Logan Summary & Review
The X-Men franchise has been with us for almost seventeen years now. It’s hard to believe that we have been with these characters since the beginning of the 21st century. While I am not the biggest fan of superhero movies (as you readers know very well), I do keep up with this stuff, and I know that one of the most popular characters in this universe has always been Wolverine, a.k.a. Logan. From what I know, this hero is a lot more violent than how most of the movies depict him. Now we have a much more violent version of the character in the third and final Wolverine film, simply titled Logan.
Set in the year 2029, mutants are on the verge of extinction. Logan (Hugh Jackman) is trying to hide from the world and care for an aging Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). As Logan begins to loose his healing powers, a new mutant appears in the form of a little girl named Laura (newcomer Dafne Keen), who has the same abilities as him. Together, the three of them set out on a cross-country mission to get her to a safe place before dark forces get their hands on her.
Though not expecting much as someone who is not a superhero fan, I was pleasantly surprised. Logan is the best superhero movie I have seen. In my opinion, THIS is how all superhero movies should have been from the beginning. I was never really a fan of the massive, CGI-fueled action scenes in the Avengers movies. That is why I loved that this movie was much smaller in comparison. But that’s just one of many things I loved about Logan.
I really enjoyed the amped-up violence in this film compared to other superhero movies. It finally got it’s lead hero to do what I always wanted to see superheroes do; not holding back when taking down your villains. It was a breath of fresh air seeing Logan brutally murdering his enemies. That’s something that no other Marvel movie even dares to go near. Hopefully, the success of this movie will allow more R-rated superhero movies to be made.
The thing that I loved most about this movie was that it had the one thing all other superhero movies don’t: emotional depth and stakes. Most superhero movies quickly descend into large-scale actions scenes where manly heroes fight giant monsters. Logan, on the other hand, was fully focused on its characters rather than the action. I cared for the heroes and was rooting for them to reach their goal. That is what superhero movie are gravely lacking. They all need great emotional depth and stakes for their characters so we can care for them.
Future superhero movies should take notes from Logan. This movie was, hands down, the perfect superhero movie I have been wanting for years. This one was better than Ant-Man and Deadpool (the other two superhero movies I like). What made Ant-Man great was its lovable characters and smaller scale. Deadpool was great because it was more a comedy than a superhero movie. Logan has fresh, exciting action scenes, stellar performances from the cast, and the emotional depth we need to care about the characters. That is what superhero movies need, and I hope they get them in the future.
