Well…what can I say about this movie. As short of words I am now I was equally gobsmacked at the start of the credits (and some 30minutes later). The film starts in a not-to-distant future, where mutants have all but died out, with Logan and Xavier on their last legs. Logan’s healing abilities have slowed right down and Xavier is suffering from some sort of dementia combined with seizures. Unexpected events as well as the fate of their kind send them on their last journey together and this was quite simply spectacular for a number of reasons.
Firstly, it provided the perfect ending to a journey which we have been following for some 17 years now. The mentoring-turn-brotherhood relationship of Logan and Xavier has taken them to their very limits. They have now reached a point in that journey where the need for each other continues to develop until their last moments and it was not only very fitting but also incredibly warming to see.
Secondly, whilst it wasn’t really a typical superhero movie, it was just a good story about people going through an exceptionally tough period in their lives. I say this as a lover of superheroes and their films but ultimately some of the best and most gripping stories are those of people. The things we can understand and relate to (albeit in fantastical form) tend to hit home harder and provide for a gripping adventure and this is something Logan does incredibly well.
Lastly, whilst being brave enough to utilise an R-rating it did so in the least gratuitous way possible. Logan as a character is supposed to be violent and bloody and “gritty” and they show this whole-heartedly throughout the film. The physical and visual violence is brutally done but really gets across the struggles which he is going through. The themes explored are daring and, at times, a little disturbing which is good because too many comic book-inspired films keep things happy. Logan dares to break this trend by creating genuinely dark and sad moments which leave you both shocked and blown away. My only gripe (in the whole film) was the opening scenes make it clear with the excessive use of language that they are utilising the R-rating. This, however, soon passes and the film in general is excellent.
I’ve written this as my first ever film review and that alone should give you an idea of how impressed I was. I hesitated at giving a 10/10 after a single viewing but would say nothing short of 9/10 would be appropriate and, since this film was as good as could be expected, a 10 seemed fitting. Logan will almost certainly be the best comic book (but perhaps not superhero) movie of the year and deserves recognition in all aspects of its production. It was the perfect way for Jackman and Stewart to sign off on these beloved characters and give way for the new waves of mutant stories.