Rarely does a superhero film go beyond its cliches and safe direction, mainly because it’s tied down by the restricting confines of its genre. I can only think of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, and to a point, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, when thinking of superhero movies that transcend above what it’s supposed to be. And it’s unfair to fault them for that. These are franchise characters, after all. People like to keep seeing these characters move on from one adventure to the next.
Hard to believe it’s been 17 years since the fist X-Men movie came out. At the time I was doubtful it could even be pulled off, especially with characters that have such outrageous powers. But they did it anyway, and as they kept delivering sequels and spin-offs (with some mishaps along the way), the characters became synonymous with the actors that played them. In our minds, Hugh Jackman is Wolverine and Patrick Stewart is Professor Charles Xavier. That’s why Logan is extra special – it’s the last time we’ll ever see these actors play these characters ever again (but who knows in Hollywood).
The year is 2029. Mutants are on the brink of extinction, nearly eradicated from a virus created by a corporation that only targeted mutants. The X-Men are gone as well, with Professor Charles Xavier and Logan the only surviving members, and apparently, both of them are dying too – as the once glorified leader of the X-Men, Professor Xavier’s mind is getting more unstable due to the deterioration of old age (and has been classified as a deadly weapon), while the feral beast Wolverine is being slowly poisoned by adamantium, his healing powers failing to keep up, and ultimately a broken man. They have aided the help of Caliban (played by Stephen Merchant), an albino, vampire-like mutant that has the ability to track other mutants.
Resorting to hiding, the future looks hopelessly bleak and filled with despair for mutantkind. But the protagonists eventually meet a young new mutant named Laura, and it’s where the story begins.
It’s mainly the way director James Mangold has stripped the leads down to their pure essence – to the point where they’re battered and beaten – in addition to a hard-hitting and tonally different story, that makes Logan break through the barriers of traditional superhero storytelling. No meaningless world domination plots here, just people trying to survive in a world that’s finally successful in ending their kind. And as a result, the stakes feel much higher and more grounded in reality.
True, Logan is a big departure from the previous X-Men movies in terms of tone and story. It’s dark, unapologetic and relentlessly violent, but not cheap in the way of more cursing and blood. It tackles more mature themes affecting our current society that somehow feel more relevant than ever. There’s a scene halfway through where Logan finds an X-Men comic book from Laura’s backpack and comments on how it’s “ice cream for bed-wetters,” and that people die in the real world.
It’s essentially a neo-western story with comic book characters (Charles and Laura are even watching Shane in the aforementioned scene); there are bits and pieces of Children of Men and 3:10 to Yuma (also by Mangold) throughout the film that help the story reach the next level.
Although it may appear that all is hopeless, the movie ultimately teaches us about family. The addition of the young newcomer Dafne Keen adds a fascinating dynamic to the established relationship between Charles and Logan, a much needed contrast to the desolate worldview of a defeated Wolverine. Playing as Laura/X-23, the pure rage that she shows, even rivaling Jackman’s performance, is nothing short of breathtaking. Being a young actress that’s immediately thrusted into an R-rated film is a feat on its own.
If Logan truly is the end, then it’s the perfect farewell to Jackman and Stewart who’ve been with us since the beginning. It’s visually obvious that they poured their heart out onto this one. And with it, Logan stands as a genre-defining flick that will serve as a threshold for future superhero films.
Rating: ★★★★½
The Talking Screen 