Logan prominently stands out as one of the better X-Men movies. As Hugh Jackman lashes out his claws for the last time, we see a final performance that does hold back a bit. Logan is rated R for a good reason. The action in previous Wolverine films has always been more violent than the main X-Men movies, but Logan outdoes them all. The violence is quick and thrashing, but it’s also very detailed and grisly. To my surprise however, Logan was not just about the violence, the story ends up being a bit emotional as well. There are parts of this movie that pull the audience in not just with entertaining violence but a compelling plot to as well.

In the year 2029, a few years after the events of Days of Future Past, Logan has hid away with Charles Xavier and another fellow mutant, Caliban. They are the last remaining mutants and look to escape the cruel place where they reside. Each one is broken down and fatigued to about all they can handle. Charles Xavier is now ironically plagued by a corrosive brain disease, which causes him to struggle to keep his power under control. This is all while Logan battles with his own problems His powers are fading, and his wounds are slow to heal.

However the group is given a purpose by Laura, an 11-year-old mutant girl who strangely has the same abilities as Logan. As the group decides to help Laura’s past soon follows, along with a hundred super soldiers led by a mercenary named Pierce (played by Boyd Holbrook, who you may recognize from Narcos). An emotional and bloody battle takes over as the group tries to escape it all. As their perilous journey begins, it shapes up to be something different from all the rest. The power the X-Men once held is no longer there, fragility has overtaken invincibility and the movie becomes something unexpected, it’s no longer a fight, it’s an escape.

As Logan escapes with Laura and Charles Xavier they find themselves being invited to dinner by a local farm family. Hesitant to bring trouble Logan refuses, but Xavier overrules. As the family dines with some of the most dangerous people ever created, the intensity is dropped and normalcy sets in. A common thing for the rest of us, is shown to be a rarity to the group. As Logan picks up Xavier from his wheelchair and places him in his bed, Xavier says something to the tune of, “This is what it’s like to be normal.” Logan grimaces but also acknowledge him. This scene as small as it is, represents the goal of the entire group. The thing everyone of them wants, that seems so simple, so achievable. It’s all shown to be almost unreachable.   

The movie is written and directed by James Mangold, but Jackman is said to have worked heavily with him as well and it shows. The cinematography is certainly homogenous with the other X-Men movies but it has this vibe to it that the others never reached. As I watched the film play along it became less of an action movie and more of a neo noir drama. It’s no Oscar winner but it had an unmistakable feeling of sincerity and desolation. The more the movie went on the darker and more dramatic it got. Jackman’s performance is the center of that vibe the movie builds. Logan is broken down and beaten but he still has that wild untamed animal inside him. Jackman’s unmistakeable screams combined with the unhinged violence create an authentic swan song to a character so widely loved. It’s sad to see the character go but the cast and crew nailed the finale to it all. four out of five stars.