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Logan

As implausible as it seems, last year’s gleefully over-the-top adaptation of DEADPOOL helped usher in a new era of filmmaking.

LOGAN is a gritty, intense, and graphically violent production that is a definitive departure from the typical superhero adventure.

The hilariously violent and shockingly crude superhero flick was a massive success, and proved that movies based on comic-books did not have to be relegated to the PG-13 realm. Though the pool of potential audience members decreased dramatically by garnering an R rating, those old enough to indulge were more than happy to do so.

Had it not been for DEADPOOL, the current incarnation of LOGAN would have never existed. Billed as the final Wolverine film starring Hugh Jackman, it is a gritty, intense, and graphically violent production that is a definitive departure from the typical superhero adventure.

Our first glimpse of Jackman in LOGAN, serves as a vast departure from what we have grown to expect. Older, grayer, and showcasing a bevy of battle scars, it’s apparent that Wolverine does not possess the same healing attributes that he has had in the past. This opening sequence is revelatory in another way, and for the very first time, we are privy to the primal fury unleashed by the X-Men’s most popular entity. He may not have initiated the battle, but the results are savage and bloody. He tussles with a group of would-be car thieves, and in the ensuing battle, Logan’s claws tear through their skin with devastating results. Limbs are severed, flesh is mutilated, and blood flows in rivers. It is the first time that movie-goers have been provided with a realistic glimpse at the carnage that Wolverine’s weapons wield. In the past, villains in his path are seen clutching their wounds and giving a cry of pain before keeling over. In LOGAN, however, we witness a far more realistic glimpse into the carnage he can cause.

With LOGAN, director James Mangold has crafted a film that is far superior to the two Wolverine productions that preceded it. It is, in fact, better than most of the X-MEN movies that have been made over the course of the past two decades. You won’t see any superheroes in tights, the humor is kept to a minimum, and the story itself feels far more like a searing drama than a big budget blockbuster. Aside from Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) you won’t see many familiar faces. This is a world where the X-MEN have all but vanished, and their feats of heroism are relegated to the pages of comic books. Logan attempts to keep Professor X’s whereabouts a closely guarded secret, force-feeding the mutant finder with medications in attempt to keep his devastating seizures at bay. Xavier’s appearance and demeanor is a far cry from the confident, powerful, and brilliant man we have seen in the past. He is now broken, living a shattered life in the shadows, a virtual prisoner in his own mind and body.

Director James Mangold has crafted a film that is far superior to the two Wolverine productions that preceded it. It is, in fact, better than most of the X-MEN movies that have been made over the past two decades.

The plot of LOGAN finds Wolverine and Professor X trying to protect a young mutant named Laura (Dafne Keen.) Her existence is an anomaly, as most mutants have disappeared from public view. She longs to reach a safe haven where she will be able to live her life in peace, without the fear of being captured or killed. Hot on her heels is the smarmy Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) who longs to capture the girl and eradicate any trace that she ever existed. Though Xavier is eager to help the child, Logan is not. He does not see it as his battle to fight, and is only concerned with his own survival.

As transcendent and revolutionary that DEADPOOL proved to be, LOGAN stands as a stunning departure from the formulaic normalcy of traditional superhero films. This, in its own right, took a lot of guts and gumption. The X-Men brand, and Wolverine in particular, had already proved remarkably profitable and popular. To allow the character, and Jackman for that matter, to go out on his own terms was a complete sidestep from convention, and could have proved disastrous. Ultimately, however, it proved to be a film that has massive cross-over appeal, and had far more heart and soul than most could have predicted. While I find it very hard to believe that we have seen the last of Wolverine, this may very well be the swan song for Jackman. It seems fitting that his last ride would be the best, and he certainly makes it difficult for anyone to fill his iconic shoes. As far as the future of the genre itself, the saturated market suddenly got a lot more interesting, and I’m certain that there are many tantalizing avenues that have yet to be explored.