BurtonReviews Logan: The Last of Him

(Image sourced from http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/logan)

 

Before Robert Downey Jr. just was Ironman, before Chris Hemsworth embodied Thor and Chris Evans became the symbol of the American way as Captain America, there was a man who became so absorbed into his character that I bet when I mention the name Wolverine that it is his face that pops into your head instead of an iconic panel from Wolverine’s long fictional past or his gruff, all too 90s look in the animated series. Of course I am talking about Hugh Jackman, who just is the Wolverine, Logan. And with his almost two decade run as the character coming to a tearful end, is the conqueror of nerd’s hearts across the world going to get the farewell he deserves, or another X Men Origins: Wolverine sized mess. No on puts Deadpool in the corner with a sewed mouth, no one.

(Video Sourced from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viputbvuTJ0&list=PLdJC4EBLm-xVrRk-RcQ03H00hXSLIAvKU)

The story takes place in a dark and dreary future of the X Men universe where the team of mutants is no more, mutants as a whole in fact aren’t really a thing anymore, with no new mutant being born in that last decade or so. In a world with no metal flinging maniacs to fight, Wolvey is left to care for the troubled and even further aged Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart), even if Wolvey’s body is slowly failing him with his iconic healing factor mysteriously failing him more and more with each day that passes. That is until a little girl is flung into Logan’s world, hurtling Logan, the Professor, and this little girl on a bloody road trip as they try to escape a robotically enhanced army of douches.

It almost goes without saying at this point, but, of course, Hugh Jackman as the titular Logan knocks it out of the damn park. With such a long history of playing the character, it could’ve been easy for Jackman to fall on the tried and true methods for bringing this character to life. Scream abit in vicious rage, slash some fools, rinse off the blood and repeat. But with this more grounded and personal story that the film takes theses beloved characters on, Jackman is allowed to unveil a newer, more vulnerable and human side to the living weapon that is the Wolverine. And he does it fantastically so, believably and heart-wrenchingly showing a couple hundred year-old-man at the end of his rope, just barely managing to keep a grasp on surviving at all times.

(Image sourced from http://screenrant.com/tag/wolverine-3/page/3/)

In-fact almost all the acting in this film was stellar. Patrick Stewart also returning as the iconic “Q-ball” leader of the X Men also gets to show a completely new and devastating side of the character that painfully humanises a character that up until this point has been an untouchable paragon of light and reason.

And new comers, Dafne Keen as the little girl Laura and Boyd Holbrook as the leading force of the afore mentioned army of robotically enhanced douches, also slipped into their roles spectacularly and effortlessly.

Keen, without giving away too much, was a real force on screen, not feeling like a kid-actor just reading lines, but just becoming the character and feeling every single action and story development as intensely as it appeared on screen, a stand out of the cast and I hope to see more of her and her character in future X Men endeavours.

Holbrook, while not given as much as I would have liked to do, made the absolute most out of every scene he entered. His smarmy charisma and complete disregard of human/mutant life was despicable and infuriating, but I couldn’t stop watching him and help but hope for more scenes with him.

(Image sourced from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/logan-trailer-promises-something-unheard-940123)

With this being a story of smaller scale taking a more personal look at icons of the X Men universe, there wasn’t as much action as in tent-pole X Men films, and said action wasn’t as bombastic as 5 mutants blasting their beams of power into Apocalypses face until he literally disintegrates into nothing. But, the action that was in this film was gory and intense and gave fans the blood soaked Wolverine they have been clawing for ever since the first X Men movie.

In-fact, to say the action is gory is kind of an understatement, Logan takes full advantage of it R-rating and lets Wolvey off the studios, up until now unbreakable chain. The choreography of these scenes and ways in which Logan tears through enemies, or is ripped apart himself is appropriately vicious an ferocious as there has never before been a more accurate representation of Logan’s famed “Berserker Mode”.

With less action in the film than your typical X Men outing, there was a lot of down time for some great and emotionally juicy dialogue to take centre stage and allow the actors on screen to show off their acting chops. But not every scene was a winner, and in the third act particular the pacing of the film take a big hit and the momentum that has been felt up until this point in the film grounds to a jarring and annoying halt. While the gory finale of the film is able to pick back up some of the films vicious momentum, the hit the film takes in the third act can still be felt and takes away slightly from the experience overall, making the film feel abit too long in the gnashing tooth and like it could have been shortened by 15-30 minutes.  

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However, even when the films pacing takes a dive, it still looks and feels great. The cinematography employed and the derelict, burnt out scenery not only accurately works as an extension for the state of the characters at this point, but loads the whole two-hour runtime of the film with a shedload of gritty, grounded style that lends itself perfectly to the sombre closing chapter of Logan.

While the small scale and pacing issue felt in the ending act of Logan didn’t  allow the film to have the rising tension or climactic feel that such a beloved character deserves, the unforgivingly gritty world, emotionally charged dialogue and stellar acting woven into this films core gave me a real sense of accomplishment for the character as the closing credits rolled and I said goodbye to one of the first superheroes I ever saw grace, or should I say drunkenly claw his way, onto the silver screen. Plus who doesn’t want to see Wolverine claw a guy’s armpit to shreds.

Logan = 8.5/10

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Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed.