[yasr_overall_rating]
In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hide out on the Mexican border. But Logan’s attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are upended when a young mutant arrives, being pursued by dark forces.
If you go to see “Logan” expecting “X-Men: Days of Future Past” or any previous X-Men or Wolverine incarnation, you will be sorely disappointed. This story takes place in the year 2029 where it’s been over twenty years since any new mutants have been born and Logan (Hugh Jackman), Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart), and Caliban (Stephen Merchant), an albino mutant who has the ability to track other mutants, are the last of their kind. Living in a quiet Mexican border town, Logan spends his time as a limo driver, all the while protecting Professor Xavier at an abandoned factory on the outskirts of town, aided by Caliban. Xavier is in the early stages of dementia and has moments where he cannot remember who he is or where he is and Logan has resorted to alcohol, a lot of it, when he’s not working.
When Xavier begins talking about a new mutant, a very powerful one that is trying to find them, both Logan and Caliban put it down to him remembering Cerebro but not long after, a young girl named Laura (Dafne Keen), finds them by way of a nurse, Gabriela (Elizabeth Rodriguez), who claims that she worked at a medical facility in Mexico City where they were creating a new breed of mutant, children mutants. When the program was quickly shut down and all evidence of it was to be destroyed, including the children, Gabriela took Laura and because Laura was able to communicate telepathically with Professor Xavier, she was able to find them. When some decidedly bad guys, led by the charismatic Pierce (Boyd Holbrook), the man in charge of the new mutant program, appear on Logan’s doorstep, all hell breaks loose and in the ensuing chaos, Logan, Xavier, and Laura manage to escape.
With talk of a safe haven up north for any and all remaining mutants, Logan has nothing to lose and with Xavier’s condition worsening, and his own health deteriorating rapidly, the trio head out on the ultimate road trip, to find sanctuary and the possibility of a new beginning.
“Logan” is more akin to an old-fashioned western than a superhero movie, with more than a few nods to Clint Eastwood’s “Unforgiven.” There is no Cyclops, no Jean Grey, no Mystique, and no Magneto. There are no eye-popping, spectacular special effects, no Blackbird, and even Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters is only briefly mentioned in passing. This is not a superhero movie, and although the remaining mutants still retain some of their powers, they are shadows of their former selves. With the events of “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” especially the seemingly happy ending, it’s safe to assume that Logan’s trip back in time did more bad than good, and the events in “Logan” are the proof. Watching Xavier and Logan deteriorate, mentally and physically, is heart-breaking. Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman have never been better and both bring more than enough humanity and gravitas to their respective roles. While the film is set in the future, it is still very much based in today’s reality, with no flying spaceships or hovering advertisements anywhere to be seen. James Mangold, who directed the criminally underrated “The Wolverine,” is in top form here, allowing his actors a wider creative berth to be more contemplative than ever before but also permitting some genuinely heartfelt and at times, funny moments.
I wasn’t a comic book nerd growing up so I knew very little about the X-Men and their universe, that is until Bryan Singer’s “X-Men” movie came along in 2000 and I have to admit, I’ve had a blast with every new film since, even “X-Men: The Last Stand,” faults and all. But going into “Logan,” I knew, as I’m sure most of you do, that with Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart having recently announced their retirement from their iconic roles, well, let’s just say that the movie is not going to end like “Days of Future Past,” on the contrary, it is anything but. However, that doesn’t mean there can’t be another X-Men film, it just means that it will have to take place in the past, or in an alternate timeline, like so many of the comic book storylines did. As it stands, “Logan” is a very fitting tribute to a character that out of the vast array of X-Men, stood out and above most all of them, and with so many to choose from, that is no easy feat.
Available on 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™ & DVD Tuesday, May 23rd
