REVIEW: LoganBy Quinn OxleyMarch 4, 2017I’ve never been particularly fond of the X-Men films.  I didn't grow up watching them; few of the characters appeal to me; and three of the (now) ten films are infamously awful in my mind, at least (X3, obviously; Origins: Wolverine; and Apocalypse).  Would it be ignorant of an MCU fan to say she dislikes a comic book franchise because she feels like they all have the same dull feel?

Anyway.

Logan’s different.

The premise alone makes the film worth it.  An aging Wolverine (Logan, living under alias James Howlett, played for the tenth and final time by the iconic Hugh Jackman) now works as a limo driver and cares for nonagenarian Professor X (Patrick Stewart), with the help of an albino mutant named Caliban (Stephen Merchant).  In the midst of saving enough money to leave their run-down home, a young mutant named Laura (Dafne Keen) is dropped into his lap, and he must get her to safety.

Logan takes familiar characters and places them in interesting new predicaments, but also keeps certain trademarks of the X-Men films.  It takes the old and well-loved and moves it in a fascinating new direction, while making you care quickly for the brand new from the get-go.

It’s more than sad to see Jackman hang up his claws, but I have no doubt that this is the beginning of a great career for Keen - she in no way falls into the child-actor pitfalls and easily keeps pace with her adult costars (despite having little dialogue to develop her character).  Personally, I’d have preferred a bit more screen time for Stephen Merchant, but that’s probably because I adore Stephen Merchant.  Take my opinion on his role with a grain of salt.

It kills me that I can’t go into full detail about the thematic appropriateness of the film’s plot; that would involve major spoiler talk, though it’s not hard to put together the pieces early into the film.  Suffice it to say that this is a satisfactory conclusion for a beloved character.

On the downside, it’s long.  Noticeably long.  Not nearly as long as X-Men: Apocalypse, but I found myself once or twice noting its length.

Is it good, though?

All-in-all, of course it’s good.  Some elements are predictable and it drags in spots, but that detracts little from the experience.  Visceral.  Enveloping.

I’m not even a huge fan of the X-Men films, and I’m sad to see him go.

Rating: 7.5/10

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