Review of Logan (2017) by Fiddle J — 02 Dec 2017

Logan is the latest entry in the X-Men film series, and, like similar previous films, focuses on a Wolverine solo story. This film was directed by James Mangold, who directed The Wolverine, which was better than X-Men Origins, so that's a good start. On this escapade, we join Logan in the year 2029. The world is near apocalyptic, mutants are dying out, and everything is very, very brown. It doesn't take long to see that this story is quite different from the blockbusters that preceded it. This story is a lot more reflective of its characters. There's a great sense of weariness through the film, due to the setting, and Logan's current mental state. Logan and the entire world feel old, beaten, and haggard, just doing enough to get by another day.

I thought that the moments where we were able to just watch Logan, and live his emotions, were definitely the best parts of this movie. Logan is such an interesting character. I'm glad that we got to see so much of him struggling with the loneliness that comes with his powers. However, I felt that the movie was overlong and often spent more time on the action or the plot, when I would have rather had more intimate character moments.

There was a lot more backstory to this film than I thought there would be, and I think it ultimately hurt the experience. There's explanations about new characters and the new villains, and I felt this ultimately got in the way of the connection that the audience has with Logan. I also found the villains quite underwhelming, and was left wondering why so much time was spent focused on them, especially since this film could have worked perfectly well without any central antagonist. I think the story and insight of this film could have really flourished if it was kept to simplicity and the characters' personalities were able to take over.

Logan was a shift in gear for the superhero franchise, and for the most part, it pays off well. There is a lot of depth to this beloved character, and it's rewarding to see the actor who has lived this role for so long be able to dig his claws into those dark places.