The R-rated Logan rips, wrenches, and roars its way through its 137-minute run-time.
Yippee-ki-yay, movie lovers, it's Jan here!
Thanks to the success of Ryan Reynolds' brilliant R-rated Deadpool, we now have Logan, one of
the best ever X-Men movies and definitely the very best Wolverine movie, a film that
both the awesome Hugh Jackman and comic book fans deserve.
Yes, the year in celluloid superheroes started out great with the fun-loving parody that
was The Lego Batman Movie, but standing, snarling 180-degrees away from that film's tone is
Logan, which takes the high bar set by Lego Batman, tears it to shreds, and puts another
even higher bar in its place.
Star Hugh Jackman and director James Mangold, who already greatly improved on the X-Man's
first solo outing with The Wolverine, promised something different with this new movie and
they weren't kidding.
Mangold and his co-writers Michael Green and Scott Frank have successfully ripped up the
comic book movie playbook and gone for a full-fat, dark and moody western, that's ravishingly
shot in all its rusty, dusty glory by Gladiator cinematographer John Mathieson, and effectively
scored by Marco Beltrami.
Of course, director Mangold's got form in the western genre, having brought an excellent
remake of the classic 3:10 to Yuma to the big screen.
And while Logan channels the likes of Clint Eastwood's Oscar-winning Unforgiven, George
Miller's Mad Max series, as well as Hollywood's Golden Age of Westerns, it also wears the
influence of the Man in Black, Johnny Cash, firmly on its sleeve.
Which is hardly surprising, given that Mangold was the director who gave us the Cash biopic
Walk The Line.
And Mangold's Logan movie doesn't waste time when it comes to getting its adamantium claws
dirty.
In fact, it dives head first straight into the kind of action you can expect throughout;
forget quick cuts away, this action is visibly brutal, bloody, and 100% full-on, and certainly
earns its R rating.
Indeed, from start to finish, the whole film is filled with WTF moments.
Props go to Logan's stunt team for numerous incredible fight scenes, each one more flinch-inducing
and crazy than the last, yet each of which feels so raw and authentic that they cleverly
hide the hard work that's gone into choreographing and executing them.
And the movie's sound department have outdone themselves too, especially when it comes to
the action scenes as the sound of those mutant claws ripping and piercing through everything
in sight is spot-on as it's just perfectly excruciating!
Plus there's some horrifyingly good visual effects work from the movie's VFX team.
This Logan is untamed and untrammelled.
He may be totally vicious, but he's also scarred and hurting badly.
We've not seen him quite like this in the X-Men movies before.
And Hugh Jackman gives a pitch-perfect performance, really making you feel just how worn-out,
run-down, and weary this Wolverine really is.
And Dafne Keen may be a newcomer to the big screen but as Laura, she matches Jackman's
superlative performance throughout.
She really is that good.
The way she moves, the way she attacks, the way she eats, and the way she communicates,
all leave you in absolutely no doubt just how feral her character is.
Add to that the fact that Keen is as good at playing the humour and tender moments as
well as the more physical scenes, and we have a real potential future star in our midst.
Actually, the quality of her performance reminds me of the first time I saw Hailee Steinfeld
on the big screen in the Coen Brothers' True Grit and also Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven
in Stranger Things.
As for Patrick Stewart as a 90-year-old Professor X, what can I say?
Except that, just like Jackman and Keen, he's exceptional, wringing out every last drop
of anguish, heart, and humour from the script.
Speaking of humour, Stephen Merchant brings a nice dose of that to the film as the mutant-tracking
Caliban, a part he plays superbly.
While Boyd Holbrook puts in an effectively nasty turn as Donald Pierce, who's out to
get Laura, along with Richard E. Grant's evil scientist, who unfortunately doesn't get a
great deal to make a particular impression with.
To sum up: James Mangold's Logan is a bold and satisfying cinematic take on the much-loved
X-Men character.
In his final outing donning those adamantium claws, Hugh Jackman skilfully steps up to
the challenge of creating a character and a film that will likely be held up as benchmarks
for future comic-book to celluloid adaptations.
While Patrick Stewart and Dafne Keen join Jackman in giving stand-out turns in a film
that never shies away from the nasty realities of its world.
Make sure you see Logan on the big screen as soon as you can.
As for me, I'll definitely be watching it again.
Now, what are you looking forward to about Logan, or if you've seen it, what did you
think of it?
And what other comic book characters would you like to see get the R-rated treatment?
Let me know in the comments below!
I've got more Logan videos on the way, including easter eggs in the movie, so turn on your
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Thanks for watching and see ya next time.
Yippee-ki-yay, movie lovers!