Hugh Jackman’s most cherished role Wolverine aka Logan is back for one last time. Wolverine is a superhero to the mutant community, but he is no hero to the human community. This episode is more of an emotional ride that shows the world where being a Mutant is at best a double-edged sword and no triumph is likely to be anything but short-lived.
The premise takes place in 2029 where mutants are considered to be an endangered breed. Logan, in an attempt to hide from the world, spends his days working as a chauffeur on the Mexican border. Logan considers that he along with the ailing professor X are the last Mutants left alive but that’s not the case, Logan’s legacy will continue, and you will know how when you watch the film.
Hugh Jackman for once plays an ageing Wolverine who is getting to lose his self-healing ability. So he is not indestructible anymore which makes this movie more real and exciting to watch compared to the earlier versions of Wolverine. It gives you a more realistic and ‘human’ feel to it as it is about an ageing Logan in the future where the mutants are dying off.
Hugh brilliantly personifies the emotions and tells us what it takes to be an ageing Mutant who is expecting his death. “Nature made me a freak. Man made me a weapon. And God made it last too long”. This dialogue of Wolverine from the film best explains what goes on in the mind of an old mutant superhero. This is Hugh Jackman’s 10th Wolverine avatar, and it sure is a fitting finale.
Dafne Keen as Laura was equally impressive. Her scenes with Hugh Jackman were dealt with care by not overdoing the dad-daughter bonding drama. Boyd Holbrook as the antagonist does a neat job too, but he gets to play the usual villain.
The film takes place in an alternate timeline established by X-Men: Days of Future Past, so it’s not like a proper sequel to the earlier Wolverine series. It is more like a reboot so even if Logan is your first mutant film, you wouldn’t have any difficulties in following the story.
Logan is a more performance-driven film. It does have its share of action scenes, but they are too far in between. That to us is the major positive of the movie, but if you are expecting a Wolverine part 1 kind of action, there is a chance that you could be mildly disappointed. It has plenty of blood oozing moment like other parts, but this episode is just not about that.
The story does not deviate one bit and travels at a steady pace too. It creates characters we come to care about. That's because of the performances and the depth in the writing department. For once the makers knew when to retire a superhero.
[Reviewed after a special preview show on Wednesday, March 01st. Movie releases on Friday, March 03rd.]