A fitting end for a hero

Rating: 9/10 (17 March 2017)

The idea is as old as time, take a once great hero, broken by tragedy , and then give him something to fight for, and watch the hero return. The idea of taking superheroes and moving them into the future and past their prime and having them deal with real world problems like aging and depression was refined by Frank Miller with his genre changing Dark Knight saga in the 1980s. but in regards to comic book movies only Christopher Nolan has dared to go in this direction with his own Dark Knight saga, now logan has joined the fray. The classic western arc of the broken down gun slinger who is just waiting for the bullet that will end his torment and wandering, who suddenly finds something to fight for is played out here to superb effect.
When we first see Logan, he is a shell of his former self, almost unrecognizable, beaten , cheerless, his face a stone mask of sadness, a smile never crosses his lips. The only reason he hasn't blown his head off (which he now can do, since his regenerative powers are on the wane) is because of his devotion to Charles Xavier, a man who is the closest thing to a Father that he has ever had. But Logan makes no bare bones that the minute Charles dies, Logan having nothing to live for will end his own life with an Adamtuim bullet he carries around for the occasion. As the story begins the only thought that logan finds comfort in is the thought of a quick death.
But Charles, battling senility, but still having glorious lucid moments, where we see the old Charles Xavier, the great dreamer of dreams, knows something is coming, something big, that will change everything. It's almost as if Charles is hanging around just to be there when it comes, to guide Logan in the right direction.
The big thing finally arrives in the person of a little girl, a little girl created out of Logan's DNA, she is more than a clone, she is his daughter, and she see's herself in that way. The girl, as well as the heroic nurse who saves her from being 'destroyed' along with the rest of the newly created mutant children. The bad guys have found the weapon they need in X-24 and all the other mutants are to be destroyed. Suddenly Logan is on a mission to get Laura to safety.
Slowly but inexorably he bonds with Laura, and yet he holds back, afraid to get too close , his history tells him that anybody he gets close to dies. The girl believes in him totally, she knows more about him than he knows of himself, she knows he is the 'Wolverine" the hero of heroes. She also knows he is her Father. Though like him she holds back.
X-24 turns out to be perfect clone of Logan, an unstoppable killing machine. Faced with any other foe Logan would stand a chance but there is no way he can defeat his younger self. X-24 is like the terminator , a soulless killing machine, who never stops coming at you. It is pure genius that we see in X-24, Logan without Charles Xavier. Charles gave Logan a home and a purpose, and a family.
The film ends with Logan in full all out hero mode, outnumbered a hundred to one by fully armed cyborg villains with weapons that pump high caliber bullets into his flesh, Logan cannot be stopped, he will take on the whole world to save Laura. the last ten minutes of the film are filled with scenes of Logan fighting with all he has for his daughter, and Laura fighting with all she has for her Father. Neither will desert the other. in much the same way logan wouldn't desert Charles. That is the lesson that Logan teaches laura and the new Mutant children. heroes may know fear and pain, even depression but somehow when push comes to shove-you can count on them. When you are in trouble, when things are desperate, where others flee, or run for cover, a hero comes running to save you.