A great ending to a great portrayal of a great character

Rating: 10/10 (13 March 2017)

The first X-men movie I saw was Origins: Wolverine. I wasn't much of a comic book or superhero fan back then, but I've had a love for antihero characters for as long as I can remember, thus, I took an instant liking to the character of Logan. While Origins is widely regarded as one of the worst movies in the X-men franchise, but for me it was the first, and it showed me the beginning of Wolverine's character. And now, years later, this movie has given that character great closure.
And what a movie it was. I do not wish to ruin the experience for anyone, so I'll keep this review spoiler free. Let me just say that not only is this the best movie based on a comic book character since the Dark Knight, it is also one of the best movies of 2017 so far, and will likely remain so. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart give the performances of their lifetimes, and the girl, damn did she nail her part as well. I have never seen such pure savagery on a kid's face before. This girl has adamantium daggers for eyes, but those are not the only acting chops she displays throughout the movie, so much praise for the young actress to whom no small part of this movie's success is owed.
This film is brilliantly paced and varied too. The action scenes look great, they look realistic and gritty, thanks in no small part to the movie's R rating - the rating, I felt, Wolverine always deserved. Logan always seemed like an R rated character trapped in a PG-13 rated movie universe, and it's great to see him unleashed in the character's true potential in this (presumably) final appearance. And in between the brilliant action scenes, the film has a wonderful mix of tenderness and drama to it, as well as well-timed comic relief, which never feels cringy or unnecessary. Like a well balanced meal, this movie is just pure pleasure to consume, ensuring you taste every ingredient.
I'd say the only reason this movie did not fully dethrone the Dark Knight for me is because I feel that the Dark Knight stands better as a movie on its own. Don't get me wrong - Logan is still a powerful movie by itself. But it's so much more powerful if you've been with Logan's character for the entire journey - therefore, in order to get the full kick out of Logan, previous X-men movies, at least the ones heavily featuring Wolverine (so, basically, all of them sans First Class and Apocalypse) should be watched. While the Dark Knight doesn't require the viewer to have seen any previous Batman titles in order to deliver its messages.
That is to say, Logan is an amazing movie, it took my already high expectations and blew them out of the water. It is a crowning achievement not only for the X-men saga, but for the superhero genre as a whole. Bravo.