A fitting finale to Logan; simply the best X-Men movie ever

Rating: 10/10 (4 March 2017)

Logan must be the one of the best superhero movies I have seen, probably next only to The Dark Knight Rises. The last movie about the Logan character, this is a superb end-story, worthy of the character.
Logan, as played by Hugh Jackman, is now aging, with a body that has taken too much punishment and seen too many better days. Trying to escape his demons, he has now taken refuge in the bottle and seems to be punishing himself for his supposed misdeeds. He is no longer invincible, has a permanent limp and a hacking cough, and takes much longer to heal. His adamantine claws are intact though, and make periodic appearances in some of the most brutal and violent action sequences ever seen in the X-Men series. But more about that later.
In a reversal of fortune, Logan has now taken on the guardianship of Professor Xavier (played by Patrick Stewart), whose brain is deteriorating, causing him to lose control of his telepathic abilities, leading to catastrophe. A brain that was once classified as weapon of war, is now at the mercy of medication. Logan makes regular trips to the border to administer the medication - the professor is kept inside a huge empty metal tank, in the care of an albino mutant tracker named Caliban. The metal tank is needed to blunt the professor's mental outreach. In the course of one of these trips, Logan ends up taking on the responsibility of a young mutant with powers suspiciously similar to his own. This mutant is being tracked by the bad guys, and all hell breaks loose when they finally encounter her.
The action sequences in the movies are raw and realistic, highly violent and gory (decapitations and severed limbs are in abundance); the car-jacking scene, with its sudden burst of violence is especially riveting, as is the first incredibly brutal encounter between the young mutant and her pursuers. The scenes are shot so seamlessly that it's difficult to tell where the stunt ends, and CGI begins. Also, there's none of the extreme-close-up-jerky-hand-held- camera-shots, rather there's a return to classic, straight-shooting action, perfectly integrated with the rest of movie. None of the violence is just for the heck of it, rather it is essential to move the story forward.
Jackman perfectly encapsulates the slowing abilities and physical deterioration of his character, but what he does best is portray his character's emotional state - Logan is angry and desperate, wanting forgiveness and redemption, while also wanting to forget. He is giving way to mortality despite being for all purposes, immortal, and in a way, welcomes his impending mortality.
Stewart's portrayal of the old and ailing Professor Xavier is brilliant and touching - a prodigious brain, rapidly degenerating, locked in a failing body, controlled by medication, needing help for even the most mundane of activities - Stewart plays this to perfection - he may not have McAvoy's baby blues, but in talent he is unsurpassed.
This superb end-story for Logan has a solid emotional core that doesn't feel forced or manipulative, unusual for a superhero movie, and is probably the finest comic-book adaption you are going to see for while.