A character-driven superhero film done right!

Rating: 10/10 (17 February 2017)

LOGAN is brutal, merciless and powerful. This is a character-driven superhero movie done right. I would even dare to say it's better than many of the previous X-Men installments and spinoffs. And if this is indeed Hugh Jackman's final Wolverine movie, then my goodness, what a helluva way to go out in a blaze of glory.
The story is set in the near future, mutants are thinning out. They've either died or been hunted down. Logan's (Hugh Jackman) healing power is not as strong as it used to be. He's old and weary and taking care of professor X (Patrick Stewart) in a hideout on the Mexican border, accompanied by Caliban (Stephen Merchant). But their attempt to hide from the world gets interrupted when dark forces arrive at their doorstep looking for a certain young little girl.
Great move on the studio's and filmmakers' part to have this film be rated R because what we get here is Wolverine unleashed. The violence is as graphic and fully exposed as you can imagine it to be. So just that aspect alone will excite the fanbase who's been wanting to see the destruction that could take place when Wolverine is really really angry. Setting it on the border does allow the film to play with certain tones and color palette reminiscent to "Breaking Bad" for example, the film's ending however does provide a more vibrant environment as a base for an extremely bloody collision.
The writing is solid for a superhero film, it really digs deep into these beloved characters, how vulnerable they are, how they long for a world where people would just leave them be. You truly feel for Xavier and Logan in a way that you never did in the previous X-Men movies, not only because they're now in their twilight years but there's also that father-son type of relationship that's tough love and endearing and then there's also the reluctant father daughter connection Logan has with X-23. By the way, the little girl, Dafne Keen, who plays X-23 is remarkable. So much force, so much energy, so much roar, she's like a cheetah that just runs and slices and dices left and right without prejudice, what an incredible young talent. This is a movie that gives you action to its fullest degree and an emotional journey that's uncompromising. The perfect film about the man who's the best at what he does but what he does isn't very nice.