As a franchise, the X-Men series of films has been a bit hit and miss. But one thing that all fans will agree on is that Hugh Jackman has embodied the role of Logan perfectly over the last seventeen years. With his announcement that this will be his last time donning the claws, pressure was on to make sure the character was given the send-off he deserves. Did director James Mangold succeed in doing this? You bet your ass he did!
The film itself takes place in the year 2029 where we find an older, more grizzled Logan caring for America’s Most Wanted Nonagenarian, Charles Xavier. However his new life is soon turned upside down with the arrival of a young girl with a mysterious past and ties to our hero. From there he finds himself on the run from ruthless mercenaries and unscrupulous scientists.
But let’s not forget while we’re all here, the point of this film was to act as a not only a swan-song to the Wolverine character but also to Hugh Jackman himself and as such the actor certainly brings new depths to the character. He starts out with a weariness which soon develops into sense of duty and care for the characters around him. It’s clear that the character has come a long way since we first saw him back in 2000.
Logan also serves as a celebration of the characters history in the franchise, with references to his previous exploits as a member of the X-Men scattered throughout the film.
While many will acknowledge this as Hugh Jackman’s last film, it should also be noted that this will be the last time that Patrick Stewart will be appearing as Professor X. Stewart’s acting here is a tour-de-force as the frail Mutant, whose once great mind is slowly failing him, leading him to be considered one of the worlds most dangerous weapons. It’s many of these scenes between Stewart and Jackman that give the film its emotional weight.
Rounding out the main cast is newcomer Dafne Keen as Laura, otherwise known as X-23. Keen manages to portray the character as both an innocent child and a dangerous weapon all without speaking for the majority of the film. Laura’s inclusion in the film further adds to the family dynamic created between Logan, Xavier and herself, something which helps create a much more personal feel to the story.
Taking a cue from last years hugely successful, Deadpool, Fox granted Director James Mangold the use of the R-Rating. Something which allows the director to capture the more violent aspects of the character in a manner true to the source material. From the first fight to the last, it’s clear that this is a much more violent Wolverine than we have seen in past portrayals.
Of course, we have already heard Logan’s interesting choice of language in X-Men: First Class but hearing Sir Patrick Stewart’s Xavier dropping the ‘F-Bomb’ on several occasions couldn’t help but bring a childish smile to my face. Then there’s the violence, which captures the carnage that three sharp claws would actually achieve far more accurately than we have seen in the franchise thus far. Decapitations, Stabbings and Mutilations, Oh My!
Despite being a comic book movie at its heart, the film itself feels more akin to a Western. Most notably the 1953 film Shane, which even finds itself referenced several times throughout the movie. This change in genre certainly works in the films favour much like it did with the Old Man Logan Arc that the film is loosely adapted from.
Unfortunately, the slightly more grounded aspects of the film are undone by the reveal of the films third act villain, something which almost cheapens the tone that the director was going for. Whilst the character makes sense from a story point of view, I can’t help but feel another character could have fulfilled this role just as successfully.
Overall, Mangold has successfully created a beautiful send off to everybody’s favourite Canadian Mutant and one which will forever remind us as to why Jackman’s popularity as the character has endured over the last seventeen years.