Logan: The End of an Era

Ever since the release of Superman: The Movie in the 1970s, the film industry has always shown interest in the superhero/comic genre for financial purposes. Certain film franchises have carried the torch since then, such as Batman in the late 1980s into the 1990s. There’s no doubt however, that Marvel has ruled since the year 2000, and it started with to the X-Men franchise. Through the success of X-Men, new life was brought into Marvel which lead to the powerhouse that it is today. With the release of Logan, this film brings a close to this era that revived Marvel and introduced the world to Hugh Jackman.

Logan takes place long into the future where mutants are thought to be extinct due to certain circumstances, and the popular X-Man has fallen far from grace. He now has a job he hates, surrounded by people who have no idea who he used to be, and the only link to his past is a frail, demented Charles Xavier. When a nurse shows up with a girl that bares certain “traits,” all hell breaks loose and the last two X-men risk everything to help a new generation of mutants to keep the race alive. This film is probably the darkest and most brutal film I’ve seen from Marvel to date.

The film starts off slow and depressing which is understandable, and it doesn’t explain much about what happened to the mutants or X-men until the near end of the film. The character development of Logan throughout the film is terrific as he goes through several issues such as alcoholism and survivor’s remorse. The action was gritty and the film didn’t hold out when it comes to the fight scenes between Wolverine and certain enemies. The only disappointment in the film was there was no strong villain in the film; there’s just a bounty hunter working for certain mad scientist with a dark agenda.

Sir Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman’s final performances are nothing short of magnificent and heartbreaking. Sir Patrick Stewart was already known for his work in the series Star Trek: The Next Generation as the famous Captain Jean-Luc Picard, but nobody shined more than Hugh Jackman. Hugh Jackman’s career took off back with the 2000 release of X-Men and has become a Hollywood icon since then, starring in several X-Men projects and serious roles as well. To see his final performance makes the audience relieve the past 17 years and realize this was it and there’s no coming back. All that could be said after the film is, “Thank you for living up to the characters that so many fans have grown up watching and love.”

Logan is an emotional ride that fans from the beginning will connect to real fast and will leave the theater knowing it may be over, but there’s a new generation on the rise. There is no doubt that this film will succeed financially but if you’re someone new to the franchise or you’re not a fan of the dark direction, this film may not be for you. I can’t deny that I wasn’t a fan of the backstory as well, but this film delivers on several levels. I give this film a 9.5/10 because of the lack of a main villain but this film is well worth the price of an evening show. Go and see the end of an era, but don’t wait after the credits because there’s nothing there, enjoy.