Logan (2017), directed by James Mangold, stars Hugh Jackman, Dafne Keen, Patrick Stewart, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Richard E. Grant, Eriq La Salle, and Elizabeth Rodriguez. The film takes place in a distant future where mutants are nearly extinct and follows an aging Wolverine as he attempts to care for an unstable Professor X (Stewart) who has developed a degenerative brain condition. Against his wishes but persuaded by Professor X, Wolverine agrees to protect Laura (Keen), a young mutant who shares similar powers to his own. On the run from mercenaries intent on capturing the girl, he is forced to rediscover his heroic past to protect the only family he has left.  

Although he has been a strong piece of even the lesser X-Men films, Jackman gives by far his best performance as Wolverine. More so than anything, the film is focused on Wolverine’s character journey. This gives Jackman plenty of emotional and explosive scenes to sink his teeth into, and he nails it. The script’s treatment of Wolverine is also endlessly satisfying because it provides a definitive ending as well as a fully formed arc for the character. 

Just like Jackman, Stewart gives his best performance of the series. That being said, it’s a much different version of Professor X than previous films. Instead of the character taking care of others, they are forced to care for him. He’s unstable, senile, and extremely dangerous. However, enough of the character’s iconic heart is conveyed for the viewer to recognize him unquestioningly. Whatever role he has, Patrick Stewart seems to nail it.

Considering child actors rarely seem to work, Keen provides a strong performance as Laura. The script creates a language barrier between her and Wolverine which mostly works, and that’s due to Keen’s effective actions/expressions. My only issue involving the character is that the protector plot between her and Wolverine is far too similar to the plot of The Wolverine (2013). It was already a derivative story when it was used in that film, so why would it be any more acceptable here?

As for the film’s villains, they’re quite disappointing. Pierce is extremely simple and avoids being flashy in a visual sense, but Holbrook’s natural charisma saves the character from complete boredom. The script’s real failure is Richard E. Grant as Dr. Rice – the typical mad scientist archetype we’ve seen countless times throughout the series. Why would anyone think this would be interesting for the fifth time? These less powerful villains do end up supporting the action in the sense that instead of Wolverine fighting a single brute, we get to see him slice through multiple enemies with ease, showing off his powers and providing that much-needed “hell yeah” feeling to the action. This feeling is compounded by the fact that this is the first R-rated film in the series, allowing a welcome level of brutality to elevate the action.   

The film boasts an extremely efficient script that only drags slightly toward the end of the second act. This efficiency leaves little room for exposition, what we receive being subtle but admittedly effective. I just wish there was a tiny bit more information relating to the events leading up to this film. However, maybe if I received my answers, I’d wish I didn’t ask. 

Like some of the best films in the series, Logan finds intelligent and original ways in which to take advantage of each character’s unique powers. For example, the idea of a Professor X with dementia is undeniably ripe with compelling storytelling possibilities. 

Overall, this is one of the better X-Men films and easily features some of the series’ best performances. James Mangold brings an elevated visual style and is the series’ first director to understand that the inclusion of absurd amounts of characters only ends up hurting your film. This is one of the series’ few films that stands nicely on its own and generally feels a bit more focused than its predecessors. Although there are still problems such as boring villains and a frustratingly unoriginal story, it’s no wonder that this has become the popular pick as the best film in the series. But although I think this is a good movie, I personally won’t go as far as saying it’s the best. B