right from the get go. And knowing that and not being able to have changed that… slowly kills him. The year just started but… Hugh Jackman should get nominated for this performance. It’s fantastic.
Having young actors in your film is always tricky. You need someone with charisma and a slight understanding what the character needs. Dafne Keen, who plays Laura, is a perfect mixture. She’s adorable and charismatic at the same time. She has a great look and you immediately know when shit is about to get real by just looking into her eyes. There is this one scene where she comes out of Professor X’s hideout, with a platoon of bad guys waiting outside… almost shaking in fear, while she calmly walks out of the building. It’s a great, tense and powerful moment. She doesn’t have a lot of text during the film and does a lot with her body language and face. Hats off, she did really well!
Is there some bad stuff in the film? Well, I’m constantly thinking “It’s a little long!” but I also immediately think that it needs that time to tell the story right and give every character the needed room. The movie is also well shot and the action parts look very competent. Even though I must say that there’s rarely a shot that made me go ‘wow’. Marco Beltrami did the music for the film but there is hardly any tune I would’ve been able to remember after making the first step out of the theater. But that goes for pretty much every movie nowadays. Almost no memorable music in these films anymore. That really frustrates me to a degree. It all sounds the same. Especially in comic movies. Then we have the theme of ‘family’ that goes sort of kind of through the franchise. It’s still there but not to the degree we have in the other films. It’s a very depressing story and hope is very sparse. It may not be the movie we would need right now (in terms of inspiration)… but it’s nonetheless a nice reflection of our times and mirrors our society really well. The audience should take a closer look and decide for itself how to make the world better instead of letting it decay to the degree we see in the film. It’s not easy, even for people with superpowers… but it’s possible.
So overall I really liked the toned down presentation of the film. When you’re a kid you want the big stuff, large action and themes. The older I become the more I want the more intimate or personal themes. The big stuff becomes more and more numbing. It’s good to see they are still able to do films that are well balanced and maybe even more character studies instead of big action spectacles. Quiet moments have weight and action sequences pay off. That combination works well for the film itself but also the box-office. It was well received and made good money, which gives me hope.
When the film ends it feels like a big and sad goodbye. That very last shot though… heartbreaking and cool at the same time.
7.9/10
