Logan

Summer Catch-Up

(Newer movies that I’m just getting to now)

The big deal surrounding this one, at least pre-release, was that we were finally gonna get a rated R Wolverine picture.  The character lends itself to that type of edgier material and appeared to be somewhat confined over the years in the PG-13 realm.  The Wolverine was busting at the seams and wanted to be R badly but director James Mangold (Walk the Line) and co couldn’t convince the Hollywood suits.  So now that this cream dream has come true, how is it?

Goddammit, I hate to be an asshole naysayer but this wasn’t nearly as good as everyone had been telling me.  Since this was such a long time coming and the filmmakers at last had their R rating locked in it feels like they overcompensated by making the film stupidly gratuitous.  There’s an unending barrage of very nasty shit like Logan stabbing countless bad guys in the head and face, him unnaturally cramming the word “fuck” into almost every sentence, a little eleven year old girl killing a whole lot of people with no problem, she also stabs a million dudes in the face and neck, mutant children being abused and murdered, child suicide, boobies for boobies sake, an innocent family gets caught in the crossfire and is completely slaughtered, several head shots, Logan and children severing limbs, etc.  This movie’s brutal in not a very fun way.  The old classic line from Jurassic Park is apt here: “…[they] were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn’t stop to think if they should.”

On the positive side of things Hugh Jackman (Swordfish) is fucking awesome and by far the best part of the film.  Older Wolverine dealing with his diminishing healing powers and the beautiful respectful relationship he and Chuck Xavier (Patrick Stewart (Gnomeo & Juliet)) have are all handled well.  And sure, I can even appreciate the bizarre child murderer angle (albeit in self-defense) because it took some balls to go in that direction.

But all of the shitty looking CGI blood splatters, the middle of the road directing and visual style, the undefined villain role that gets split between three people for some reason, the not terribly interesting story, the really boring stretch leading up to the finale (which kind of abruptly starts up from nothing and suddenly has to kick into high gear) and etc is too much to overlook.

I mean I enjoyed Logan enough but not any more than most of the other Marvel movies.  I doubt I’ll revisit this guy in the future.