Logan: The Spoiler-Free Review … plus Deadpool 2 teaser debuts!

I got to view by far the best of the X-Men films that Wolverine has appeared in tonight. Inevitably you’ve already read other reviews or synopsis of the movie so I’ll spare you most of it and just tell you what I thought without spoilers.  There definitely hasn’t been a comic book movie like it yet.  Deadpool is clearly a genre defying film that allowed for more freedom when making superhero movies and, while vastly different in tone, paved the way for a gritty, violent, emotional picture like Logan (more about the greatness of the Deadpool 2 teaser trailer later.) That’s the thing I can say about Logan.  Fox properly cultivating their corner of the Marvel Universe and going all in on the adult audience.  This approach doesn’t always work out positively, however. I mean look what Showgirls did with the story of Cinderella.  Just ghastly.

But director James Mangold has given us a film that you don’t have to follow comics or superhero movies to immerse yourself in.

This truly might be Hugh Jackman’s best work to date (I mean he was quite dreamy in Kate and Leopold [RIP Meg Ryan’s career]).  We’ve seen Jackman become Wolverine for nearly 2 decades now, through good and bad, and it has culminated (maybe) into a pretty much flawless performance.  He put everything he had into the character that really made him the superstar he his today and it was the essence of this film.

But I can’t sell short the gut wrenching performance by Patrick Stewart in his final go round as Professor Charles Xavier.  He too, like Jackman, poured himself into this final rendition of his beloved character.

You can tell that Jackman and Stewart knew what kind of film that this could be and they brought out the best in each other and their chemistry was better than its ever been.  I think this is due to the excellent script that was created and their belief that no one had seen anything quite like it before.  Seeing Logan and Professor X in their depleted states throughout the movie makes you reminisce about all of the prior films and everything they have been through together.  You get emotional because you realize that no matter how powerful someone is, time always wins in the end.

If, like me, you’ve ever had an older family member that has dealt with any kind of brain deterioration, you’ll possibly get a little misty eyed watching what has become of Professor X.  But one thing that has never wavered is his desire to help fellow mutants, even though almost all of them are gone.

This is where I can talk about the breakout performance by Dafne Keen as a young mutant, named Laura, who Logan and Charles must save from a government agency (yes our government still wants mutants rounded up even when they’re almost extinct. Talk about persistent.).

Logan’s developing relationship with Laura throughout the movie is a really strong point that helps remind you that no matter how enraged that Logan gets, he always has that piece of humanity in him that comes out even when he doesn’t want it to.

And humanity is what I can say is the key thing I took from this film.  Logan is able to effectively humanize mutants.  It shows you how hard one would fight to save their heritage and legacy.

Its insanely violent. There’s tons of cursing. But its absolutely what it needs to be.  Drawing inspiration from the Old Man Logan graphic novels is the best idea they could’ve had.  This movie finally shows what all fans of Wolverine are used to seeing on the Marvel pages.  But Logan also sets itself apart from the rest of the X-Men Universe.  And truthfully it makes it that much better of a film because it doesn’t try to be too nostalgic.  It holds its own as a well paced, well acted piece of cinema.

Leave the kids at home for this one and don’t go into it thinking you’re going to get another X-Men movie like before because you most certainly aren’t and that is why its a must see for fans of any kind of film.

Movie Rating: A-

Sidenote: The Deadpool 2 teaser debuted during the previews and all I can say is that it is better than anything I could’ve imagined.  You’ll either be laughing or saying “Oh my gosh” during the entire thing and I mean that in the best way possible.  I can’t wait til January 2018 now.  Plus there are Firefly posters on a wall in it which got me giddy because if that’s foreshadowing the return of that awesome show then life just got even better!

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