Review of Logan (2017) by Ryan C — 23 Sep 2018

For the most part, superhero movies are family friendly romps that eventually end with a final battle being won by the good guy. Logan takes the many tropes of past superhero films and changes the narrative completely.

Not only is the R rating strife for coarse language and savage violence throughout the film, but it also allows us to see a truly gritty version of Hugh Jackman's iconic portrayal of the Marvel antihero.

Loosely following the narrative in the Old Man Logan storyline in the comics, we are thrust into a world where mutants are on a severe decline in numbers. This is due to a massive event involving Professor X developing seizures that cause intense moments of paralysis and eventually death and also the result of experimentation and disease created by various corporations wanting to expel the mutant race or create super soldiers for personal and national gain.

These same super soldiers, mere children scientifically and genetically modified within kidnapped Mexican teenagers, are the crust of this film. In the year 2025, Logan has attempted to disappear with Professor X in Mexico.

However, Logan needs to make money in order to sustain any type of lifestyle and to keep up the inventory of prescription drugs that are needed to quell the seizures that Charles suffers from and also to diminish his psychic abilities.

During this time, he is discovered by a woman attempting to flee with one of the aforementioned mutant children. This child just so happens to be the iconic X-23, a hybrid mutant that shares a genetic code with Wolverine himself.

With her dual claws coming out of her knuckles and a defensive claw in her feet, she is a formidable killer. Add on her severe anger issues, a la Wolverine himself, and you have yourself one of the most deadly creatures ever.

Witnessing their journey from Texas to the Canadian border, dealing with the ever present threat of the pursuing Reavers and the manufactured monster X-24, the fear of Professor X's seizures occurring and causing widespread chaos and death and of course just the volatile relationship the 2 clawed mutants share, we are taken on a journey that threatens to change how we see superhero movies and how we feel about these characters.

The truly epic deaths of both Professor X and Logan are heart-wrenching and leave you with a near empty feeling going forward. This film is amazing and needs to be seen by absolutely everyone. X-23 is masterfully portrayed by Dafne Keen and I would not be surprised if this character is continued on with her at the helm and the other mutant children playing important roles as well, both as heroes and villains.