Low on subtly, high on slashing

Rating: 4/10 (27 May 2018)

Eighteen years ago, Hugh Jackman met a lonely runaway called Rogue and helped her to ultimately find her place (and his) in the mutant population with the help of Professor X.
Nine years ago he was part of Team X in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, ultimately leading to Weapon XI; Wade Wilson with multiple stolen mutant powers.
Now comes Logan, in which the infamous titular character has become a reclusive limo driver, seemingly spending most of his life caring for an ailing Professor X, when he's approached by a woman who seems to know who he is, and wants him to help her and the girl she's with to get to a safe location.
Unsurprisingly, given the franchise, this ultimately leads to a high body count. What's surprising is, Logan isn't the main cause.
The film does watch like a swan song. Jackman and Stewart have been holding this franchise together for so long they practically are father and son, though given the Wolverines healing abilities you forget who's the older. They are both great actors, able to portray a wide range of emotions as they decline in their twilight years.
Annoyingly, they're joined on this part of the tale by Caliban (Stephen Merchant), who may have made his name comedically alongside Ricky Gervais, but seems lacking in the gravitas required playing opposite the wracked Jackman and in the situation they are supposedly in.
By contrast, Laura (Dafne Keen) plays the role of brooding misfit with a secret extremely well. Silent for most of the film, she still manages to convey huge amounts of emotion.
The script is probably the weakest part of the film. Going from the previous films, there does seem to be a lack of detail about how they got where they are and the cast aren't very forthcoming about what has gone on. But really the main reason for watching the film are the fight scenes, which may lack the finesse of the previous Wolverine films, but in an era of Disney superheroes, the Wolverine is an adult character that doesn't take prisoners.