Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Logan

I have been an X-Men fan ever since I was a child. My father owned a comic book store when we were growing up. The X-Men were my heroes since I was old enough to walk. I wanted the courage of Rogue, the power of Storm, and the strength of Wolverine. I own every X-Men movie that has been released in the past 17 years. When I heard that this was going to be Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewarts last X-Men film, my heart sunk. It was the end of an era. Now the film has received mixed reviews from people, here is my take.

I loved Logan. I thought it was a righteous end to a brilliant character. Logan was designed to be darker and more daring than any other X-Men film. An R rating might have made families with kids disappointed, it did not make me as a fan disappointed. It gave the film a deeper sense of reality in a fictional world. It was rated R for a reason there are gallons of blood, tons of fowl language and brief nudity. Logan showed the true violence behind the adamantium claws. What actually happens when indestructible adamantium is forced into someone's skull. Sound graphic? It was!

The film was beautifully directed by James Mangold. He was following up from the previous Wolverine film. Mangold had such an eye for filming the loss and pain in the characters via the landscaping and images on film. The dry dirt and despair of the desert. Wide open fields engrossed in green as a symbol of new life. The hopeful forest filled with new beginnings. Every element of the film was parallel to the emotions of the characters. Every shot had meaning and purpose.

Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart gave award winning performances. Let's face it, it's a comic book movie, they will not get the recognition they should. Jackman wore every vulnerable emotion on his sleeve. His character endured an emotional internal battle with himself the entire film. We could see the pain in his eyes and the turmoil in every release of his adamantium claws. Logan's passion and fierce loyalty is to be commended and admired. I completely forgot I was watching Hugh Jackman as Logan. He WAS Logan. It brought truth and darkness to a beloved character. Stewart is also to be commended. He was frail in form but fierce in screen presence. Jackman and Stewart were so brilliant at feeding the other's acting. My emotions were pulled in so many directions and I cried multiple times. Brilliant and haunting performances.

Stealing the entire movie is new comer, Dafne Keen. Keen plays a new mutant with similar abilities to Logan. This little girl has a massive amount of talent. She is fierce and beautifully in pain. A constant struggle between what is right to society and what is right to her survival. Keen is going to be the actress to watch for. Years of talent wrapped in a 12 year old girl!

Overall if you like X-Men and can ignore continuity with the other films, you will love it. I recommend you forget everything you remember from the previous X-Men films. Go in with new eyes, open to a new side of the story.