Here's to you, Wolverine

Rating: 9/10 (27 August 2018)

It's 2029. The mutant population is pretty much gone, with only Wolverine (played by Academy Award Nominee Hugh Jackman), Professor Charles Xavier (played by Golden Globe Nominee Patrick Stewart) and Caliban (played by Emmy winner Stephen Merchant) left. Logan, aka the Wolverine, has aged quite a bit, is an alcoholic and even his healing powers are dwindling. The three live out the rest of their days in an old steel mill in El Paso, Texas. However, once a little girl (played by Dafne Keen) comes into play, the Wolverine is brought back into action. It turns out that this little girl has powers just like the Wolverine and she is being chased throughout the desert by dark forces - the dark forces that made her from Wolverine's DNA. With all this going on, the Wolverine must decide: should he live out the rest of his days in peace or is it finally time for one last fight?
I can't stress enough what a near-perfect movie this is. As a matter of fact, the only X-Men movie that surpasses this one is Deadpool 2. Make no mistake, though; this is a Wolverine film, through and through. While it is a superhero film, it is not a superhero film for the faint-hearted. That R rating is well deserved here and it is the only way to tell the final chapter in the Wolverine story. We finally see Wolverine's berserker rage in all its rated R glory and it truly is glorious! The writing in this film is also spectacular, even getting an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay (which it should have won for sure). James Mangold ups the ante from the previous Wolverine film "The Wolverine," proving that he truly was the best director to bring the hardened Canadian hero to life.
But let's talk about our three starring performances. First of all, this is not just Hugh Jackman's final outing in an X-Men film. Patrick Stewart is also back as an ailing Professor X whose tragic past continuously haunts him. He is originally seen as a mumbling fool by Wolverine when he continuously says that he is waiting for someone (turns out he is right). It is kind of sad to see the Professor like this, but Patrick Stewart also gives his best performance in the series. He is more compelling than he ever was in the X-Men franchise; while he was a crowd favorite, this is his best performance by far. Also along for the ride is Dafne Keen, a newcomer who plays Laura, the little girl who Wolverine protects. Has she really only started acting last year? While she may be just a kid, she acted like she had been in the game for more than 20 years. I hope she gets more roles as she gets older; she is a sight to behold as Wolverine's daughter. She even shares a similar story to Wolverine: someone who has had it rough, who has been unfortunately turned into a monster, and who now needs the guidance that Professor X gave Logan. Only this time, it's Logan who has to guide her. She is just absolutely astonishing in this role; she nailed it.
But of course, who are we all here for? We are all here for the man himself, the Wolverine. Not only does Patrick Stewart give his best performance as Professor X, but Hugh Jackman gives his best performance as Wolverine. This is his last X-Men film, so he lays it all out there. He puts all of his cards on the table. He goes out with an unimaginable bang. Each X-Men film that stars Wolverine starts out with him having lost his hope, but this is different. Here we truly see a broken man who, until Laura comes in, seriously has nothing left to fight for. Hugh Jackman's Wolverine will go down as one of the greatest film heroes the world has ever seen and one of the greatest super hero portrayals ever. He is Wolverine. No one will ever even come close.
Here's to you, Wolverine. Don't be what they made you.