Directed by: James Mangold
Starring: Dafne Keen, Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart
Released: 03/03/2017
It’s rare, but sometimes you just get a movie that comes out and defines a genre. Logan is one of those movies.
Logan is up there with Dark Knight as one of the best comic book movies of all time. Yeah I know, I am probably being blasphemous and a gigantic Batman fan, but I do believe this movie is up there with it. Logan is everything every Wolverine movie up to this point should have been. Every character serves a purpose, every action serves to bring us an end goal, and there is literally no wasted energy.
From writers that have written these characters as real people with real problems and real goals, to the direction that was executed with a purpose, to performances that were real, powerful, and full of life, Logan feels like labor of love for everyone involved. Everyone believed in a singular vision.
James Mangold has managed to redeem himself completely and then some from his Wolverine movie, which is almost a travesty to mention in the same review as this movie. He had a full grasp of the Wolverine character as well as a full grasp of the Logan character and how those two halves are different, but also how they complete each other. There would be no Logan without the Wolverine. Mangold decided to get the most out of his actors and his environments. Every new location added something to the story and became a character on itself. He managed to make a true, honest, visceral Wolverine movie that was always there to be made and has finally come to a fruition.
Now lets talk about the performances as that is really what makes this what it is. If everyone involved didn’t give their hundred percent, this movie would not be as nearly as good as it was.
Hugh Jackman has given one of his most honest performances of his career. That is saying something, as he was in some really good movies before, but this was his role. Years ago when it was announced that Hugh Jackman was going to play Wolverine, everyone rolled their eyes, and this movie is a huge love letter to the character and a big middle finger to the doubters. He is Logan; he is Wolverine, and I hope he doesn’t get replaced by anyone. Because honestly, he can’t be. What Jackman has done here is portray a character that is conflicted about his existence, about everything that he has done, and what was the meaning of what he has done. Jackman does it with such class and so effortlessly that he is a joy to watch. Action scenes are visceral, and every kill–every time he gets enraged–it means something. Such dedication to the character is really rare in a comic book movie.
Jackman said that this is his last X-men movie, and if this is truly the end, he goes out on top.
Then we have Patrick Stewart, who is portraying Charles Xavier like we’ve never seen him before. He is weary and tired, and Stewart brings his usual tour de force to this performance. He still tries to play mentor to Logan, and he does in such an endearing and honest way that anyone watching it will feel like these characters went through a lot together. A lifetime has passed between them. There are couple of scenes here where he truly steals the show and lays down the history of everything that has transpired in short few minutes. He does it with such candor that every moment is powerful and brings meaning to not just this movie, but all other X-men movies before it. And his interaction with Dafne Keen that plays Laura in this movie are show stealing!
Which brings me to Dafne Keen…
Some of you must wonder why I would give her top billing above other two seasoned Hollywood actors. There’s a good reason for this: Without her this movie would not work. Without her, Logan would be just another superhero movie. She brings humanity in all of this, even though she is the most feral person here. Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver, Natalie Portman in Leon, and now Dafne Keen in Logan. Some of you are probably thinking I am out of my mind right now, but the truth of the matter is that Dafne Keen has portrayed her role better than some of the most seasoned veteran actors in Hollywood. She also did all her own stunts.
So yeah, Dafne Keen made Logan into the movie that it is, and her presence on screen was phenomenal.
Not to discount anyone else here, including the villains, but overall this movie was about Logan, his family, and finding himself in a world gone mad. The villains are great, but they’re more a catalyst for the story.
Overall, this is one of the greatest superhero movies made because it’s not a superhero movie. It’s a western. It’s a family drama. And as I mentioned before, it’s a movie about self discovery and finding your path in the world. Do yourself a favor and see Logan.
