Photo Courtesy of IMDb.com
Story by Jonathan Austin / Contributing Writer
Hugh Jackman’s last hoorah as Wolverine is a blood-soaked blockbuster that presents Logan as a rugged old man in search of peace.
Jackman has played the role of Wolverine for 17 years, including seven “X-Men” movies. Jackman had previously stated that “Logan” would be his final movie with the “X-Men” franchise.
“Logan” joins “Deadpool,” “Blade” and “The Punisher” in being the only R-rated Marvel superhero movies.
The film takes the violence of previous “X-Men” movies and goes a step farther with more gore than ever. Strong language, decapitations, blood, guts, drug and alcohol abuse and mentions of suicide give this movie a much darker vibe than former films of the same franchise.
Previous movies that feature Wolverine portray him as a ruthless killer who acts as more of a beast than a human. “Logan,” however, shows Wolverine as an aging man who suffers from sickness and substance abuse while trying to protect the few people left in his life.
The Wolverine’s harsh life has taken its toll on Logan. His secluded accommodations and tattered physical appearance reflect his withered soul. The pain in his voice and slight limp imply both emotional and physical ailments suffered through his long career as a member of the X-Men.
After years of leading a life of violence, Logan now finds himself as one of the last living mutants and the sole remaining member of the X-Men (aside from Charles Xavier).
Logan is now living in a secluded Mexican desert in order to keep seizure-plagued Professor X, aka Charles Xavier, safe from a military force bent on using the remaining mutant powers as weapons.
While working as a limo driver to support Professor X’s sickness and his own drinking habit, Logan meets a woman with a mysterious young girl. The woman hires Logan to take the girl to South Dakota to escape the dangers they face. Little does Logan know, the same people that are hunting Charles are following the little girl, and she proves to possibly be the most dangerous of them all.
As Logan, Charles and the young girl hit the road in an effort to reach Eden, a presumed location of refuge, the group learns that the little girl has powers that strongly resemble a certain infamous X-Men.
While nurturing the old Professor X and protecting the young girl from danger, Logan feels what it means to be a family for the first time. This display of emotion from the Wolverine shows that in the end he is truly human, regardless of his gore-filled past.
Throughout the movie the audience gets the feeling that these could be the final days of Wolverine, especially since Hugh Jackman previously announced that this would be his final “X-Men” film.
The Wolverine has become the face of the franchise since the original “X-Men” movie in 2000. Jackman’s character has always been considered one of the most brutal and courageous of the X-Men, so it is only appropriate that he slashes his way into the sunset the only way we know him: with claws out.
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