SPOILER-FREE MOVIE REVIEW
Holy freaking shit, what a movie Logan was.
I'm just going to cut to the chase, guys. This movie was so bloody good, I'm not even kidding.
It being my most highly-anticipated film of 2017 (yes, even higher than the likes of Wonder Woman, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Justice League, and even Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi), my expectations were really high (especially due to the excellent early reviews it got from critics) even though I've been trying my best to tone them down in the fear that I'd end up getting disappointed.
I'm so relieved to report that not only were my expectations met, they were even exceeded.
From the get-go, you get a huge taster of what kind of movie Logan is trying to be. There is a very serious and gritty tone which grips you right from the off where we are introduced to the titular character who truly has become a mere shadow of his former self.
When I say a mere shadow of himself, I really do mean a mere shadow of himself. My word, is Logan (Hugh Jackman) a mess in this film. I mean, when's the last time you recall the mighty and practically invincible Wolverine getting the shit beaten out of him by mere mortals?
It's the year 2029 and there have been no new mutants born in the last two decades or so. Logan now earns a modest (albeit rather humiliating) living as a limo driver in a city off the Mexican border and takes care of the ill Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) with the help of fellow mutant Caliban (Stephen Merchant).
As the years have gone by, Logan's healing factor has started slowing down dramatically and you can actually see the deep scarring formed on his body from previous encounters with adversaries. It's quite a stunning sight considering how we've never seen Wolverine get hurt for very long apart from 2013's The Wolverine where his healing was temporarily halted by that weird thingy Viper attached to his heart.
It's such a fresh take on the character that we've grown to love over the past 17 years and nine films. This final hurrah for Jackman truly endears us to a side of Logan we never see - the deeply wounded (both physically and emotionally) human being named Logan and not the weapon he was made to be in the form of Wolverine.
This is by far the most emotional and broken we've ever seen Logan, and Hugh Jackman completely knocks it out of the park in his swansong performance in a film which contains some of the finest acting comic book films have ever seen.
This is by far the most emotional and broken we've ever seen Logan, and Hugh Jackman completely knocks it out of the park in his swansong performance in a film which contains some of the finest acting comic book films have ever seen.
Professor Charles Xavier is also another character who is extremely tortured in the film, with this 90-year-old depiction of the leader of the X-Men now suffering from a few illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia which require Logan to do back-alley deals in order to get the right medication for him.
It's just so nice to see these characters who have formed such gleaming reputations from past films written and performed in such a humane and real way, showing them go through proper hurt and struggle and living on such little hope that things will improve in the future. Gone is the Professor X that strived on hope in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - that character is long gone.
An incredible performance by the one and only Sir Patrick Stewart as well. He played Xavier in a manner we've never seen him before with this volatile, senile and eccentric portrayal of a character normally associated with descriptive terms like 'wisdom' and 'composure'.
And for the kid named Laura/X-23 (Dafne Keen), my word was I blown away by her performance.
Let me just put it to you this way - she managed to steal every scene she was in, even when appearing alongside Logan and Professor X. Best part is that Laura had little to no dialogue at all for the vast majority of the film, relying solely on body language and facial expressions to convey emotion.
She has this very intimidating scowl which she carries quite often that straight-up warns you that she's someone you don't want to mess with. When shit goes down with Laura, you see just why. My God, what a savage beast she was, slicing and dicing mercilessly and with even more ferocity and intensity than Wolverine. I freaking loved it all.
In a film oozing with acting class and quality, she holds her own brilliantly and if Logan doesn't get nominated for any major Oscars next year, I will be really pissed. If the Academy wants to start including a more diverse range of films for consideration at the annual awards, now's the time. This film deserves all the praise and acclaim it's getting and will get.
Away from the performances, I have to commend the film's brilliant and absolutely stunning direction. Director James Mangold (who also directed The Wolverine) created such a deep and emotional story (as he also wrote the film) which is so different from the usual superhero fare. Logan felt like a passion project of sorts - a love letter to the loyal fans of Jackman's Wolverine as well as a culmination of what Mangold and Jackman always wanted to do with these characters but were never able to.
It is clear as to where Mangold derived visual, tonal and stylistic influences from, that being from classic Westerns like Shane (1953) which also features in a scene in the film to other films like Unforgiven (1992) and The Wrestler (2008), just to name a few.
These influences all come together to form a stunning movie with terrific visuals and cinematography, and what made it even better for me was how Mangold used the film Shane's featuring in Logan so ingeniously. I won't go into detail as it may contain potential spoilers, but what I can say is that his use of the film as both inspiration as well as a storytelling device was filmmaking genius.
What I also adored about Logan was how it went all-out with the violence and gore. When I heard that the film was going to be R-rated, I rejoiced because that would mean the filmmakers would be free to show Wolverine as savage as he can be.
