Logan isn't a superhero movie. Well, it obviously is, but it is the first superhero movie I have seen since Guardians of the Galaxy that didn’t remind me of the typical superhero film we are used to. Logan was a… hmm. Logan was a road movie, mixed with action and a suspense/thriller. And that’s just summing up how the genre came across to me. And that’s not a bad thing, as I thoroughly enjoyed this film. A cracking end to Hugh Jackman’s seventeen year old portrayal.

So in the year 2029, Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is a limo driver, raising money to keep himself, Caliban (Steven Merchant) and Charles Xavier (Patrick Stuart) alive in a post-mutant world. Logan is down on his look at his age is starting to show, its clear he’s done being the Wolverine. However this changes when Logan and Charles are put in charge of a young girl named Laura (Dafne Keen) who possesses the same abilities as Logan. Laura is being hunted down by Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook) and his army of enhanced soldiers called the Reavers, which brings Logan and Charles back into the game as they protect young Laura on a journey to North Dakota. 

Of course, this is Jackman’s last film as Wolverine, and his performance is as amazing as it always is. Through all the ups and downs of the X-Men franchise Jackman is still on top, and he plays a character who has seen and been through so much, whom may be so tough on the outside but is as human as ever on the inside, and that really shows through his devotion and spirit to the character. Its an absolute treat to see Stewart come back in and play Xavier for the last time, and there is a real beauty in his relationship with Logan, as they’ve both been together so long it is nice to see some very touching moments between them. That relationship continues as a three person dynamic when Laura is introduced, who, as Keen’s acting debut - does a wondrous job of playing a damaged little girl who is trying to connect with this broken world. Holbrook plays a charming and snide villain, not massively impressive, but still a breath of fresh air from last years Ajax and Apocalypse in the last two X-Men films.

Mangold’s story takes us down a dark, emotional journey with these characters that is wondrously written and directed. Mangold is obviously a devoted fan to these comics and the characters, and that really shows. He did the last Wolverine film, The Wolverine, which I liked in spite of its flaws, but his second outing with the character is a massive improvement.  He’s taken many inspiration from classic westerns, some we even see in the actual film, and that’s absolutely fine with me. With the success of last years Deadpool and it’s R rating, Logan is also given this treatment and it is absolute eye candy, (and ears, if you count the enormous amount of curse words.) The days of waiting to see Wolvey rip open some dudes face with his iconic claws are over, and there is so much more - to which seeing Laura being ultra violent is fantastic too. The dark, bloody violence really transforms this film in so many ways, through genre, direction, music (a brilliant score by the way) cinematography and the acting. It really shows that many more superhero films need to go down this route, something that the Netflix Marvel shows have proved to be ace at.

The opening scene and the final scene are without a doubt the best scenes in the film, and of course I wont spoil them, but you’re guaranteed to know what you’re in for in the first couple of minutes. My favourite scene, by far, is a scene that takes place during one of Xavier’s powerful seizures. The cinematography is breathtaking here, and I have to compliment the sound in these scenes too. In fact, the sound is one of this film’s strongest elements, believe it or not. I will say however that there are some moments during the final act that I didn’t like, or should I say didn’t agree with. In fact there’s a big thing in this film, which I won’t spoil, that took me out of the realism this film was portraying. Not a massive gripe as it did work to an extent, but wasn’t too immersive for me when it did happen.

What’s so touching about this film is its self-awareness. Laura is in possession of a number of X-Men comics, which Logan loathes, as to him, its bullshit. All of the stories are fake, and real people died, as said by him. But there is a beauty to that. In a postmodernist world where we know comic book stories aren’t real, we see Logan ranting about how these things are make believe, but somewhere inside we can tell he cares for the people that are in these comics, and when the end comes for them, he’ll always care, and be that character we know he is, and always has been. A truly humble man. We’ll miss you Logan.

7/10