It's 2029 and the mutant population is near extinct due to a series of unspecified calamities and a nil birth rate. James "Logan" Howlett (Hugh Jackman) is barely scrapping by between the U.S.-Mexico border and slowly dying from the adamantium grafted on to his skeleton and his degenerative healing factor. But he finds a better purpose to live out his last days when a woman pays him a considerable sum to chauffeur and protect a special little girl (Dafne Keen) from a pack of mechanically enhanced mercenaries and the evil medical corporation that funds them. LOGAN is a delightfully disturbing western in the disguise of a superhero blockbuster. It's overflowing with blood and butchery while also crafting a nice tale of redemption and fatherhood. Those of you who are a bit trepidatious about missing out on the two previous X-MEN movies or having a lack of knowledge with the Wolverine character, do not panic. The film is practically an Elseworlds story, meaning it has no real baggage or continuity with the franchise, and anyone can understand the personal history of Logan within the first ten minutes thanks to James Mangold's direction. However, though it is an original piece within the world of superhero movies and an anti-example of the Hollywood proliferation of safe, PG-13 approved works, it's not really super mind-blowing once you have the context of pop culture. Upon first glance of the plot, you'll instantly recall CHILDREN OF MEN and for those who are more savvy with video games, the sight of a bearded, broken down violent man and his guardianship of brunette girl across a dark American landscape will just make you want to play "The Last of Us" again. The script also has some further major issues, such as how it violently hammers down one of its themes with the inclusion of the film SHANE and how two brutal major character deaths have some limp weight due to them being included within a savage display of vulgar force. Nevertheless, these setbacks can not overcome the considerable acting skills of Jackman and Patrick Stewart in a return supporting turn as Charles Xavier, nor it can defeat Mangold's ambitious scope of a world where the lack of mutants has led humankind to resume poisoning itself further into oblivion. Plus, I just love the fact that X-23 is now on the big screen, handled with considerable care and given a nice feral performance by newcomer Keen.
FINAL REVIEW: 3 / 5
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