Logan Displays a Gritty Side of Wolverine

The+complex+sides+of+humanity+are+unraveled+in+Wolverine+displayed+in+Logan.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS.

The complex sides of humanity are unraveled in Wolverine displayed in Logan.

By Emily Wang, Features Editor

Hugh Jackman’s final swan song as the beloved mutant Wolverine, “Logan”, is a fitting conclusion to his 17 years playing this character.

Joining Deadpool in the trend of R-rated superhero movies, “Logan” delivers the uncensored version of Wolverine that the previous X-Men movies were never able to. But, if Deadpool was lighthearted and funny, then Logan is serious and gritty (and heartbreaking).

In “Logan”, Wolverine is able to curse and kill to his heart’s content. The action scenes particularly benefited from the new ABC rating; no more cutting away from battle scenes–blood spurts everywhere and Wolverine whips into action like never before.

The movie is set in 2029 where naturally born mutants have gone extinct. Logan is old and dying, trying to blend into society and scrape by working as a limo driver. He lives in a desert wasteland past the Mexican-American border with fellow mutant Caliban (Stephen Merchant). The two of them take care of the aging Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). Charles has a degenerative brain disease similar to Alzheimer’s or dementia, but also suffers seizures, which wrought terrifying consequences on the world around him.

It’s heartbreaking to see the once invincible Wolverine brought down by the ravages of time. He’s old and creaky, caught by opponents he once would have pulverized.

The movie draws numerous parallels between itself and the classic Western films. Logan is a stereotypical Western protagonist–he’s been beaten down by life. Logan doesn’t care for the rest of the world and is happy to turn a blind eye and let others deal with the problems. That is, until Laura (Dafne Keen), an innocent female clone of Wolverine shows up and stirs something in Logan’s heartstrings. She gives him a purpose. Now, in order to protect Laura from the doctors who made her, Logan is unwillingly drawn back into the world of X-Men.

“Logan” is a notch above every other previous superhero movie, garnering a 4/5. It has a sense of humanity and grittiness that the other movies didn’t have. There was more at stake than just the world; “Logan” wasn’t just about saving humanity, but one person’s humanness and its evolution through time.

Be prepared to bawl your eyes out, or just sniffle quietly if you prefer, when you watch James Mangold’s  “Logan”.