Skip to content

LOGAN

Written By:

Kieron Moore
LOGAN

Since it began back in 2000, the X-Men film series has become a mess. It has tried to juggle a huge amount of characters, and as well as the resultant continuity clusterfucks, instalments like Apocalypse have ended up as unfocused and dull CGI-heavy smash-ups, big on epic spectacle but low on character stakes.

 

This year’s Logan attempted to remedy that by focusing on a small number of characters and telling a different kind of story. In a near-future where mutants are on the brink of extinction, the man who was once Wolverine (Jackman) lives in an abandoned smelting plant in Mexico, caring for old Professor X (Stewart), whose great mind is long gone due to Alzheimer’s. One day, Logan is asked to escort a young girl, Laura (Keen), to safety from the biotechnological corporation on her trail – for she has the same powers as the legendary Wolverine.

 

This sets into motion a journey across America that uses the visual cues of the modern Western much more than those of the typical superhero movie. In Logan’s worn-down settings, fights are violent and bloody, and heroes need to be tough and brutal rather than stylishly super. It’s fair to say it’s at the top end of its 15 rating – so as much as cinephiles may love it, keep in mind that this is not a DVD to be bought for the very young superhero fans.

 

What’s important, though, is that Logan uses its grim aesthetic to serve poignant character stories, the strongest in the entire X-Men franchise. Xavier’s Alzheimer’s is a particularly clever use of the superhero genre to tell a human story; it’s not the most in-depth cinematic exploration of the disease, but it works so well because we’ve learned to know the character over the years, and because of the sad irony of the world’s greatest mind falling apart.

 

But this is Hugh Jackman’s movie, really, his send-off to the franchise that has defined his career. His performance here channels every hard-drinking, gruff-talking gunslinger you’ve ever seen, though greater depths are revealed when he comes to bond with Laura. The trope of the cynical old soldier given new hope by a young mentee allows an edge of optimism to the otherwise grim film, and shows off an astonishing performance from Keen, 11 at the time of filming.

 

Logan, then, is low on epic spectacle but high on character stakes – the opposite of the X-Men franchise at its worst. It’s a grim but gorgeous send-off to this iconic character.

 

The DVD comes with an audio commentary by Mangold as well as six short deleted scenes; highlights of these are a downbeat take on the awkward family dinner with Xavier remembering Jean Grey, the young Munson boy quizzing Logan about Sabretooth, and one of the young mutants from late in the film showing off his Puppet Master powers.

 

LOGAN / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: JAMES MANGOLD / SCREENPLAY: SCOTT FRANK, JAMES MANGOLD, MICHAEL GREEN / STARRING: HUGH JACKMAN, PATRICK STEWART, DAFNE KEEN, STEPHEN MERCHANT, RICHARD E. GRANT / RELEASE DATE: JULY 10TH


Kieron Moore

You May Also Like...

chinese remake of anaconda drops trailer

ANACONDA Trailer Grants First Look At Remake Of 1997 Horror Flick

Three sequels and a spinoff-crossover film wasn’t enough for the 1997 creature feature Anaconda, which not only has a new movie in development, but is getting a Chinese remake! From
Read More
black widow star scarlett johansson in talks to lead new universal jurassic world film

Scarlett Johansson In Talks To Join JURASSIC WORLD Film

Another MCU star appears to be taking up the reins for Universal’s new Jurassic World movie: two-time Oscar nominee Scarlett Johansson is reportedly in talks to lead the franchise that
Read More

Exclusive Reveal! Titan Comics to Deliver Prehistoric Hysterics in First 2 DUMB DINOS Collection

Titan Comics have exclusively revealed to STARBURST that they’re gearing up to publish the first-ever collection of the hilarious cult digital comic strip 2 Dumb Dinos, and we’re not the
Read More

New Dates For Lovecraftian Key of Dreams

Key of Dreams has announced new spaces for its titular immersive luxury horror event. The critically acclaimed company is known for its overnight experiences that dunk you into a strange
Read More

FAB Café to Host Free Film Screening of New Indie Comedy SECRETS OF A WALLABY BOY

We’re well known for our championing of truly independent filmmakers here at STARBURST, so it’s doubly exciting to be writing about one of our own! After joining the crew in
Read More
colin farrell returns as oswald cobblepot in the penguin series trailer

Colin Farrell Returns In THE PENGUIN Trailer

Colin Farrell returns as Gotham City’s answer to Tony Soprano in the first trailer for Max series The Penguin, which spins out of the world of the 2022 DC film
Read More