Monday 6 March 2017

Logan (2017)


Directed by: James Mangold
Story by: James Mangold
Written by: Scott Frank, James Mangold, Michael Green

In the near future where no new mutants have been born in years, old man Logan cares for an ailing Professor X. His plan to hide and escape changes when a young mutant Laura arrives, being pursued by men who are similar to those who made Logan Wolverine.  


I've been waiting for this movie for so long, but also I've been really nervous. The movie hasn't been hiding what it is: the last one about Logan, or at least the last one with Hugh Jackman as Logan, and let's be honest... It's not like they're going to cast a new actor to play Wolverine any time soon, eh? He's been in every single one of the X-men movies for 17 years. Hugh Jackman is iconic in this role, so why would they be in a hurry to replace him? Especially when now's the chance to make movies without him and maybe focus on some of the other characters.

But personally, am I sick of seeing Wolverine in every X-men movie? No. 

Another thing that made a bit worried was how I had realised I'm not at all into dark superhero movies, at least not the ones I had seen before Logan. They were a bit boring and miserable, trying to be all gritty and edgy. But when wasn't Logan an gritty, miserable, edgy character? And at the beginning this movie was exactly what I feared it might be - gritty, miserable, dark world with no happiness in it for Logan. Luckily that changed. It changed slowly, but the world did change into something a tiny bit happier, tiny bit more hopeful. 

Also at the beginning something felt so wrong to me, and soon enough I was able to place that feeling. It was Charles. I understand he had some kind of disease affecting his brain, so naturally that would also affect his personality, but at first he just didn't feel like Charles, and Charles has always been a very, very important part of the X-men universe. He's that one good spark of hope even in the middle of the worst moments. So when he's clearly not well, it's just awful to look at, to listen to. Clearly that was the intention for the writers, though. It was just really rough to see Charles that way.

Visually this movie was so beautiful, the cinematography was amazing. Also the composer, Marco Beltrami, did an amazing job. I like how the score sounds just a bit like the one in Wolverine (2013), but not too much, not like they were trying to do that same score again.

X-men movies have always been barely violent so they can be PG-13, but finally we get a Wolverine movie that is just as violent as it needs to be. Usually Wolverine stabs and slices and there's barely any blood. Ever since I played X-Men Origins: Wolverine videogame I've been waiting for that kind of movie. And now we have it! And  it's not just like full on violent content without anything else. The fight scenes are beautifully coordinated, and of course there's so much more to the story than just Wolverine and Laura fighting folks.

The story just is so beautiful I can't get over it. And while the movie wasn't perfect, and I didn't like everything about it, at the end of the day I don't know what else I would've needed. This is the perfect even if sad ending for wonderful 17 years Hugh Jackman has been our Wolverine.  

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
8 / 10

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