Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen, Stephen Merchant, Boyd Holbrook, Richard E Grant,
Director: James Mangold
Logan, the man who is also known as Wolverine (Jackman), has grown old. He no longer heals so good, and he’s spending his days sleeping in his car, drinking heavily, and chauffeuring obnoxious people around near the Texas border. But we soon find out two things: he’s secretly crossing over into Mexico to take drugs and supplies to Charles Xavier (Stewart) who is fragile and having seizures, and that there’s a little girl in trouble who needs his help.
She is Laura (Keen), a girl who was born in a facility, a weaponised child with the same skills as Logan, who has a plan to get to a sanctuary called Eden where she believes she will be safe. But she can’t do it alone and worse still, the evil doctor who created her and wiped out the mutants will stop at nothing to get her back. There is little choice for Logan than to pack up Charles and the girl, and head off.
It’s kind of a weird film, really. It’s got some really great fight sequences which are very bloody, and there’s a good deal of banter between Charles and Laura and Logan. Jackman looks great as an ageing man who has lost everything and has given up on life. As a final Wolverine film, and as an action or thriller, it’s pretty functional.
But there’s something that kind of bothered me a lot. The film uses Shane (1953) as a reference quite extensively. But it doesn’t really work, as though they didn’t know what Shane was about. It’s a film which is often cited as a classic western format, about the way in which normal people can’t and shouldn’t live by the gun, so that in a community that is threatened by violence, an outsider must come, be violent, and then ultimately must leave as they cannot belong. It’s quite an insightful film about the American psyche in the 50’s. It doesn’t apply to Logan or his story, because that would then make Laura, and the children like her, the bad guys because they are weaponised, they’re not innocent or socialised. The mutants are different, and they’re the type that must be expelled in films like Shane, because they threaten the fabric of society.
I think perhaps someone just liked Shane’s speeches, and the way that he has to ride off into the sunset at the end. Because the point of Logan is that it’s Jackman’s last film as the character, so we know that something is going to happen at the end, and the film really leads up to that, sometimes to the point of being a bit odd. For example, Laura is a killing machine, and that would imply that other children like her would be also, and yet it turns out that the children are rather easily captured when it’s time for Wolverine to have his big finale battle.
OK, so it’s a flawed film. BUT, I think I’m probably the only person that cares, because action movies are all about the ride. The banter, the little moments of humour or pathos, the car chases, the big fights, and this film delivers that. And in the end, I think that’s perhaps what matters. I love that so many people love this film, I think Wolverine is such a great and enduring character, and this is a great send of to Jackman, too.
See It If: you’re a pre-sold audience, aren’t you? X-men, comic book fans and action lovers, this one is for you.
Wildfire Movies 
Awesome! Neat and honest. It’s just a film for ardent comic book and action film fans. 🙂
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Yeah, I guess you’re right. 😁
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I quite enjoyed Logan and thought this film worked as a proper send off for Hugh Jackman. While the movie certainly did not work on every level, I really enjoyed the bond that was created between Logan and the girl. That was pretty much the heart of this film, and in that regard it certainly did not feel like a let down at all. It’s sad to think that Hugh won’t be reprising his role anymore. Those are some very tough shoes to fill, but I guess we know that those shoes will be filled eventually. Great review as always 😀
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Thank you , hon. And a very happy Easter to you.
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Thank you so much, and to you as well. I hope you will have a great time 😊
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You’ve articulated very well some valid points about the comparison to Shane and the film in general. I don’t agree but I like your review. You’re right about the comparisons to Shane. I think ultimately they were just saying Logan was like Shane in the sense that he’s a soldier and someone who never quite stopped being a loner. The X-Men finally gave him a home and a family and now they’re gone. Perhaps why the last shot is so well liked. I feel the third act feels a little less than the first two. We miss one character at that point and feel dissatisfaction at how it ended. But life can be like that. I think what people are responding to are some of the ideas in this film. It feels unique in the genre and that’s a good thing. Maybe when the hyperbole dies down we’ll come to realise more of it’s weak points. In that way you’re ahead of the curve, kinda like the people who made Logan and Deadpool. 🙂
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Well, I generally hate nothing-but-action films (such as John Wick), I don’t care for comic books and haven’t seen any other Wolverine film (probably wouldn’t have watched this one either if I’d known, no matter how high it is on the IMDB top-rated film list), but I still enjoyed it (“loved” would be exaggerated). Mostly because of the girl. She is brilliant. And him. Well. He’s hot. 😀 Interesting what all you say about Shane. Yeah, I think it was riding into the sunset they liked.
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😂 Hugh Jackman is lovely. Yeah, she is very good. I’m glad you enjoyed this one. ❤️
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I have watched the X-men series and i love all of them especially Logan and Jean are my favorite characters…Thanks for sharing.
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Logan and Jean are great, I like Rogue & Storm too. 😁
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I left the cinema feeling quite disappointed after watching Logan. I found the cinematography stunning and I liked how it didn’t feel like a typical superhero film as it had so much depth. But I felt like the story really dragged in the middle, almost like they’d run out of ways to make the film last the 2h 21mins. Also (very picky of me) it really bugged me that half the children had American accents and the others had Mexican ones, they were all raised in the same facility by the same nurses and had no exposure to the outside world, so why did they have different accents?
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😂 yes!! Why did they all have different accents?? That drove me nuts! These are all really good points. Films are almost obliged to be 2 hours long now, or longer, and I don’t know why.
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