JACKMAN AND TWO DECADES OF WOLVERINE,
REVIEW OF ‘LOGAN’
With Logan being Hugh Jackman’s swan song as Wolverine, the clawed X-Men antihero with the sweet mutton chops, the actor is going out very much on top.
There’s a distinct lack of tights and an abundance of emotional grit in the excellent adventure ( out of four; rated R; in theaters nationwide Friday) directed and co-written by James Mangold ( The Wolverine). Easily the best Wolverine outing, Logan is The Dark Knight of the mutantfilled X-franchise, a gripping film that transcends the comic-book genre by saying something important — and for Logan, that means coming to grips with needing loved ones in his life.
Set in 2029, the movie catches up with the gruff old man years after he’s hung up the hero mantle and is now a chauffeur. (Try to steal his tires and you’re likely to get claws buried in your face.)
Logan is caring for his old friend and mentor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) when he’s sought out to deliver a young girl named Laura (Dafne Keen) — who has all of Logan’s superpowers — to a sanctuary for mutants in North Dakota. Cybernetic Reavers are on her tail, so there’s a road trip involving casinos, convenience-store shenanigans and a lesson in family.
Embracing R-rated violence allows Jackman’s Logan to unleash more brutality than in any of his previous films. It’s not gratuitous, though, and puts an interesting perspective on the former Wolverine: His body is failing him and every unleashing of his animalistic self underscores his growing weakness, even as he continues to want to help people.
While there’s no shortage of action, Logan is free of the usual superhero trappings, working well as an exploration of age and mortality. Jackman’s character has saved the world and is now driving around bachelorette party girls. Xavier is the world’s most powerful telepath, but what happens when that guy has a degenerative brain disease?
Jackman has never been short on machismo, muscles or charisma in this role, and he brings all those to bear, plus a lot of heart, giving the surly icon a sendoff fans won’t soon forget.