Theatrical release poster for ‘Logan.’
Photo courtesy of wikipedia.org
After 17 years and nine films, “Logan” follows Hugh Jackman’s final portrayal of the iconic Wolverine. But does it live up to the hype? The film has been critically acclaimed and is being compared to superhero films like “The Dark Knight,” which some consider to be one of the greatest films of all time. But Logan does not even come close to being as satisfying as the epic Batman film. Its characters were likable enough, and some story moments and elements did work very well, but overall, “Logan” tries too hard to be something it is not, and ended up becoming one of the most disappointing films of 2017 so far.
As stated before, the film stars Jackman who is back to reprise the character of Wolverine for the last time. The film also stars Patrick Stewart , who has returned as Professor Charles Xavier. Throughout the film, both actors are the highlights. Seeing them play with one another script-wise is, and will always be, amazing. In this particular outing though, our two heroes are tasked with protecting a little girl known as Laura from a secret government agency. What separates this film from the other Wolverine films is how much of a dark and serious tone it is given. It tries so hard to be based in a real world that the execution falls flat and the film suffers because of it. There was even some subtle social commentary about Donald Trump and immigration, which was executed so horribly.
Some story moments in the film do make it worthwhile though. Seeing Laura, Logan, and Professor X interact is great. Without spoiling anything, what is done with Professor X stands out above the rest. His arch is quite interesting. And although Logan and Laura can actually be boring at times, they can once in a while come off as entertaining.
20th Century Fox has always had problems juggling their multiple X-Men timelines together, and it is ever-present in this film. There are multiple instances that contradict moments in previous films, and it is as if the screenwriters didn’t even attempt to take them into consideration when they were writing the film, specifically in the third act. The third act is without a doubt one of the most rushed and disappointing moments of the film. Once again, without getting heavy in spoilers, I will say that one part of it, the ending, left me very confused. It was a very unearned ending and could have been handled so differently. With all the dedication in front of the camera, I would think the director and writers would want to show just as much, but it is as if they did not even really care.
All in all, this final Wolverine film is a major disappointment. I don’t feel like Jackman was given the proper send-off that he deserves. He is, after all, the definitive onscreen Wolverine. If certain care was taken behind the camera, we could have gotten something really iconic. But throughout it all, “Logan” is nothing special.
6/10
