Hugh Jackman comes full circle in the X-Men film franchise with “Logan”, where the mutant is an old man who finally unleashed the caged inner beast that has been caged and tamed throughout the big screen over the past 17 years.
Set in 2029, the film finds Logan more weary, broken, jaded, disillusioned with the world more than ever since the days of future past: a world where he once joined the right side of Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and the X-Men against Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants. Making a living as an chauffeur, Logan hopes of getting enough money to buy a boat for him and father figure Charles, whom Logan is taking care of when the world’s most powerful mutant empath needs medication to control his seizures, or else people will die. Living off the grid, Logan’s anonymity is disrupted when he must protect Lauren, a young mutant with abilities like his: one of many that was created by a powerful corporation whose purpose is to train them and use their powers in hopes of creating the perfect super-soldier – and we’re not talking about Captain America, and Logan is no Captain America. After all, he’s the Wolverine.
“Logan” truly shows the titular mutant as a wandering Western ronin in the tradition of Clint Eastwood’s The Man with No Name and Alan Ladd’s “Shane”: the (anti-)hero who doesn’t want the reputation of being the best at what he does … but what he does isn’t always very nice because the Wolverine isn’t always a very nice guy. He drinks a lot, he curses a lot, he fights a lot, and prefers to left be alone and mind his own business. However, whether he likes it or not, Logan/Wolverine has no choice but be someone who will come along and save the world: the hero … the superhero.
“Logan” out-claws and out-berserks the last two standalone Wolverine films: rated ‘R’ for being riveting and being radically one of the most exciting and surprisingly touching X-Men films of all time.
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars