Logan

I just came back from the theaters after watching the latest installment in the “X-Men Franchise,” “Logan,” which came out last Friday. Here are my thoughts:

The basic story is that it’s 2029 and the mutant population has decreased exponentially. Logan, reprised by Hugh Jackman, is living on the Mexican border, taking care of an aged Charles Xavier, reprised by Patrick Stewart, is living with Caliban (Stephen Merchant) and his ability to heal at a fast rate is dropping. He now is an alcoholic and works a job as a chauffeur, going under the pseudonym, James Howlett. One day, a nurse named Gabriella (Elizabeth Rodriguez) approaches Logan asking him to help her and her daughter Laura (the adorable Dafne Keen) as they are being tracked down. Logan refuses, but eventually gives in after being chased by Donald Pierce, played by Boyd Holbrook, and the Reavers.

James Mangold returns to direct this film after directing “The Wolverine.” I have got to tell you, if you were not fond of the last two Wolverine movies, this one will make you happy to a point where you will be crying. My cousin and Tyrone Magnus both said that they almost cried watching this movie, it was that good.

For the first “X-Men” movie to be rated R (unless you count “Deadpool,” but that’s debatable since I don’t know if it takes place in the “X-Men Universe,” even though it has the Xavier Mansion, Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead), this delivered. Mangold must had seen “Deadpool” and thought to do “Logan” in the same vain, except without all the humor. Not to say that there isn’t any humor in this movie, there is, but the drama and emotions are higher.

Hugh Jackman kills it as Logan, as usual. He shows Logan aging and his powers are declining with age, but he still manages to keep on fighting, because we all love Wolverine. Especially when he meets his match with X-24, a mutant created by the Reavers, who is also portrayed by Jackman.

Patrick Stewart, as always, is a joy to watch as Xavier. He’s 90 in this movie, on medication, and is also showing to be slowing down with age, especially with Logan constantly having to make Xavier take his medications. However, he hasn’t lost the touch of playing such a great mentor and leader.

Dafne Keen doesn’t speak until halfway through the movie, but she sure knows how to beat up and wrestle with adults for someone who is like a kid version of Wolverine. She also has the same skeleton that Wolverine has. If you want to know why, watch the film because that would be a spoiler. This must show that Keen must have had to go through so much fight choreography training in order to prepare for this movie, and it shows since she, like Jackman, kills it in this role. I wonder if they’ll reprise her character because I would like to see more of her. Especially since she was treated in a hospital along with some of her friends, portrayed by Doris Morgado, David Kallaway, Han Soto, Jayson Genao, and Krzysztof Soszynski. When you see them, you will see their powers are similar to Ice-Man, Magneto, Psylocke, etc.

Stephen Merchant is one of the best X-Men villains ever. The man has a mechanical right hand and interrogates people in the worst possible ways. On top of interrogating, he tortures people in ways that he is killing them. How can you not hate this guy and want Logan to slice this man into so many pieces. This is one of those villains that is portrayed for audiences to hate. Merchant plays him perfectally, so he deserves an applause for that.

The action scenes in this movie is on par with the action in “Deadpool.” If you liked the action in “Deadpool,” you will be enjoying the action in this movie since Mangold must have seen “Deadpool” and thought that if that movie could do it, why not “Logan?” Excellent choice since there are limbs coming off, blood going everyone, it’s like pandemonium in here. However, it’s one of those fast-paced, edge of your seat type action that will get your adrenaline pumping from first minute to last. Just like any of the action in the “Marvel Cinematic Universe,” this is one of those movies that you have to stay in your seat and watch because you cannot miss a single second of it. Then again, why would you leave the theater to go back to the concession stand since this movie will keep you engaged?

Speaking of "Deadpool," there's a hilarious short before the movie starts where Deadpool spoofs Superman in a telephone booth, that is also a teaser to the sequel. When you see that, you are guaranteed to laugh out loud because it's Ryan Reynolds and you can't go wrong with a man that was meant for this role.

I guess what this movie did better than the rest of the “X-Men Movies” is that it only focused on a few X-Men, and they were the central focus of the movie. Since they did that, it was easier for them to work on just a few characters, develop their characters, and have you enjoy seeing them.

Also, this is the last movie for Hugh Jackman to play Wolverine and also the last movie for Patrick Stewart to play Charles Xavier. Gentlemen, take a bow because you have earned it. We will miss you in this franchise, but you nailed it every time you played these characters, and even though we are sad that you’re leaving the series, we’re happy for the landmarks you have created and will look forward to your other projects. Sounds right since Patrick Stewart was in most of the movies, except for like two or three films, and Hugh Jackman has appeared in all of them, except for playing a small cameo in two films. Both of them deserve a tip of the hat.

Now there are a few emotional scenes that you feel the weight and impact to. Not to say that I didn’t tear up when I saw this in the theaters, but I was feeling really sad when they happened. You’ll know what I’m talking about when you see this film because I don’t want to give any spoilers away. Especially since this film has an emotional ending.

However, if you expect this film to have a mid or post-credits scene, James Mangold decided not to have that. I looked up the movie when the credits were rolling and when I found that out, I got up and left. This proves that every comic book adaptation doesn’t need to have that in their movies.

Overall, I found this to be the best of the Wolverine movies and the best “X-Men” movie ever. I know you will think the same thing when you see this movie. If you hated “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and weren’t fond of “The Wolverine,” “Logan” will leave you happy. You will be thinking, this is the “X-Men” movie that you have been wanting for and have waited for them to make for a long time. I personally loved the Wolverine trilogy and didn’t hate any of the films, nor did I hate any of the “X-Men” films, so this one was definitely a movie that deserved to be watched in theaters, and the ticket price was not for the wrong movie. Hands down, this movie gets a 10+ because this is the best “X-Men” movie ever and one of my favorites. The comic book adaptations are off to a good start this year, so let’s look forward to more. Go see this film because I highly recommend everyone to watch it in the theaters. It currently holds a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, and you’ll see why when you watch the movie.

Thanks for joining in of my review of “Logan,” stay tuned Friday for the next installment of “Dustin Hoffman Month.”