MadCap At the Movies - "Logan"

The character of Wolverine aka James Howlett aka Logan is a character that is definitely a breakout character among the X-Men. His past is long and storied (and overdone multiple times in the comics as well as in film) and many alternate futures see him as either an old, bitter man who has outlived everyone around him or a...actually, no, it's pretty much just that. Hence, we come to Old Man Logan, set in a dystopian future where the Red Skull has become President of the United States, the Abomination, Doctor Doom, and Magneto have likewise taken over portions of America. Naturally, being that FOX only had the rights to 50% of the aforementioned characters, some cutting down had to be done for this film.

I haven't read Old Man Logan, but it seems a natural choice for Hugh Jackman's final (or so we're led to believe at the time of this writing) stab at the character he has played now for seventeen years. The entire film, in fact, feels like a good last hurrah for the character overall, whether he's further played by Jackman or not (and indeed, I do hope Wolverine fades a bit more into the background in years to come).




Like the comic, Logan begins with a severely aged and dying Logan (Hugh Jackman) working as a chauffeur on the US-Mexico border (in a way that totally doesn't bring to light current events at the time of this writing in any way whatsoever)  while he gets the aid of Caliban (Stephen Merchant) in caring for a dying and increasingly more and more unstable Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart, also in his final turn as the Professor). However, his job and the dream of having a houseboat out on the seas with the Professor are completely thrown out when a young girl with a most curious connection to Logan, Laura (Dafne Keen) who is pursued by an evil corporation that created her.

And no, before anyone comments, I don't have any feelings about X-23 one way or another. In the comics, at least. In the film, she's actually a very funny character as well as serving as a good foil to Logan.

As does Professor X. Patrick Stewart is clearly having a blast doing this and it shows. Xavier is, at this point, a man who has embraced the fact that his mind is going and gives absolutely no regard for any of Logan's stick in the mud attitude when it comes to dealing with Laura. He serves not only as a far kinder caregiver for Laura, but also as a counterbalance to keep Logan from diverting from what needs to be done to help Laura to her destination.

And what is her destination? A place called Eden in North Dakota, supposedly a refuge for mutants. The nurse who took her from the Transigen Corporation (Elizabeth Rodriguez) apparently learned about this...well, I don't wish to spoil, so if you're looking to avoid spoilers...you may wish to go and watch the movie and come back later.

Don't worry, I'll wait.

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...seen it? Okay, good.

Apparently, the X-Men...were made into a comic book. Within the fictional universe, the X-Men were apparently made into a comic book sometime between the "present day" films and 2029. I cannot begin to express how many plot holes this creates, its truly very staggering. I could understand how people would know about the X-Men, but how would Marvel, err...sorry...the "X-Men Comics Group" know about specific details about them? Very specific details? It's really surprising, but is pretty interesting overall. I honestly would have expected this to be a joke revelation within the next Deadpool movie, but no, it's here...in this rather dark film.

That being said, it's used both as a plot point and for Logan to speechify on how real life is nothing like the comics so we can further reinforce that he's bitter and jaded and highly upset...but I digress.

Besides that one little point, this movie is pretty much perfect. The action is well-paced, well-shot. It's brutal, visceral, and everything we've wanted out of a proper Wolverine movie in terms of sheer brutality. The acting is excellent as well, though that's not particularly difficult when you have Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart in their roles as the people who essentially wrote the book on those very roles.

But the film is heavy action when it needs to be, but also takes the time for quiet character moments as well, developing Logan's character to the film's conclusion. The film touches on themes of death, finality, loss, regret, bitterness, and new beginnings as well. In the end, despite his instincts, the Wolverine is a hero through and through, and will do the right thing...no matter the end.

Doesn't necessarily make him a good guy, of course. After all, he's the best there is at what he does, and what he does ain't very nice.

To sum up, without rambling any further, Logan is an excellent film that is really too good to be in the incredible mess that is the X-Men franchise. Is it the genre-transcending masterpiece that everyone's claiming that it is? No, but it's a film that knows it's characters and knows how to touch on things that work to their strengths as well as touch the audience. We finally have the Wolverine film we've always wanted after two dismal failures...and that's pretty spectacular.

Logan is now in theaters from 20th Century Fox and Marvel.

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