"Logan, you still have time."
Charles Xavier
 |
| While it may be true that "the apple never falls too far from the tree", heads can role pretty far. |
Synopsis:
Logan, formally the hero known as
Wolverine, is now pushing 60, struggling with his eyesight and
working a dead-end job as a limo driver, hoping one day to afford a
boat so he can escape from a society from which he feels detached- a world where the X-Men are no more and mutants are no longer being born .
But that's the least of his worries. His healing factor is now ebbing
away, and his now pain-wracked body is slowly being poisoned by the
rare metal grafted to his bones (see earlier films). He's also now the retainer to Professor Charles Xavier, himself once
the proud and dignified leader of the X-men, but his once powerful
mind is now blighted with dementia and his psychic powers rage
unchecked... However, Logan's life, such as it is, will be turned
upside down with the arrival of a mute young girl pursued by a
shadowy organisation from his own past.
Script: 1/2
A solid and
well-told story marred by two serious plot flaws and some clumsy moments.
Pace: 2/2
At a modest (for superhero films) 2 hours, Logan is an exercise in lean storytelling.
Acting: 2/2
Possibly the most believably raw
performances of any so-called 'superhero' film.
Aesthetic: 2/2
The sets and costumes are suitably
grungy, the landscapes are beautify framed, and the effects are both
sparingly used and brutally unglamorous.
Intention: 2/2
A superhero film devoid of the usual
world-saving CGI-laden plots, where character is at the heart of
action. Logan's time has truly come.
Final Word: 9/10
Hugh Jackman gives the performance of
his career here as the disgruntled and reluctant title character.
While the notion of him scowling and limping his way through the film
might sound corny (an authentic limp is actually a very hard thing to
fake) it's actually truly heartbreaking to behold- he behaves like he
is in very real pain, both inside and out. Jackman's performance is
that of a man literally breaking under the weight of his tragic past
(everyone he has ever loved has met a violent death) and
his obligation to his last remaining companion, Charles Xavier- an
obligation that comes at a terrible price, seeing how Charles'
dementia not only causes the old man to swing between utter confusion
and cantankerous bitterness, but also means his powers could run
dangerously wild at any moment. As an audience, you will completely understand Logan's resentment and reluctance, even when he's at his
most scathingly blunt to the ones closest to him. To be very clear,
Logan isn't a likeable character, but we cannot hold this against him. What we do know though is that underneath all that angst and
thunderous rage, Logan will always step-up and be counted, he is
never beyond redemption. However, if you're expecting him to suddenly
have that 'ta-da' moment where the grumpy old cynic suddenly 'grows' as a person, you may be in for a shock; the film continually
sucker-punches you by setting up these cues but instead turning them
on their head, with Logan continually spurning any such connection in
truly frank style... Admittedly, that moment does arrive, but it's later in the day than you'd think, and all the more bitter-sweet for it. Whether Jackman holds true to this being his
final portrayal as the character of Wolverine, this will certainly be
his defining moment.
It also comes as no surprise that
Patrick Stewart has also decided to step away from the X-Men
franchise, using this film as his character's swan-song. Apparently he came to
realise that there could be no better film to go out on than this,
and in all likelihood, the X-men being the patchy collection of films
that it is, he's most likely right on the money. He too also brings
new depth to a well loved character, by turns tragic and humorous,
Charles Xavier's role in the story is a complex one; he is Logan's father-figure and his
conscience, but he's also Logan's encumbrance, and while it's clear
the two need, and indeed love one and other, they begrudge their
dependency on the other and often lash out. As someone who's spent
almost 15 years caring for people suffering with similar conditions,
I admire the honesty of this relationship- no punches are pulled here, people in these situations do turn against each other, and it's heartbreaking.
First timer Dafne Keen, as the hunted
girl who falls under Logan's protection, who most people by now have
realised is the comic character X-23 (a clone of Logan's DNA) is
amazingly able to hold her own in the presence of Jackman and
Stewart. More over, she even manages to steal a few scenes, and while
she's by turns precocious and unhinged (there are no Saints in this
world), she's not without empathy: like a feral cat that's been
kicked around once too often and has now decided to scratch back. I
have no doubt she will fast become a fan-favourite, although what
with her only existing in the future I'm unsure on just how, if at all,
future X-Men films will best utilise her- a spin-off perhaps?
