Logan

I do so love it when the hype is real. I heard so many people and read so many reviews that said this was the best superhero movie ever, maybe movie of the year in its own right, and I just couldn’t believe it. Partly because “blank of the year” gets tossed around like a baseball, and partly because I didn’t really like the X-Men movies. I just couldn’t imagine how this could be that good when even the X-Men movies people like, I didn’t. I’m so happy to be wrong, and that’s because Logan isn’t really a comic book movie. Yes, it has superpowered people, a clear protagonist and antagonist, action sequences that defy human capabilities, but it isn’t a comic book movie like The Avengers or Shazam is. It’s a rumination on the end of a man’s life, how he looks back at his life and sees nothing but shame, and doesn’t see the opportunity to redeem himself to himself is right in front of him. It’s a man reckoning with his past as he faces a finite end to his future. And it’s a road movie. There isn’t a single flaw in this movie. Not one. The hype is real, folks. Hugh Jackman and Sir Patrick Stewart both deserved Oscar nods for this. James Mangold’s direction captures the self-loathing of Logan and Charles Xavier, wisely knowing when to let the camera do the work words can’t, when to let silence do the talking, and how to draw out the most emotion out of his actors. Also, HOLY SHIT IS THIS A BLOODY MOVIE. The body count of this movie has to be close to 100, and not one of them couldn’t be in an 80’s slasher. This thing is hyper-violent in a way no other comic book movie is. It’s gritty and nasty and I’m here for it. I’m here for all of it. This movie was a revelation. Take note, DC; you don’t just make your characters huge buzzkills. You make the circumstances dark. You give them reason to feel the way they do. THIS is how you make a comic movie dark and still enjoyable.