**This post will contain content that may be sensitive for some readers. Please read at your own discretion.
Seventeen years ago, Hugh Jackman and Sir Patrick Stewart suited up in X-Men, the first of a trilogy of films. These films spawned sequels, prequels, and even a universal reboot.
This week, however, the journey officially came to a close...
Logan tells the story of Old Man Logan, who is suffering from toxins in his body due to the Atomantium in his body, and follows his journey from Mexico to North Dakota trying to evade a scientist who has cloned and created mutant weapons.
The story starts with Logan serving as a limo driver, and it shows the generic situations of driving a limo: the Prom, important personnel, and a Bachelorette party. After defeating a group of thugs who tried to steal his tires, Logan returns home, where we find he is not alone. We meet Caliban, a mutant with the ability to track other mutants, but is also albinistic. We also find that Logan has been hiding Charles Xavier in a water tower, and we learn of a tragedy prior to the film, which was caused by a brain disease within Charles. In essence, both these beloved mutants are dying.
Logan then explains he has been working to save up for a boat, where the three can flee together and live in isolation. This way, they can live in peace without harming anybody else. It is also here that we find Logan has been carrying an Atomantium bullet with him, and has considered using it on himself. This would in fact kill him, as his healing powers have become less and less effective since the event of the film Wolverine.
Logan drives for a funeral, where a woman tries to recruit him to help her, recognizing him for who he truly is. She tries to get his help, but he denies her. While doing an airport pick-up, we meet Pierce, the brother of the scientist who created Wolverine. He reveals that the woman from the funeral has something of his that he wants back, and tells Logan to call him if the woman contacts him at all.
A few hours later, Logan is called for a pick up at the Liberty Motel. At this hotel, he sees the woman and her child, and they ask to be driven to North Dakota in the hopes of crossing the border to Canada and being free. They offer hum $50,000 for his help, $20,000 up front and the rest upon arrival. Logan accepts the job, as this money will allow him to buy the boat needed for his own escape.
Logan goes home to talk to Charles and Caliban about the drive, and that he will be gone for a few days. He then returns to the hotel to find the woman killed and the child nowhere to be found. He finds the woman's cell phone and takes it, as it ties him to the murder. Logan races home to get Charles and Caliban, and we find out the child stowed away in the car. Soon after, Pierce arrives demanding the girl, who slays a number of Pierce's men who try to capture her. It is here that we also find that she has Atomantium in her body, and can sprout claws from her fingers, as well as from her feet. The reason for this, Charles hypothosizes, is that female lions use there front claws to hunt, and their hind claws for defense.
From here, the group travels north trying to stay one step ahead of Pierce, who has abducted Caliban and is forcing him to track our heroes. While on this journey, we learn that the child, named Laura, is an experimental clone of Logan. The company sought to create soldiers, but the children, upon reaching certain ages, revolted in different ways, including self-harm and suicide. These children were supposed to be eradicated once the ultimate goal had been achieved, but several of the nurses tried to free the children and move them north to Canada. The afore-mentioned woman was one of these nurses. While hiding in a casino, Charles suffers a seizure which paralyzes everyone nearby, and our heroes have to flee. The chase leads to a farming family, who houses the three as thanks for helping wrangle the horses. Unfortunately, Pierce catches up to them, and releases X-24, a weaponized clone of Logan. This clone enters the home and slaughters the family... and Charles Xavier. Caliban, seeing the carnage he has caused, sacrifices himself to take out a number of Pierce's men. The father of the family fights to his last to avenge his family, and X-24 is incapacitated... for now.
Logan and Laura leave with Charles's body, and find a quiet place to bury him. This scene is one of the most powerful in the entire franchise, even surpassing the funeral in X-Men 3. This is when Logan begins to actually open up emotionally, especially about the loss of his good friend and mentor. This is also where we find out that Logan's healing powers are nearly non-existent. The two carry on, and eventually reach the safe haven, where Logan passes out for two days. The other children plan to cross the border the next morning, but Logan, not wanting to be close to anyone, given the track record of those he cares about, refuses to go, and Laura leaves with her friends, leaving her father behind, alone.
Logan awakes to discover the group gone, but a vial to boost his powers left behind. Logan then sees that, in the distance, Pierce and his men are closing in on the children. Logan runs off to join the fight, but is too weak to catch them. He injects himself with the entire bottle of formula and races through the woods, eventually catching up and fighting to save the children. Unfortunately, the formula wears off just as Pierce releases X-24. Logan shoots Pierce and takes on X-24 to buy the kids time. The kids, however, join the fight and try to subdue the foe, including crushing him under an army truck. However, X-24 breaks free and grabs Logan, pinning him on a spike of wood right through his torso. Laura then grabs the gun, loads the Atomantium bullet from earlier, and shoots X-24 in the head, destroying him for good.
But this comes too late...
Logan, unable to heal, tells Laura to be brave... and dies.
The children bury him alongside a lake and head on to Canada. In the final moments of the film, Laura takes the cross from the grave and turns it on its side, creating the infamous X logo. Wolverine dies an X-man.
The film truly wraps up the story beautifully, and has some incredable growth on behalf of the character of Logan. The lone wolf finally learns about the importance of being in a group, even if the lesson comes at the end of his life.
If you have seen the other films of the franchise, this film will be a satisfying end of Logan, and a fantastic send-off performance for Sir Patrick Stewart and Hugh Jackman. I found myself sitting in the theatre as the credits rolled shocked by the story that had just been told. It was a super-hero film unlike any other to date, and I hope that future generations of actors who take on these roles honor the skill and talent that has graced the silver screen by these two characters.
In a film with a less than happy ending, that is, truly, the best ending these characters could have.
Let me know what you think of Logan in the comments below.
Click here to Pre-order the film. or here to watch it now on Amazon Video.
Comments
Post a Comment