By Paul Hall
The tales of Wolverine have been told in a number of X-Men movies. This time around, in the new movie Logan, Wolverine is unleashed in an R-rated turn that delivers a sharp and cutting film.
Logan (Hugh Jackman) is hiding out. He is trying to protect Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) from an unfriendly world. The Professor is not well and Logan’s job is to protect him from the world, and protect the world from any unfortunate accident that could occur as a result of the Professor’s illness.
When a woman with a young girl approaches Logan and calls him by the name he is hiding from, Wolverine, he quickly dismisses them. Soon after, a mystery man who is searching for the young girl approaches Logan and insists that if Logan sees or hears about the girl to get in touch with him. That meeting — coupled with a large sum of money promised to Logan — is the impetus for him to agree to drive the woman and the young girl to safety.
But as Logan soon finds out, there is more to these characters than meets the eye. What was to be a simple road trip quickly turns to a fleeing escape for Logan, the mysterious young girl and Charles. Can they make the trip to a secret location or will others stand in their way? The claws return as Wolverine bubbles to the surface to protect the two on their hazard-filled journey.
I’ve long wondered what it would be like to really unleash a superhero like Wolverine. There are only a few characters that I think need an R-rated treatment and this is one of them. I don’t need or want to see an extreme Spider-Man or Superman or Iron Man or even most of the other X-Men, but Wolverine is different. With razors on his hands, he is a character who begs for an angrier and more violent exploration, and Logan gives us that and then some.
Jackman is allowed to explore the many facets of Logan in this film. From a deep personal connection with Charles to the rage that he tries to suppress in Wolverine, his range of emotions is on display. This is Jackman’s film and he owns it.
Visually, the film feels like an explosive graphic novel with no apologies. As Logan lets Wolverine out, we feel the destruction that he causes. And as we bring together other familiar characters, the action cuts to the bone.
Although this film at times elicits sadness as we end this chapter and move to the next, director James Mangold is reverent to both the man our hero was and what he leaves for the next generation of X-Men.
Newcomer Dafne Keen joins Jackman and Stewart to make up the team traveling together and wreaking havoc on anyone who would try to stop them. Their journey has bumps, but with those sharp claws, any obstacles are sure to be smoothed out along the way.
Sharp claws and a sharper film, Logan is the Wolverine film I’ve wanted for years.
Paul’s Grade: B+
Logan
Rated: R
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen
Director: James Mangold
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