Review- Logan

Logan is the last Wolverine film for Hugh Jackman and it is a damn good one. It's set in the near future (of what I think is the new X Men timeline, hard to tell) and shit is bleak. Wolverine is a limo driver, living on the border of the US and Mexico in a glorified shack. He looks after Charles Xavier who seems to have Alzheimers and lives there with Caliban, an ugly mutant who fears the outside but is actually a really nice guy (I think James Mangold studied Shakespeare). They come across a young girl who has powers similar to Wolverine's and realise that they have to get her to safety, hence a road trip ensues. Superhero movies aren't famed for their plots but honestly, once you get to grips with what the movie is going to be, you are fully along for the ride and personally, I was completely invested.

Now, superhero films aren't films that usually need to have their acting talked about but Logan isn't your ordinary superhero film. Obviously, the role you want to know all about is Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. He's played this role for 17 years and no one expected him to be bad but he isn't just good here, he is incredible, like, early contender for one of the best performances of the year. Unlike previous movies, there is a proper chance to deal with new sides to this character as he has to face mortality for the first time ever. The other actors are superb too. Patrick Stewart returns as Professor X and is just as incredible as you'd expect and a rare dramatic role from Stephen Merchant as Caliban also proves to be an odd highlight. The shock standout though is Dafne Keen as the young girl in the film. She was a total unknown before but proves a stoic and controlled character throughout, often having to balance some extreme violence with reminders that she is only a child. All in all though, I can't fault the cast, every single one of them does a great job.

Tone was the area of this film that everyone was most interested in with it being unlike any mainstream superhero movie yet. Sure, gritty superhero films exist (DC Cinematic Universe, we know you're there, we just wish you weren't) but this was less gritty and more the tone of a bleak western. Having read interviews with the director, I know what some of his major influences were but this is my blog and so I'm going to describe the tone using two movies I like but that no one else saw. The majority of the film is like Hell or High Water in that it's a modern western with a cat and mouse plot, built around strong central relationships. The odder parallel that I picked up on though was Midnight Special, largely during the central road trip part. There was the family dynamic, the taking of a child to a location for some mysterious reason and the picturesque sweeping of cars along the road. Part of the problem of drawing these comparissons though was that I stopped judging the film as a superhero film and looked at it as a regular film. I know that sounds odd but this could be part of the issue of superhero films being taken seriously now, they are no longer judged as action films (great as the action is) but alongside the more serious fare. With that as the biggest complaint though, you know you've got a great film on your hands.

What is so great about Logan is how unique it is to the genre. It makes brave decisions, isn't afraid to make you feel all emotional but also serves up some properly brutal action when needed. If you like superhero films, you need to see this film to support the expanding of the genre but even if you aren't such a fan of superhero films, this film could be different enough to draw you in. The year of blockbuster movies has had a much better start than last year and I happily give this film a