A Strong Close

Rating: 7/10 (7 October 2018)

"Logan" is the best X-Men film to date. It brings more depth to the characters and has authentic consequences.
-Analysis of Notable Work- *Writing/Directing: The grittier tone in "Logan" makes for a much more interesting story than the other X-Men films. It was not afraid to take itself seriously and that paid off wonderfully. There are a couple of weak moments in the storytelling but overall it is a gripping film. James Mangold bounces back well from the previous film "Wolverine" by showing that he knows how to direct action and make the audience care about the characters by giving the film some gravity. *Cinematography/Editing: The cinematography is beautiful throughout the film, but it doesn't seem to have an objective. There is not much visual storytelling happening. The camera mostly follows the action without any clear purpose for why it is being shot the way it is. John Mathieson has a good command of the frame and lighting, just lacks clear vision on this particular project. The editing is unnoticeable in this film, which is a fantastic thing. The only problem is that there are some pacing issues with some scenes. *Dialogue/Acting: The dialogue is a bit dull at times, but for the most part it carries the action forward and is necessary to driving the narrative forward. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart steal the show as they give one last emotional performance as Logan and Professor X. Boyd Holbrook is a bit over-the-top with his representation of the villain. Dafne Keen does an adequate job as Laura. She is fairly limited as an actress as of now, but she is young. *Music/Sound: The soundtrack is strong in some points and weak in others. It really affects the tone of the film. Some moments feel epic and real, while others feel like filler and the music sounds like filler music. The sound design is a bit much in this film. The knife sounds are heavy-handed. It makes things feel a bit too ridiculous at times, but the rest of the sounds in the film feel authentic. *Production Design/Special Effects: The costume and sets are wonderful in this film, but some of the props feel a little dull. The special effects are mostly impressive, but sometimes get to be a bit ridiculous as well. But, seeing as it is a comic film, it is allowed to have a bit of ridiculousness.
*Conclusion: "Logan" closes out Jackman and Stewart's career as X-Men with beauty and grit. It is a solid film worth seeing.