Logan is the Violent, No-Holds-Barred Wolverine Epic We Deserve

James Mangold’s Logan is an interesting example of the somewhat lowered expectations which we possess for superhero comic book movies. There’s more graphic violence in Logan’s first scene – severed limbs, gruesome disembowlings – than in all of the other of the Wolverine and X-Men movies combined. This is a movie where Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart once again returning as the creator and head of the X-Men) is a senile elderly man requiring medication for his overactive mind that has become a danger to humankind, and also a film that gives Logan a hugely personal reason to dig down deep in search of the moral good that resides within him. Logan keeps a low profile working as a driver-for-hire.

Charles begins communicating telepathically with a young girl and suspected new mutant Laura (Dafne Keen), whose mother (Elizabeth Rodriguez) begs Logan-whom they recognize from his legacy as a famous X-Man, of course-to take them to the Canadian border and safety. The new footage gives a few more details. There are cybernetic Reavers on her tail, led by the malevolent Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook), so Logan’s bunch hits the road for a trip involving casinos, convenience-store shenanigans and a lesson in family.

“Logan” may (or, possibly may not?) mark Hugh Jackman’s retirement from his signature role, but it seems director James Mangold isn’t necessarily done with the “X-Men” universe. And how many other superhero movies can you say that about?

Logan is the movie that finally satisfies the wish fulfillment of those superhero movie conversations that that speculate on what a hard R-rated superhero movie would look like with a major established character. Because no matter what Logan’s intentions are, it’s less an effective political statement than a movie out to punish the audience with its virtue. What I found remarkable is that Keen can convey this pain for a large amount of the film without saying a single word.

Holy shit, you guys – Stewart delivers an all-timer performance in a role that was previously not given enough interesting things to do throughout the entire franchise. And, man, is it some glorious stuff. Based loosely on the “Old Man Logan” comics, this version sees us in the year 2029, Logan is old, world-weary, and doesn’t fight like he used to, with wounds that heal much slower, if they heal at all.

Jackman’s rapport with Stewart’s borderline unhinged Xavier is terrific, too. Despite his pleas to be left alone, Logan is swiftly drawn back into action to protect Xavier and the girl, who turns out to have a surprising connection to the feral mutant.

“She is a phenomenon”, the 76-year-old star marveled. I know the R rating suggested they did it just because they can (and because of Deadpool), but while the Merc with a Mouth certainly allowed them to have more creative freedom here, I can tell you that the higher rating really does make the film more authentic. In any event, Laura’s mother offers him a big wad of badly-needed cash to help them, and Logan is, reluctantly, in.

The world he built both in the script and on the screen really felt like one vision, even though Michael Green and Scott Frank co-wrote the film with Mangold. The stakes are low but critical, and the father-daughter relationship that develops between Logan and the girl is sweet and honest (the fact that she’s just as ferocious a fighter as he is helps them bond quickly). It’s also very interesting that the X-Men comic books are a reality in this timeline, and I like the idea that our heroes stand for something worth fighting for, even if they are supposedly the stuff of legend.