"Logan" | An end that holds on to you
An amazing chapter finally came to an end after 17 years with James Mangold’s Logan. Since 2000, the hunky gruff loner, Logan/Wolverine with his rebellious nature and legendary metal claws have set a new height in the superhero universe. The last movie of the X-men franchise, Logan starts off with a timeline somewhere in the possible future when mostly all the mutants have become extinct. Charles Xavier (Sir Patrick Stewart) along with Logan (Hugh Jackman) and his pal Caliban (Stephen Merchant), a chalk-skinned mutant are leading a Spartan life near the Mexico border. A much older Logan mostly spends his days working as a chauffeur and getting drunk. While his adamantium claws still work wonders, his healing capability is reducing with time.
Problem starts when a nurse named Gabriela asks Logan to escort a little girl named Laura (Dafne Keen), who is being hunted down by a group of troublemakers called the Reavers, headed by Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook). With skills and claws just like Logan, she fearlessly fights off and somehow manages to escape along with Logan and the mentally ill Xavier as the trio start off to their dangerous adventure. The action-filled film has lots of gory scenes but it is fascinating to see the emotional attachment between the characters along with their quest to fulfil the mission at the same time.
Hugh Jackman’s powerful presence along with an overwhelming performance may not allow you to blink. Just like he had done in ‘The Wolverine’, Jackman again took responsibility of giving ‘Logan’ its soul in the otherwise robust frame. His old, groggy looks along with notorious capabilities will make people fall in love with him yet again. The 11-year-old debutant, Dafne Keen definitely knew her role and could not have played it better.
James Mangold, who worked with Jackman in ‘The Wolverine’, is an excellent director who knows how to take the best out of his actors. The mature tone of the film matches with the hard hitting dialogues. While the action scenes at times appear too fast, they are balanced by some visually sharp, yet quite moments. This is the first time where the director does not mind showing his superhero growing old and weary, thus signifying the flow of time. Even if you are not a Marvel fan, the tough character of Logan fighting with the outer world and at the same time with his inner-self is surely going to arrest your attention. The engaging finale along with Hugh Jackman’s swansong as Logan, marking his official goodbye from the X-Men franchise surely makes the movie a must watch.
