Movie Review: Logan

 

If nothing else, James Mangold's Logan is every bit of the grim, brutal film that people had hoped it would be when the R-rating was confirmed by 20th Century Fox last spring. The sense of hope that usually drives the genre is nowhere to be found as the protagonists are broken down both physically and mentally. Seeing once-decorated, seemingly invincible heroes James "Logan" Howlett aka Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) comes to terms with their mortality gives Logan a much different feel than anything else Marvel or DC has ever pumped out. While the unrelenting bleakness sets Logan apart from other superhero films, its ambition proves to be far more impressive than its execution.

Logan is a competent film with suitably understated performances from its leads and a couple of standout scenes (the casino scene and the climatic battle sequence are pure gory mayhem), but given its potential-filled setup, it's hard for me not to be disappointed by the finished product. Outside of a handful of moments, Logan fails to be the dense, devastating character study it sets itself up to be in the first half hour of the film. Every interesting, potentially deep idea the script throws out there (Logan's alcoholism, Professor's X struggle with a neurological disorder, the strength of the relationship between the central characters) is abandoned as quickly as it was introduced. The film instead chooses to focus its efforts on the road trip Logan and Charles are forced to take in order to protect a young mutant (Dafne Keen) that Charles has been communicating with from a deadly band of genetically-enhanced outlaws known as the Reavers (led by a thoroughly menacing Boyd Holbrook). The rationale behind the road trip is well-developed, but because of the flat script, the "emotional" moments that emerge during the journey completely miss the mark.

While a majority of Logan is bogged down by questionable storytelling decisions and a lack of a meaningful connection to the characters, the rest of the missteps Mangold and Scott Frank's script are trivial compared to what occurs in the finale. The darkness that had consumed every frame up to that point suddenly disappears in the last five minutes with a contrived ending that only exists to try and force the audience to cry as they make their way out of the theater. Tacking on an ending that is tonally opposite of everything that came before it was a cheap move that greatly intensified my issues with this film.  

Despite my lukewarm feelings towards it, I really do understand and appreciate what Mangold was trying to do with Logan. Taking a mainstream superhero property into such a dark, minimalist direction is a ballsy move that deserves to be praised. However, no amount of admiration towards Mangold's bold creative intentions with this project changes the fact that Logan didn't connect with me emotionally the way he and his team intended it to. We need more films like this that are willing to push the boundaries of the superhero genre, I just hope that the next director that's brave enough to depart from the norm will learn from Mangold's mistakes and turn an ambitious idea into something truly game-changing.

3/5 Stars