Logan Review

    Logan, Hugh Jackman's final appearance after 17 years as Wolverine, is the ultimate experience any actor could ever ask for as their final performance as a character. It's 2029, in the film, and mutants are all gone, or very nearly so. An isolated Logan is drinking his days away in a hideout on a remote stretch of the Mexican border with an ailing Charles Xavier, whose singular mind is plagued by worsening seizures. Logan's attempts to hide from the world end abruptly when a mysterious woman appears with an urgent request to shepherd an extraordinary young girl to safety.

    James Mangold has written and directed hands down the best representation of the Wolverine character and takes full advantage of the "R" rating giving us the bloody violent movie true comic book lovers of the character have always wanted. While this is a movie in the comic book genre it transcends that genre in such a way that it doesn't feel like a comic book film through most of it. The movie also takes Marvel's post-credit scene niche and turns it on its head with a pre-movie scene that completely catches you off-guard but is so amazing you want to make sure you are in your seat before the movie begins. The action throughout the film, when it comes, is done in ways that no other X-Men film has been able to do. Partly due to the "R" rating allowing the violence to be more realistic and intense, but also in the way some of the scenes are shot during certain events that are cinematically breathtaking.

    The performances by Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart, both in their claimed final performances, are outstanding, and if they do happen to be their final appearances as their characters then fans can go out very happy. Dafne Keen as gives a great performance as Laura and shows acting skills well beyond her years. I also enjoyed the performance of the villainous Boyd Holbrook as well. The only downfalls the film has to me is that the story lacks slightly in what the driving force behind the villains is and there are some times throughout the movie where it feels as if there are a few scenes that could have been cut out. These are very minor shortcomings and don't really detract much from the outstanding film. The movie is very dark and draining at times but still mixes enough humor in a seemingly flawless way that never allows the movie to get to emotional. Remember, it is okay for a grown man to shed a tear for a character that he's known for 17 years, knowing that this is most likely Jackman's last performance.

    As a fan of most of the X-Men movies and especially the fact that Hugh Jackman's Wolverine has always been my favorite character in the franchise I feel comfortable saying that this is the best this character has ever been. While that is an unfair comparison as this is the only "R" rated film allowing much more freedom for Jackman to shine, there is still no denying that this swan song is a beautiful performance by all involved and should be seen by every X-Men fan and movie fans alike. This is definitely an "R" rated film that probably shouldn't be seen by anyone under the age of 14 as the violence is intense throughout. 

    Score 9.25/10