Hugh Jackman’s seventeen years of playing Wolverine comes to a smashing close with “Logan”’s release in theaters on March 3rd. Captivating and thrilling, one of the X-men franchise’s few R-rated movie delivers a whirlwind of intense action and powerful emotion in Wolverine’s last adventure to find redemption and justice.
“Logan” opens in a dystopian, decaying world, and the movie immediately adopts a sombre atmosphere different from many of the past X-men movies. After all the other known mutants from X-men with the exception of Professor X have died, Logan abandons his mission to bring justice to the world with the X-men and instead wallows in bitterness and anger. His selfless role-model reputation falls away, and Wolverine’s turn to a darker, more hostile character is emphasized by the profanity and inclination towards brutal violence newly allowed by the movie’s less constrained R rating.
The movie’s new Logan has also aged, and his strength and mutant abilities begin to fail him as the adamantium that strengthens his claws begins corroding his body. He cannot heal as quickly as before, and every stab, punch, and bullet weakens him even more, though the injuries would not have even fazed him before.
X-men’s beloved and respected Professor X, who founded a safe school for mutants, is also affected by the constraints of age. His once-omnipotent mind is crippled by insanity and dangerous psychic seizures. He needs Logan to take care of him and given him medicine to contain his psychic instability, and is too weak to move around himself.
For X-men fans, to see two of the most loved characters in the X-men universe in such pitiful circumstances with only each other to rely on is nothing short of heartbreaking. However, the incredible character development that spawns off of the aged, hopeless Charles and Logan is impressive and well-executed.
“Logan” beautifully builds upon every aspect of the movie, and their pain and downfall is what ironically makes Logan and Charles more honorable and remarkable heroes.
Their last heroic adventure is one dedicated to helping a young girl named Laura. While Logan’s bitterness and hostility initially causes him to deny her assistance, his old friend and mentor Charles insists on delivering the girl to her final destination, and Logan, who considers Charles his first and only priority, is fiercely unwilling to leave him. However, when Laura sprouts claws from her hands and toes, Wolverine grudgingly agrees to Charles’s request and together, the three of them head north across the nation.
No longer part of a force fighting for justice, their quest to deliver Wolverine’s genetically bred mutant child to the Canadian border is presented as an act of pure, selfless kindness and hope. Logan and Charles endure bloody battles, unbearable pain, and crippling guilt all for a girl that they will likely never be known for saving, but the unknown acts of heroism are what subtly redeem the heroes at the end.
“Logan” is also an unexpected minefield of emotion; As Logan, his genetically bred daughter Laura, and Charles travel together, spontaneous cooperation and unanticipated acts of tenderness bring the three closer, and Logan’s shell of resentment and bitterness begins to melt. The smallest, most mundane moments, such as when they sit down to eat as a family or when they drive together on a road, allows Logan learn to live with love and compassion. The storyline integrates moral and emotion perfectly and develops a touching, genuine relationship amidst the violence, fighting, and destruction.
Apart from the characters, “Logan”’s visuals are consistently breathtaking. The movie starts in a western setting, and the rustic, dusty backdrop matches perfectly with Hugh Jackman’s rugged, bearded, scowling Wolverine. As the journey begins from there, the scenery changes along the trip until Logan and Laura arrive in the beautiful mountains of North Dakota. A luscious view bustling with life and nature, the atmosphere around the setting changes, but the movie remains gorgeous from start to finish.
“Logan” is a tale of redemption and ironic heroism woven with graphic violence and superb character development. The tender moments reveal the beauty in mundane actions while the fast-paced violent displays entertain, working perfectly in tandem to deliver an edge-of-your-seat, but emotional performance. “Logan” creates an unforgettable legacy for the X-men’s most famous mutant, and is a flawless ending for Hugh Jackman.
