Logan may indeed be the best film in the Wolverine/X-Men franchise, but I could not write that with certainty because I did not care to see many of the others. I am by no means a superhero movie fan, but I found myself wanting to see Logan. The marketing campaign set this movie apart from the traditionally successful format of a hero saving civilization from a new antagonist. This movie was much different from those superhero flicks of recent years that seem to run on FX daily.

Hugh Jackman shines in Logan and from the very first scene, he humanizes his character through his struggles with alcoholism and his gig as an Uber driver. This story takes place in the late 2020’s in a world where the majority of the mutant population has been eradicated. Logan is tasked with transporting a young mutant, Laura, to an alleged safe haven in Canada where she can be protected. The large, ominous corporation that mutated the girl in the first place has other plans.

Boyd Holbrook was apparently able to take some time off his pursuit of Pablo Escobar in Narcos to chase Logan and Laura around the country like Dog the Bounty Hunter. Holbrook plays the role of Donald Pierce perfectly, his character is immediately unlikeable and is right on the heels of Logan and Laura throughout.

The film gets much darker and violent as it rolls on, the last 30 or so minutes provide exhilarating action and a smorgasbord of vicious Wolverine slashes into enemies, lots and lots of slashing. Which is great if you are into that sort of thing. Probably not an ideal choice for teens under 14 or 15, it is indeed rated R.

This was a superhero movie that appealed to those faithful to the franchise, as well as average action movie fans. Logan makes you care about its protagonists and does not force them into static, unchanging roles like many other superhero flicks. Logan and Laura are allowed to be dynamic and the changes they undergo make viewers even more invested as the journey comes to a head.

Rating 8.5/10