A satisfying character-driven drama

Rating: 7/10 (10 March 2017)

I have a very passing interest in comic book and superhero movies but nevertheless found this to be an enjoyable film. Hugh Jackman plays the morose and dejected Logan alongside Patrick Stewart's portrayal of a moribund Xavier, deteriorating from Alzheimer's and suffering telekinetic seizures which have rather disastrous consequences for those around him. The character of Laura is introduced a short while into the film, played competently (in some places overdone) by Dafne Keen and what follows is a road trip-esque drama in which we see them bond through strife.
Some parallels can be drawn between Logan and the Dark Knight series in terms of the overall tone of the movie. However, Logan is filled with some 'comedic' parts typical of your Hollywood production which detached me slightly from the overall grittiness and darkness of atmosphere the movie holds – for the most part - rather gracefully. Specifically, there is a scene in which Xavier is admonished by Logan for not taking medications to suppress his seizures, and responds by sticking his tongue out like a child (with accompanying noise). You could argue Xavier's degenerative disease could go some ways to explain his rather bizarre reaction and general eccentric behaviour in the film, but I would have preferred a more dark and pitiable depiction, like a vulnerable man in terminal decline as the stress from being relentlessly pursued takes its toll. Instead, we see his spirits lifted as they befriend a family on their journey before he is abruptly killed by a wolverine clone. Despite this, Patrick Stewart's acting is sublime as you would expect from the veteran, showing the haggard professor desperately clinging on to the hope he finds in Laura, and the effect she has on Logan.
The sentimental moments are very poignant and help to humanise wolverine, contrasting the excellent fight scenes where we see him graphically – and in many cases, reluctantly - end several waves of mercenary types. Here he is untethered by a previously restrictive film board rating; we finally see blood in a Wolverine movie, along with decapitations and other brutal executions. None of it feels gratuitous or simply there for fan service, apart from the questionable and uncharacteristic overuse of the F-word by Xavier.
After over a century spent in conflict with others, Wolverine is tired and his body is unable to cope and regenerate from the trauma as well as it could do before. However, he isn't just physically damaged; the movie plays with more sombre themes such as when Caliban provokes Logan early in the film on his adamantium bullet.
I much prefer movies in which the story focuses on individual conflict rather than grand scale destruction. It was a joy to see Logan and a great send-off for the character of Wolverine, feeling like a satisfying end of an era for a series which has produced movies of variable quality.