Little Miss Wolverine meets Withnail & I

Rating: 7/10 (6 March 2017)

The eighth (and final) appearance of Hugh Jackman's infamous Wolverine sees a huge shift in tone from its predecessors in reimagining Mark Millar's graphic novel 'Old Man Logan'. 17 years on from his first outing in X-Men (2000), here the shackles are very much off; with an incredibly sweary, violent and surprisingly political faux-Western chronicling the (so-called) lives of an increasingly aging/dying James 'Logan/Wolverine' Howlett and senile, aggressive and embittered Professor Charles Xavier. The relationship between the two men is near-heartbreaking and it is hard to fully fathom the complete journey which has led both veterans to the state of sad despair in which we find them.
However, once the main plot of the film really kicks into gear – a cross-country road trip/pursuit – there are moments of real melancholic clarity, joy and reflection; none more so than Charles' advice "This is what life looks like You should take a moment." All of the main protagonists go through visible character journey arcs in emotionally, physically and spiritually; but the real heart of the film is in the core relationships formed between Logan, Charles and "X-23" Laura, wherein the dynamics are constantly shifting according to each character's own baggage which they are bringing to the fold. This is immensely impressive, especially considering the limited amount of dialogue used to express feelings, thoughts and emotions. There is absolutely no fat on the plot and much is left unsaid; but very much to a successful and intended effect. Despite its positives, there are still times when the 2hr 17min run-time is felt and moments wherein the pacing does feel a little off due to unnecessary splicing of seemingly insignificant scenes or encounters; likewise there are other moments which end abruptly and without enough breathing room to really allow character interactions to fully form and resonate. On the whole though, the Deadpool-esque extremity of bloody gore, graphic violence and incessant cursing probably leads this to be the best incarnation of the X-Men franchise to date.