A let down

Rating: 4/10 (8 March 2017)

Logan - Touted as a sci-fi western, it definitely lived up to the moniker. Far-reaching deserts and a minimalist score really set the stage. James Mangold wrote and directed it, but I wish he had put down the pen. Each scene is thoughtfully shot, but it's the story within those shots that left me wanting. The positives for me, beyond the ambiance, were two standout performances by under the radar actors. Stephen Merchant, who is usually in English sitcoms, went way off type with his character. Given his past roles I thought it was an odd casting choice at best, but now I couldn't picture anyone else doing what he did. The other was Boyd Holbrook, who played the main antagonist. The subtle choices he made in line delivery and how he carried himself made him a magnetic presence on screen. The film was much more engaging while they were involved in a scene. And then there are the negatives...As I alluded to earlier, the story was just not there. There's weak motivation throughout for both Wolverine and the villains. The movie creates its own plot holes unnecessarily and leans on tropes and off screen happenings to propel it along. The action scenes are an exercise in redundancy. Slash this guy, stab that guy, try stabbing and slashing this person, now mix it up a bit and slash THEN stab this guy. Once you see the first fight you'll have seen them all. And finally there are the inconsistencies with the special effects. They could create extremely detailed battle damage, but couldn't remove the prominent scar on the forehead of the self- healing girl. They could green screen prosthetic arms for multiple characters, but couldn't remove the reflection of the camera in peoples' sunglasses. These, and other details, while minor, added up quickly. Suffice it to say, this western did anything but ride off into the sunset. 4.5/10.