Film Review: LOGAN
The thing about Logan is that in the X-Men series he is known as the wild child, the uncontrollable fury of the team. He slices and dices bad guys, and he cannot be hurt because his wounds heal immediately. He never ages, and he’s immune to most poisons and drugs.
His One true weakness is actually his relationships with others, especially those that he loves or cares for… So when you go to watch the movie LOGAN you assume that this might still be the case. In many ways it is, as we look at his relationship with Charles Xavier, formally known as Professor X, leader of the X-Men. But it is also surprising to see that the things we considered as his physical strengths are waning. Why they are fading is a mystery, though it is slightly revealed in the film. Yet what is revealed is that there exist another Wolverine-type person out there. What is his relationship with that person now, what was it in the past, and what will it be in the future? These are the questions that are directly confronted in the film when we discover that this person is a young preteen girl with all of the capabilities for which Logan, a.k.a. Wolverine, was renowned, and none of the history.
That story development is partially what makes LOGAN a tearjerker more than an action movie. The cinematic action does happen regularly, and it is incredible to watch. It is beyond incredible to watch Wolverine do what he does best, and it is even more incredible to watch the girl (X-23) do what she is learning to do best. But it is so very credible to watch their growing relationship and bond, as well as the bond between Wolverine and Professor X, and feel your heart ache.
There are other bonds in the film as well, between strangers met along side the road, between doctors and patients, between classmates and fellow prisoners. This is truly a relationship story, and if you think that will make it boring, don’t be fooled. LOGAN is one of the most engrossing movies that has ever been made about what it takes to be live as a superhero.
