The Legend of Wolverine/Logan !!!

Rating: 8/10 (9 October 2017)

The R-rated comic book movie as a concept isn't as new as some think it is. Be it the 'Blade' films or 'Kickass', bloody comic book movies have existed before too. But in modern pop culture due to the somewhat homogenization of the comic-book genre due to the big bloated cgi- heavy spectacle filmmaking that the audience has been subjected to with the MCU and other franchises, when Deadpool was released, it became a major box-office success. 'Deadpool' was deemed to be a representation of what could be done with the super-hero genre. However while 'Deadpool' was about dissecting the super-hero genre in a meta- comedic, self referential way with a heavy dose of juvenile humour, 'Logan' is about dissecting the super-hero genre by attempting to add a sense of maturity to the films by introducing elements of existentialism and mortality, themes which most comic book/super- hero films of this era tend to shy away from confronting or exploring in a serious way. There is a scene in 'Logan' in which Logan, Laura and Professor X are trying to escape from a group of men in their car(limo). During that scene, there is a moment where Logan tries to ram the car through a steel fence. In a general MCU film, he would've been able to successfully ram it through the fence and get away. In 'Deadpool', he would've again managed to do it successfully, but this time it would've been followed by a self-referential joke about how that shouldn't have happened in a realistic sense, but since this is a comic- book film, anything is allowed. However in 'Logan' not only does he NOT manage to ram the car through the fence, the steel grills get awkwardly stuck near the front wheels of the car. That moment in the film visually represents the mature sense of slightly elevated realism that 'Logan' is striving for. The film and its themes work to a great extent due to the performances. Hugh Jackman has always been good as Wolverine, but this is probably his best performance as the aforementioned mutant. His general demeanour, physical appearance and overall presence exude a sense of world-weariness, a sense of exhaustion and emotional surrender complementing the usual rugged, hard-boiled grit that Jackman is known for in his Wolverine portrayals. The father- son-like dynamics between Sir Patrick Stewart's Professor X and Logan felt very realistic in the way they constantly bicker and argue even though there is a clear sense of mutual love simmering beneath. Daphne Keen is also very good as Laura. 'Logan' keeping in tune with 'Deadpool' attempts to be meta to some extent. There is a moment where Logan pulls up an X-men comic book and talks about how the comic books fabricate reality and add sensationalism to make everything look magical. He specifically states that in real life, people die unlike the make-believe world of comic books. This might make someone believe that the director James Mangold is trying to completely sever all ties that the film might have with its comic book roots. But with the way the concept of Eden gets played out here, Mangold makes sure that he pays a tribute to the feeling of hope, wonder and fantasy that comic books can offer to the minds of the readers.
Having said all that, I don't think the film is flawless. There are a number of moments where the film unnecessarily reverts back to some conventional comic-book tropes and simplistic conveniences which somewhat undercut the mature sense of gritty filmmaking that Mangold is trying to attempt to pull off. There is a very cheesy use of mobile phone footage for exposition. The film itself does feel like a revisionist neo-western in the way it balances both the destruction as well as the reassertion of myths. However there are some very explicit and unsubtle western references made here to drive home that link which felt really clumsy and contrived. The film devotes so much effort in underlining how unlike comic books, in real life all the physical conflicts and fights have physical as well as morally triggered emotional consequences. However Mangold betrays some of that very theme by upping the cool quotient in many of the fight scenes with Logan and Laura slicing up and devouring faceless thugs. Even the reveal of the main villain that Logan has to go up against in the eventual fight initially felt a little hokey, but pondering over it later on made me come to somewhat accept it since it serves a metaphorical purpose in the narrative.
So it might seem like there were a lot of things in the film that I didn't like which might make the 8/10 rating seem contradictory. The generous rating is mainly down to the fact that I love the idea of the film and its ambition and what it wanted to achieve, and I believe to a great extent did. It's such a refreshing aberration to see a modern comic book movie that doesn't end with a portal in the sky or a video game like virtual fight. It felt good to see a film about such a beloved comic book character have the guts to be just about that, the characters, instead of spectacle and special effects. The admiration that I have for the film has made me to some extent overlook some of the elements in it which to me are flaws. Big Recommendation.