I’ll have my chalupa with steak. Thank you very much!
Hello moviegoers. Today I will be taking a look at “Logan” the latest installment in the X-men series of movies. And what is said to be the final time star Hugh Jackman will brandish those iconic adamantium claws as the Wolverine.
So it’s twenty twenty-nine, mutants have all but been wiped out and there hasn’t been a mutant born in twenty-five years; Logan (Hugh Jackman) has a permanent limp and makes his way as a limousine driver. Guys, they are not really giving our heroes much of a chance here. But let us continue. After all this one did get a well-deserved R-rating for violence and language – but mostly for violence.
When first we see Logan, he is jostled from a drunken stupor. He is tired. He looks old and seems to be in physical and emotional pain constantly – and the alcohol is how he deals with both. One day he is confronted by Gabriella, (Elizabeth Rodriguez) a nurse who cares for Laura (Dafne Keen), a mysterious girl, who possess set of retractable claws of her own. Gabriella insists Logan can help her with Laura, but Logan dismisses her pleas for his help.
Later, Logan is approached by Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) the head of security for Transigen, the biotech company that is responsible for the current state of the mutant population. Pierce, who is played by Boyd Holbrook, knows too much about Logan. He knows that Logan is hiding Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) south of the border where the fallout from his telepathic seizures can be mitigated. But, he is only concerned about finding the girl whom he thinks Logan can lead him to.
This establishes a conflict that Logan doesn’t want any part of. He is content playing out the string, and is accused of as much by Charles who is played once more by Patrick Stewart – and Stewart has a lot of fun with his character in this movie. He asks of Logan “after all we have been through… and now the appearance of young Laura… doesn’t any of it mean anything to you?” To which Logan simply replies, “No.”
That’s until a caravan of black SUV’s converge on their hideout. Now, a daring escape finds our fading heroes on the run with young Laura in tow. They are heading to North Dakota in search of Eden – a refuge for mutants where Laura hopes to reunite with friends. The only problem is, there isn’t any proof that Eden even exists. However, with Laura’s narrative now driving the story, we get to see Logan and Charles in a different light – still stubborn, but now they are diminished, vulnerable and sometimes introspective.
A series of intense, dramatic action sequences are supported by a number of strong performances including the most complete version of Jackman’s Wolverine, and the introduction of Dafne Keen who delivers a fierce, performance as Laura while preserving the innocents of youth. She shows the instinct and has the attitude to hang with this bevy of seasoned actors as a standoff between Laura and Logan over a backpack demonstrates.
A topnotch production, and other complimentary performances by Stephen Merchant as Caliban, an albino who can track mutants who lives with Logan, and Richard E. Grant’s Dr. Rice whose disarming approach is hypnotic, Hugh Jackman couldn’t have gone out on a higher note.
Logan is co-written and directed by James Mangold who also directed 2013’s “Wolverine’. Here he delivers a movie that has, character and a clear destination. One well-placed scene after another, and humor that is spontaneous like what occurs at a dinner that is the invitation of some locals who our heroes stop to help when they are stranded on the road side, all add up to make ‘Logan’ more than just a super hero. In fact, ‘Logan’ is a terrific action thriller that has raised the bar for more than one genre and I think it is by far the best film under the Marvel umbrella.
I give “Logan” 4 1/2 sweet potatoes out of 5. Until next time, enjoy the movies.
Logan: 4 1/2 sweet potatoes out of 5
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant,
Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Dafne Keen
Director: James Mangold
Writers: Scott Frank, Michael Green, James Mangold
Producers: Lauren Schuler Donner, Simon Kinberg, Hutch Parker
Composer: Cliff Martinez
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Action/Drama
Rated: R for strong violence, language, brief nudity
Run Time: 135 minutes
Opens: Friday, March 3, 2017
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