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Logan is the tenth installment in the X-Men film series, and the third film to be solely focused on the Wolverine character. The movie is directed by James Mangold, and written by
James Mangold, Scott Frank and Michael Green.
The movie stars Hugh Jackman as the Wolverine and Patrick Stewart as Professor X, both reprising their role since the very first X-Men movie adaption, as well as Dafne Keen, Boyd Holbrook, and Stephen Merchant in main roles.
Logan does not particularly follow a specific comic book or story arc, instead it takes several elements from the X-Men comic books and creates its own story, while staying close to the original origin story that we had for Laura (X-23). While the movie takes place in a future setting, farther than any X-Men movie we've had so far, its story is not in the same continuity as the previous X-Men movies which were all connected. So that means even if you haven't watched some of the X-Men movies, or even X-Men Origins: Wolverine or The Wolverine that came afterwards, you can still drop into Logan and not really miss much, as it is pretty self explanatory and does not rely on references or plot points from the previous movies. I would, however, personally recommend having seen some of them anyway as they're entertaining films, although some of them were pretty disappointing.
The movie starts off by taking us into the life of an old Logan(Logan being old is not to be confused for an Old Man Logan adaption, the movie does not follow that storyline), who has grown weaker and lives day to day without a purpose, being a cab for hire in a future where nearly all mutants except a few are extinct, and lives with a mutant called Caliban, with whom he takes care of Professor Charles Xavier who is dying due to a neurodegenerative disease and has lost control over his abilities.
Soon after, everything changes for the three mutants as Laura comes along, a little girl mutated using the genes of Wolverine, which causes her to have claws and regenerative abilities just like Wolverine himself. She is being haunted by the same people who created her, and they will stop at nothing and kill everyone in their way. Eventually Logan decides to help her survive and escape the evil corporation, and we go through a rollercoaster of a journey with the characters who must journey to North Dakota where it is believed that Laura can be safe.
The movie and its story are very well structured, nothing is unnecessarily dragged on or undermined, no relying on shock-value or over-dramatizing a segment. The R rating really gives the movie the feel it needed and stays true to the Wolverine character, something the previous ones have lacked. This was one of Hugh Jackman's best performances, and 'the' best performance of his as the character of Wolverine, and the rest of the cast certainly keeps up, with even Dafne Keen(Laura) playing the role perfectly and delivering a good performance. The movie's soundtrack is just as it should be, with a good choice of songs and a fitting background score by Marco Beltrami. The sound effects are also very well done, as expected from a high cost production.
The movie does not try to fit in too much and keeps a rather simple but engaging plot, and has a surprise antagonist that wasn't revealed in the trailers; something I absolutely love Marvel for; as opposed to DC which reveals a bit...too much in its promotional content. The movie has a very serious, and as expected with a solo Wolverine movie, a dark tone. But that also does not mean it tries to take itself more seriously than it should; there is a little humor cleverly added, which does not ruin the moment or feel out of the place but manages to give you a good chuckle every now and then.
Logan is not only one of best superhero movies of all time, it is also an amazing movie as a whole, comparing to any genre. The direction, plot and acting of the movie are all very well done, as well as keeping a perfect pace without either rushing or dragging it, and delivering the action and stylish violence that you would come to expect out of the R rating, but not overdoing it either. Logan is the absolutely perfect exit for both Hugh Jackamn and Patrick Stewart's characters as their last performance, and is worthy of the 17 years of the X-men movie franchise, while also definitely topping every movie in the franchise to date, as well as countless other superhero movies around. The movie perfectly executes all the emotions you'd come to expect as it is, after all, the end of an era, and left audience all over the world heartbroken and in tears(in a good way). Dafne Keen is a very welcome addition to the franchise as Laura and delivers a performance as good as the movie deserved, and the rest of the cast also catches up, making the movie perfect. From the beginning to the very end, the movie does not disappoint and holds a few surprises, and the final moments of the movie were perfection.
Final Verdict:
Logan is a 10 out of 10.
You may think I'm jumping the gun making it the first superhero movie that I've reviewed to get a whopping straight 10 rating, but once you watch the movie for yourself you will see that I am not overrating it by any means, and it deserves every one of those digits as an amazing superhero movie that has topped most movies in the genre with an great plotline, direction and acting from the entire crew, as well as being a perfect see-off for Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in his last performance, and is without a doubt satisfactory for the fans of the franchise.
If you are yet to watch the movie, you are certainly in a minority, and should buckle up the seatbelt because the movie is a rollercoaster of entertainment all the way to the end.
Muhammad Junaid
Muhammad Junaid is the writer of Entertainment Ghost. He writes articles, reviews, previews and entertainment news about gaming, technology, the media and so on. You can follow him on Twitter @Mr_MJunaid and Facebook MJunaid
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