Logan Movie Review: A Surprisingly Heartfelt Sendoff To The Last Of The X-Men

Logan isn’t like any X-Men movie you’ve ever seen. In fact, it probably isn’t like any superhero movie you’ve ever seen either. Toss in the gruesome violence of an action film, the gruff and grittiness of a western, and the startling poignancy of a family drama and – somehow, remarkably – you’ve got Logan. Hugh Jackman’s performance as Wolverine here is thoroughly eviscerating, both in the brutal fight scenes and in his emotional delivery. His prickly, complicated relationships with Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Laura (newcomer Dafne Keen) lend Logan an emotional depth that allows it to transcend the usual flash, brash and bluster of the superhero genre. It’s the end of an era, but Logan – fittingly – goes out fighting.

Logan Movie Review: ‘There aren’t any more guns in the valley’

The year is 2029. The glory days of the X-Men are gone. Mutantkind has dwindled to a handful of survivors. Logan, Caliban (a photophobic mutant played by Stephen Merchant), and the professor hide out along the U.S.-Mexico border, struggling to survive. Director James Mangold paints a poignant picture of Wolverine and Professor X left behind by a world they had helped define. Jackman and Stewart give credit to the complex dynamic between these two legends, connected by trauma, loss and deep loyalty. They are shadows of their former selves, refusing to let the other give in to the dark.

Their tense isolation is cut short by the appearance of enhanced human Donald Pierce (smarmily played by Boyd Holbrook). Pierce is looking for Laura, a feral child seeking safety across the Canadian border. Comic book fans will recognize her as X-23, and her connection to Wolverine is a major plot point of the film. Soon Logan, Laura, and the professor go on the run in an extended chase sequence intercut with alternating scenes of brutality and vulnerability.

The most heartbreaking moments of Logan happen in the quiet. It’s not the brutal fight scenes that strike the hardest. (Though we take a moment to applaud them, particularly Laura in all her pint-sized fury.) No, it’s the moments of interaction between Logan and Charles, Logan and Laura, Charles and Laura that really tear your heart out. Make no mistake. This powerful triad – our reluctant and wrathful “hero,” the fumbling yet righteous paterfamilias, and the tiny catalyst that draws the others into her journey – is the heartbeat of Logan and significant in its triumph.

Hugh Jackman Gives Wolverine A Proper Sendoff

There’s something oddly captivating about violence done well – and Logan delivers violence in spades. Blood splatters. Heads go flying. Bodies fall, struggle to stand, only to fall again from a snikt to the chest. But fantastic action scenes are par-for-course for any superhero film. What makes Wolverine’s fight scenes so gripping this time around is his obvious effort. This isn’t the unstoppable hack-and-slash mercenary brawler of movies past. No, this is a man drowning in apathy and alcohol while the adamantium that made him so unstoppable slowly poisons him from the inside out. This is Wolverine reduced to James Howlett reduced to limo driver, forced to fight on as his body fails him. This is Wolverine at his Wolverine-est, fueled by stubbornness, (reluctant) heroism, and pure, unbridled rage.

It’s hard to believe that this is the tenth time Jackman has stepped into the role of Wolverine, and even harder to believe that this may be the end of his term as the iconic mutant after 17 years in the role. Sure, there will be spin-offs, alternate universes, alternate versions of Wolverine… but it’s still the end of an era, in many ways. Director Mangold’s stylistic direction and Jackman’s poignant final performance helped the final chapter of Wolverine’s saga transcend to amazing heights – and gave Logan the send-off he truly deserved.