Hugh Jackman has always been a great Wolverine. However, he’s had to play this character in some relatively bad films. Fans of Jackman and Wolverine can rest at ease as Logan finally delivers what they’ve been craving. The only really negative thing about this film is it comes at the end of Jackman’s reign and it definitely leaves fans wanting more.
Logan succeeds where the other Wolverine films have failed.
In 2029, Logan (Jackman) is caring for a sick Professor X (Patrick Stewart) who is losing control of his powers. The two are hiding in Mexico from people who would like to see the end of the mutant race. This scenario offers a comical look at Wolverine who is trying to hold down a normal job. When a woman reaches out to Logan to help take her and her daughter, Laura (Dafne Keen), to Canada to escape the men that are after her. Logan wants to refuses, but the money being offered and the nagging of Xavier prompt him into a situation he doesn’t want anything to do with.
This movie is an emotional rollercoaster. That’s not something you get to say about a superhero movie very often. However, audience members familiar with the X-men franchise will find lots to deal with in this film. Seeing Jackman play this iconic character for the last time offers it’s own challenges, but Patrick Stewart has also said this will be his last time as Professor X. Then the events in the film and what the characters have to go through hit plenty of emotional beats.
While the regular actors perform perfectly, the star of the film has to be Dafne Keen. If you’ve seen the trailers you know that Laura has claws like Wolverine. Her character is intriguing and a challenge to play. Keen nails the role and the aggression needed for the action moments. Yet, she demonstrates quite a range with a few other scenes in the film where she has to carry the scene where she is the emotional backbone of them. She has a potentially big future if she decides to stay as an actress.
Final Thoughts
Mangold redeems his shortcomings from The Wolverine (2013) that suffered in the third act but was a pretty decent film until that point. Logan manages to stay strong through the majority of the film. It could have benefitted from a little bit of trimming as it runs over two hours long. Yet, it’s definitely a great last entry in the slightly forgettable Wolverine Trilogy. Logan earns the Must See rating for X-Men fan and the Not Quite Golden, Ponyboy rating as a stand alone film.
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