Another thing the R-rating grants filmmakers is an immense sense of freedom when making the film as there are no more guidelines or rules to follow. I felt that the clarity of vision and direction really showed in what was a fittingly brutal, gritty and realistic movie. If only more comic book films would take that leap of faith as 20th Century Fox have with both Deadpool (2016) and Logan. In fact, if it weren't for the former, I don't think the studio would have green-lit Mangold and Jackman's idea for the film.
Mad respect to Jackman too as he took a pay cut in order to secure the R-rating for the film. Now that's what I call dedication and a huge desire to make his final outing the best that it could be, and it that sense, it completely succeeded.
The brilliant marketing campaign which featured two amazing trailers as well as terrific images being posted on the Instagram profile @wponx by Mangold himself created this hype for the film where us fans really hoped would deliver what was marketed to us.
So often do we get disappointed as films turned out to be totally different to what we expected. Films like Iron Man 3 (2013) or Suicide Squad (2016) toyed with our expectations with their promotional campaigns and completely took a dump on our emotions when we finally got to see the films.
I'm so relieved that Logan gave us what we wanted and more, and I really hope comic book movies would use this film as inspiration to be more real and (hopefully) less family-friendly although that's a nearly impossible task considering how all big-budget studios want is higher box office returns.
On to the story of the film, and I was happy that they kept it simple and more focused on character interactions and development rather than some massive nonsensical force from elsewhere coming down to wreak havoc upon our heroes.
It's a very grounded story without much nonsense at all, and it's the characters of Logan, Charles and Laura who truly make the film the special thing that it is.
Were there any issues I had with Logan? Well, I was hoping that there'd be a bit more violence and gore and more swearing, but I'll take what I can get. All I wanted was an R-rated Wolverine movie where Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart swear repeatedly. I got it with this and I can officially die in peace now.
There was also the plot of the antagonists which I found a bit outlandish at times but they still manage to keep everything grounded and realistic. I had to remind myself that the movie was set in the not too distant future and after I got that thought in my head, it all made better sense.
There's also this one character who pops up that I can't possibly comment on as it would be a major spoiler that kind of took me out of the movie for a little bit, but as the movie went on, this character started making more sense in a rather poetic way, which is really classy by Mangold to have thought about it in the first place.
The film does take a bit of a dip in pacing around 3/4 of the way in, but it dips in order to make time for more character development and I felt that it was completely called for. I'm only pointing this out because it may be the bit where others may have gotten a bit bored at.
All in all, Logan was so much more than just "The Dark Knight of the X-Men movies" as some critics have called it. It's The Dark Knight on steroids with many deep cuts to the body with only a whole lot of alcohol to soothe the pain.
It features the most grounded comic book story ever brought to the big screen and it's R-rating only aids that cause in bringing out the most humane, realistic and gritty depictions of old characters that we've never seen so broken.
Not only will comic book movie fans love it, but also neutral movie-goers in general. Trust me on this one, I went with a few peeps who rarely watch superhero movies and they loved Logan as much as I did.
Perhaps the group who would be able to appreciate the movie the most would be the group I belong to - the die-hard fans of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine.
17 years, nine movies, ONE Wolverine. Thank you Hugh Jackman for making the role your own, and your legacy truly reflects what an impact you've had on the lives of many. Wolverine will forever be my favourite comic book character.
Logan is one-of-its-kind, and it was the movie us fans were hoping it would be and a whole lot more. I suppose the rating speaks for itself - truly one-of-a-kind.
10/10.
It's just so nice to see these characters who have formed such gleaming reputations from past films written and performed in such a humane and real way, showing them go through proper hurt and struggle and living on such little hope that things will improve in the future. Gone is the Professor X that strived on hope in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - that character is long gone.
An incredible performance by the one and only Sir Patrick Stewart as well. He played Xavier in a manner we've never seen him before with this volatile, senile and eccentric portrayal of a character normally associated with descriptive terms like 'wisdom' and 'composure'.
And for the kid named Laura/X-23 (Dafne Keen), my word was I blown away by her performance.
Let me just put it to you this way - she managed to steal every scene she was in, even when appearing alongside Logan and Professor X. Best part is that Laura had little to no dialogue at all for the vast majority of the film, relying solely on body language and facial expressions to convey emotion.
She has this very intimidating scowl which she carries quite often that straight-up warns you that she's someone you don't want to mess with. When shit goes down with Laura, you see just why. My God, what a savage beast she was, slicing and dicing mercilessly and with even more ferocity and intensity than Wolverine. I freaking loved it all.