Oh, and (the curiously cast) Stephen
Merchant makes for a very likeable Calaban- a put-upon mutant living
with Logan on the Mexican boarder, helping to care for the ailing
Professor- although allusions to his past with the film's villains,
the Reavers, is both confusing and unnecessary.
And so, on that note, we now turn to
the villains of the film- an area where most superhero films fall
flat. The X-men films in particular have always suffered from dull
villains, always overshadowed by the inclusion of the charismatic Magneto. Even the
Marvel Cinematic Universe has wrestled with producing worthwhile protagonists. It seems
only Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy has totally succeeded in providing
us with truly memorable opponents. However, that said, Boyd Holbrook
comes pretty damn close to giving us a
truly hate-worthy foe in Pierce; an obnoxious, leering and vicious little bastard. He's at the head of a cyborg posse of
bounty hunters
tasked with hunting down Laura. It's a shame that all that stood between this scum and glorious infamy was
his limited screen time, Pierce has to share the screen with
less inspiring villains, among them Richard E Grant's 'stock mad
scientist' Dr Rice. It's not that Grant can't deliver the goods when
given the chance (like Stewart, Grant is a capable thesp), but how does one make such a clichéd character
memorable or unique when his dialogue is mostly exposition? He's
probably only on the screen for a total time of approximately four
minutes, which hardly helps. The film may have been better served cutting him entirely
and concentrating on Pierce, but "C'est la vie".
In fact, Dr Rice's presence, and that of the mysterious 'third
villain' are possibly the film's only concession to the format of
superhero films: the hero needs to beat the lead villain, Rice in this
instance (a henchman simply won't cut it) and your also needs
to have a spectacular battle with a 'superior enemy', and for a
character like Wolverine, who can really give him a run for his
money? I'm reluctant to say more than this at this point, although I
felt that particular void could have been filled by other means- but
that's a personal preference and not necessarily a flaw of the film.
Another inspired, if risky, decision of the film is it's total disregard to staying 'true' to the tangled web of characters and plot situations set up in previous films. In fact, in one rather sly scene (whereby the characters are discussing an X-Men comic) Logan even casts doubt on the authenticity of these previous films, as though they could have been overblown stories told within the world we're now watching- it's not for nothing that these exploits go unmentioned, save for a passing comment to the Statue of Liberty. Free of the mythology and the constraints of setting up new stories, or of cramming-in unnecessary characters, the film Logan is able to concentrate on its own narrative. It's that freedom and disregard to prior commitments that allows this story to really flourish.
Logan is a film
intentionally rough-edged. There is no polish, no glamour, no poetry
in its violence. Its less an 'action film' and more of a thriller. While
many reviews by now have been quick to point out the use of western
troupes (the film itself even directly references the movie Shane),
comparisons to films such as Children of Men and A History of
Violence are also justifiable, and indeed it has more in common with
these than anything from the actual X-Men cannon. Just as certainly
as the villains will eventually meet a bloody demise, terrible things
also happen to decent people. While there's a certain guilty satisfaction to
be had when Logan rages against his enemies (and believe me, the guy really lets rip), the film also possibly
makes for the most coherent and heartbreaking case for the Mutant
Registration Act of the previous films; when powers such as these are
uncontrolled they can only be a danger to all those close by. Ironically, one such incident may have even led to the death of the X-Men, those most responsible for ensuring the act never succeeded... It's a
film that poses difficult questions and answers very few, but that was always the intention- there are no 'neat endings'. While Logan
may not be a 'fun' film, it's certainly a well made one; brutal and
bleak, but also by turns surprisingly tender and restrained. It's certain to change the face of the superhero genre forever more, and the Wolverine couldn't have asked for a better send-off.
Extra kudos for that incredible closing shot...
