“Powerfully connected final movie.”
Hugh Jackman dons his adamantium claws for the last time in Logan, the final instalment of the
Wolverine trilogy and the tenth movie in the X-Men series. With its fluid
choreography, surreal landscape, and affecting characters, director and
screenwriter James Mangold does a superb job in creating
a groundbreaking superhero film, a worthy final chapter of a well-loved hero
that will surely be well-missed.
It is 2029 and due to a virus created by Transigen Project,
mutants are in the brink of extinction. Some have survived, like Logan’s trio
who have been hiding in an abandoned smelting plant on the scorching outskirts
of El Paso. Logan, who’s regeneration abilities have been immensely affected by
the virus, works as a chauffeur, while nonagenarian Professor X (Patrick Stewart) is confined in his rickety bunk and whose temperamental seizures cause
massive destruction. Caliban, an albino mutant who can detect the presence of
nearby mutants, complete the trio.
Their dreary routine soon gets shaken when a mysterious girl
named Laura (Dafne Keen) comes to their door. With the Reavers led by the
nefarious Price (Boyd Holbrook) and Transigen’s Dr. Rice (Richard E. Grant)
chasing behind them, Logan must summon his final strength in order to deliver
Laura and some kids up north, to a mutant sanctuary called Eden.
Following the warm reception of last year’s Deadpool, Logan is the first R-rated film in the
X-men series. This bold move is a game changer. Unlike previous films in the Marvel
Cinematic Universe, Logan is cruel and heartless. Showers of blood are plenty,
so do heads rolling and bodies pierced. CGI is kept to a minimum that fight
scenes are organic, brutal, and dynamic.
The film also has a strong connection to its audience that
stakes feel so real and the urgency is powerfully captivating. We know
Wolverine as a hero but barely as a man with fears and weakness. Charles Xavier
and Laura are also beautifully written that we can identify with them and care
for them in the end. There is a subtly delicious mix of poignancy, nostalgia,
and humor. There is both overwhelming sadness and darkness (a notch lower than
Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy), as well as sporadic moments of
jocularity and hope. It is a deconstruction of the traditional MCU superhero
movies and a literally heart-breaking goodbye to Wolverine.
Jackman is magnificent as always as the titular character
and filling his shoe in the future X-men films will be a big challenge. Stewart
is harrowing as Xavier with his wretched plight and resolute positivity. Keen
is a breakout star, as she delivers the flares and angst of a troubled mutant
youth.
Production:
20th Century Fox, Marvel Entertainment, TSG Entertainment, Kinberg Genre, Hutch
Parker Entertainment, Donners’ Company
Distributor: Fox
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Richard E. Grant, Eriq La Salle, Elise Neal, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Dafne Keen, Doris Morgado, Quincy Fouse
Director: James Mangold
Screenwriters: Scott Frank, James Mangold, Michael Green; story by James Mangold
Producers: Hutch Parker, Simon Kinberg, Lauren Shuler Donner
Executive producers: Stan Lee, James Mangold, Joseph M. Caracciolo Jr., Josh McLaglen
Director of photography: John Mathieson
Production designer: Francois Audouy
Costume designer: Daniel Orlandi
Editors: Michael McCusker, Dirk Westervelt
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Richard E. Grant, Eriq La Salle, Elise Neal, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Dafne Keen, Doris Morgado, Quincy Fouse
Director: James Mangold
Screenwriters: Scott Frank, James Mangold, Michael Green; story by James Mangold
Producers: Hutch Parker, Simon Kinberg, Lauren Shuler Donner
Executive producers: Stan Lee, James Mangold, Joseph M. Caracciolo Jr., Josh McLaglen
Director of photography: John Mathieson
Production designer: Francois Audouy
Costume designer: Daniel Orlandi
Editors: Michael McCusker, Dirk Westervelt
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