In a film oozing with acting class and quality, she holds her own brilliantly and if Logan doesn't get nominated for any major Oscars next year, I will be really pissed. If the Academy wants to start including a more diverse range of films for consideration at the annual awards, now's the time. This film deserves all the praise and acclaim it's getting and will get.
Away from the performances, I have to commend the film's brilliant and absolutely stunning direction. Director James Mangold (who also directed The Wolverine) created such a deep and emotional story (as he also wrote the film) which is so different from the usual superhero fare. Logan felt like a passion project of sorts - a love letter to the loyal fans of Jackman's Wolverine as well as a culmination of what Mangold and Jackman always wanted to do with these characters but were never able to.
It is clear as to where Mangold derived visual, tonal and stylistic influences from, that being from classic Westerns like Shane (1953) which also features in a scene in the film to other films like Unforgiven (1992) and The Wrestler (2008), just to name a few.
These influences all come together to form a stunning movie with terrific visuals and cinematography, and what made it even better for me was how Mangold used the film Shane's featuring in Logan so ingeniously. I won't go into detail as it may contain potential spoilers, but what I can say is that his use of the film as both inspiration as well as a storytelling device was filmmaking genius.
What I also adored about Logan was how it went all-out with the violence and gore. When I heard that the film was going to be R-rated, I rejoiced because that would mean the filmmakers would be free to show Wolverine as savage as he can be.
Another thing the R-rating grants filmmakers is an immense sense of freedom when making the film as there are no more guidelines or rules to follow. I felt that the clarity of vision and direction really showed in what was a fittingly brutal, gritty and realistic movie. If only more comic book films would take that leap of faith as 20th Century Fox have with both Deadpool (2016) and Logan. In fact, if it weren't for the former, I don't think the studio would have green-lit Mangold and Jackman's idea for the film.
Mad respect to Jackman too as he took a pay cut in order to secure the R-rating for the film. Now that's what I call dedication and a huge desire to make his final outing the best that it could be, and it that sense, it completely succeeded.
The brilliant marketing campaign which featured two amazing trailers as well as terrific images being posted on the Instagram profile @wponx by Mangold himself created this hype for the film where us fans really hoped would deliver what was marketed to us.
So often do we get disappointed as films turned out to be totally different to what we expected. Films like Iron Man 3 (2013) or Suicide Squad (2016) toyed with our expectations with their promotional campaigns and completely took a dump on our emotions when we finally got to see the films.
I'm so relieved that Logan gave us what we wanted and more, and I really hope comic book movies would use this film as inspiration to be more real and (hopefully) less family-friendly although that's a nearly impossible task considering how all big-budget studios want is higher box office returns.
On to the story of the film, and I was happy that they kept it simple and more focused on character interactions and development rather than some massive nonsensical force from elsewhere coming down to wreak havoc upon our heroes.
It's a very grounded story without much nonsense at all, and it's the characters of Logan, Charles and Laura who truly make the film the special thing that it is.
Were there any issues I had with Logan? Well, I was hoping that there'd be a bit more violence and gore and more swearing, but I'll take what I can get. All I wanted was an R-rated Wolverine movie where Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart swear repeatedly. I got it with this and I can officially die in peace now.
There was also the plot of the antagonists which I found a bit outlandish at times but they still manage to keep everything grounded and realistic. I had to remind myself that the movie was set in the not too distant future and after I got that thought in my head, it all made better sense.
There's also this one character who pops up that I can't possibly comment on as it would be a major spoiler that kind of took me out of the movie for a little bit, but as the movie went on, this character started making more sense in a rather poetic way, which is really classy by Mangold to have thought about it in the first place.
The film does take a bit of a dip in pacing around 3/4 of the way in, but it dips in order to make time for more character development and I felt that it was completely called for. I'm only pointing this out because it may be the bit where others may have gotten a bit bored at.
All in all, Logan was so much more than just "The Dark Knight of the X-Men movies" as some critics have called it. It's The Dark Knight on steroids with many deep cuts to the body with only a whole lot of alcohol to soothe the pain.
It features the most grounded comic book story ever brought to the big screen and it's R-rating only aids that cause in bringing out the most humane, realistic and gritty depictions of old characters that we've never seen so broken.
Not only will comic book movie fans love it, but also neutral movie-goers in general. Trust me on this one, I went with a few peeps who rarely watch superhero movies and they loved Logan as much as I did.
Perhaps the group who would be able to appreciate the movie the most would be the group I belong to - the die-hard fans of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine.
17 years, nine movies, ONE Wolverine. Thank you Hugh Jackman for making the role your own, and your legacy truly reflects what an impact you've had on the lives of many. Wolverine will forever be my favourite comic book character.
Logan is one-of-its-kind, and it was the movie us fans were hoping it would be and a whole lot more. I suppose the rating speaks for itself - truly one-of-a-kind.
10/10.
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