There's a new style of superhero avant-garde and Fox keeps hitting the mark with their approach of the strenuously popular X-Men. From previous installments of scenarios foreshadowed only to build up to heart wrenching moments like, Erik losing his family in X-Men: Apocalypse, or heart pounding action in X-Men: Days of Future Past, Wolverine's solo endeavor in Logan leaves its own tough target to hit.
This was Hugh Jackman's last time wearing the claws and surely he had done a fantastic job encompassing an older, rugged Logan. But the film was more than that. It was more than the normal mutants or super powered beings, fighting off the bad guy. It was raw. It was pure, and it had left a sense of humanity within the superhero genre again.
Logan carried the strife of a man, not a mutant or human, a man, who's dealt with plenty of death by his own hand and by the hands of others, who succeeded in taking those he loved. While deep into his loss he had managed to give in to the pressure, which was displayed perfectly through Jackson's final portrayal of the mutant. He showed us a distant being. Someone who has never felt more safe than within his own confines in a diminishing mutant world. He showed us someone who's lost under his own skin, his own mutant abilities, which are now so different. And he adapted to the change, as well as the rage. But then he grows and becomes a familiar face again. The past Wolverine comes back into formation, once he accepts his new responsibility. Jackman gives what I'd call an award performance, especially because of the attention this genre is finally receiving, and Patrick Stewart made sure to follow closely.
The last we'd seen of Stewart's take on Professor X was in Days of Future Past. He, with the help of Logan and others, was able to reset a horrific timeline. I'm happy to admit that I'm okay with it, because we were given another strong showing of Charles Xavier. Except this time, Stewart was able to do what James McAvoy had done in all three of his takes on #ProfessorXavier; give a marvelous, emotional performance. Stewart displayed a weary, elder man, dealing with his own personal issues. In this world, he had done unspeakable actions, which we're able to get the sense of through every conversation or lesson he'd try to place on Logan and X-23. His mental state isn't exactly where it used to be, and that gave Stewart the keys to show us exactly how the world's strongest mind works under duress. And I can honestly say that it was done with nothing but creativity.
Now, #X23 is definitely a heavy hitting, acrobatic force of a mutant. A new mutant, and she's already putting her claw in place of Logan's throughout the entirety of the film. Casting Dafne Keen as X-23 a.k.a Laura Kinney, was one of the best moves Fox has done for the #XMen franchise. Her subtlety played so well with Logan's unbound behavior and mouth, through every portion of the movie. In all honesty, she was one of the best parts within the 137 minutes of Logan. Every move she had made, flowed extremely well with precision. It was almost as if she'd already become the runner-up for Wolverine during the first 30 minutes. Fox hit the bullseye with the casting and direction of Kinney, so hopefully we will see her in future installments.
Every important character presented within the film made their presences known. All elements shown from the Logan feature were handled with proper care. From the cast and director, to every design implemented, or every scenery shot, the film held its own style of realism. Audiences were given a chance to take in a cruel, #superhero world on screen with the help of James Mangold's brilliant storytelling, and he did a superb job showing it. Let's hope he stays around.
Jean Grey To The Fantastic 4: Which Mutants Did We See Clones Of In 'Logan'?
Though #Logan is about a worn, poignant #Wolverine, it certainly made sure to include the struggle of loss, the idea of a dying specie(s) and what it must be like to want to given in to the madness. It showed us when a slow aging #mutant had finally found his purpose, while traveling with a tired old friend. It was done correctly, staying as close to the comics as the Fox team could. But these aren't just #comic heroes anymore and Fox knows that, hence why we're getting stellar representations of fictional characters. Filmmaking is certainly an art. So why not make an amazingly good action film, filled with incredible performances like these? #Fox makes sure to let us have our cake and eat it, too.
What are your thoughts on Logan?