Logan
4/5
Directed by: James Mangold
Rated: R
The Wolverine has grown tired of his mantle. He has turned his back on the world, only to make his home in a dry piece of land in the deserts of northern Mexico. No longer purely invincible. No longer perfectly healing every bullet hole or knife cut on his body. Only working to stay alive and keep his few friends breathing. He has nothing to lose, and nothing to live for. Until, a young girl enters his life, as do the dangerous men hunting her. Spurred on by fear and intrigue, Logan embarks on what could be his last heroic act.
James Mangold, director of Marvel's The Wolverine (2013), returns to write and direct this grizzled and primal film. Logan is a far cry from previous X-men movies. Instead of branching off following several individually storylines, Logan is narrow and focused. The film is even simplistic, by visual standards. The camera work has been downplayed for added realism. The usual flashy comic book style cinematography has been replaced with the rough and tumble of a handheld aesthetic. Though the use of CGI and practical effect are scattered throughout the film's action scenes, what stands out in these intense moments is the film's score. More than paralleling the rises and falls of the plot, Marco Beltrami's music captures an emotional center, and gives a greater sense of scope to the film's complex characters.
The most prominent cinematic element in Logan are the performances. Hugh Jackman dons his mutton chops and adamantium claws, as he revises his starring role as Logan/The Wolverine for his seventh time. For 17 years Hugh Jackman has offered an original portrayal of the iconic animal in all of his films, and Logan is no exception. Full of grit, heartbreak, and faint echoes of his former self, Logan features Hugh Jackman's most vulnerable and human performance of the character. Patrick Stewart also reprises his role as Charles Xavier. He plays the once dignified professor and team leader as a crotchety old geezer who's kind soul is buried somewhere beneath his dementia and prescription drugs. Debuting in this picture is the young and aggressive Laura, played by able actress Dafne Keen. Though she says little, she has a massive onscreen presence. She can appear equally alongside two of the greatest comic book personas in cinema, and in some cases she outshines them. These three characters are represented within the metaphor of a generational family. Charles is the grandfather, Logan is Charles' son, and Laura is Logan's daughter. It's a unique take on these memorable characters, but one that ultimately pays off, and marks Logan as an unexpectedly humane story.
While Logan shares similar traits with other Marvel super hero movies, the film's plot is more akin to a western. Logan was mainly shot in New Mexico, and the film primarily takes place in the western region of the United States. The main protagonist of the film is a lone gunman, Logan. Instead of pistols, he uses claws. The lone gunman also has an adversary, played ingenuously by Boyd Halbrook. This adversary admires and wants many of the same things the lone gunman wants, but has a vile way of going about achieving these goals. Even the slow but unyielding pacing of Logan is highly reminiscent of Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns.
Aside from departing from the usual super hero genre, Logan also abandons the light hearted nature of most comic book movies. The R rating is well deserved. An incessant tirade of F bombs make up the first act of Logan's screenplay. Few of them are justified, but most of them feel unwarranted. The action scenes also feature severe illustrations of viscera and bloody dismemberment. Though the choreography of these fights is considerably predictable, it is unrelenting and animalistic. There are also more adult themes in Logan, such as suicidal thoughts, the trafficking of children, losing ones mind and dignity to old age, and the need to parent future generations. Logan is not for the casual comic book fan, however a more mature and well minded audience will appreciate this blood stained and unabated film.
The Verdict: Logan embodys a relentless atmosphere full of remarkable performances, heart reaching music, intense primal action scenes, animalistic viscera, emotional humanity, and mature themes.
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