Review of Logan (2017) by Frame R — 03 Apr 2018

Rejoice, it took a Deadpool to lift the Wolverine movies' curse!

LOGAN.

This movie is quite... peculiar. Whether in its approach, techniques or themes, it's not what you'd expect from this genre, and specially for the X-Men franchise which, for me, is not a very successful one when it comes to quality. Though I consider that Days of Future Past is the best X-Men movie so far, mainly for being able to balance a vast array of characters in a intricate plot, this is a clear second place (Deadpool being third - watch it carefully and you'll know why) . Logan is gritty to its core, its well scored and cast, and the CGI blends seamlessly to the film. The action scenes aren't free of the over-cutting syndrome of superhero movies, but still it's the best direction that the character has received. I really wasn't that keen on Wolverine before and now I understand it was the way he was being treated that caused me discomfort. And make no mistake, the R rating is the main propeller of this shift in how the character is portrayed. It's fabulously satisfying to see violence in all its gore as when Logan rips the guts out of people, we see those guts, which makes a huge difference in a directorial point of view, as the constraints to stage and cut around what's explicit are out of questions. And we do have to thank Deadpool for this, as it opened the way for R-rated superhero movies (basically, it took Ryan Reynolds to show that 9/11 happened and we're big boys now, we can take a little blood). Also, the script is as sharp as his claws, which contributes to the tonal focus that is very indicative of Eastwood's westerns, which is further pursued by the crisp cinematography and color pallet, very reminiscent of Hell or High Water and many others that have come before. That ultimately adheres to the movie so intrinsically that it doesn't seem to fit in the superhero genre. Though, it has a rushed ending and a minor lack of total payoff, it's very bizarre to have such a good movie this early in the year and it's specially impactful to bring something new to a increasingly saturated genre. SPOILER (BUT NOT REALLY).

I also thought it was very relevant that this is the first "superhero" movie with such an emotional and mature theme. In the end, it's no spoiler to say that this film is about ending. Ending a cycle, ending a character's life, while still maintaining hope as driving force. Hope is what gets the movie from A to B, even if B is where you say goodbye. More than an actor parting from a character that he has inhabited, this movie is a film elegy. It's a gore-filled poem on how we grow and how we stage a farewell...