Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi!

Starring Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen, Boyd Holbrook

Directed by James Mangold

Fox, out now

In 2029, mutants are almost extinct. Wolverine, scarred, alcoholic and ill, works as a limo driver. . He’s old, tired, sick and wants nothing to do with the old world.

But the old world isn’t done with him…

Logan is a film about redemption. Not just the title character’s either. As the film expands we learn more about why Logan and Professor Xavier are where they are and what they’re both trying to do and running from. In addition we also find out what happened to the mutant population and just what the future holds for them. It is, especially for a series in which continuity has been an occasional guest star, ludicrously neatly plotted. Everything you see matters. Everything people say matters. Every blow struck and sustained feels meaty, wet, brutal. This isn’t the sanitized violence of most of the recent movies. This is an old, dangerous animal handling what may be his last piece of business.

But its so much smarter than that. Logan as a story is about the redemption of its characters. Logan as a movie is about the redemption of its predecessors. Both previous Wolverine movies have born the scars of studio interference and been significantly weakened by that. Roughly half the previous X-Men movies have been more concerned with a nostalgic tick list than an actual plot. The X-Men movies, the first superhero films to break large over a decade ago, have felt forced, stodgy and outdated for a while now.

Logan is their redemption. Major plot points are callbacks to previous films but, where previously these ideas have felt like they shackle the movies, here they set it free. This is a film cut from a lot of familiar cloth but in a completely different way. Instead of a tick list there’s a victory lap around the series’ favorite themes which manages to do every single one of them far better than any previous attempt. To say any more would be to spoil a parade of pleasant surprises. But trust us, this is a film that builds on everything that came before it and does so in a way no previous X-universe movie could.

That’s reflected in the core performances too. Jackman’s Logan is an old, scared, desperately sad figure here. The berserker of the previous films is almost completely buried beneath years of bitterness, guilt and sadness. This is where he was at the start of The Wolverine but taken to the ultimate conclusion. The line in the trailer (‘Someone will come along.’ ‘Someone already has.’) perfectly sums up his relationship. The first one through the door now just wants to get by and his gradual emotional healing and re-engagement is etched all over Jackman’s face. He’s always been good but here he feels engaged in a way that he hasn’t since The Wolverine and it drives the movie, especially in its frequent quiet moments.

Sir Patrick Stewart recently announced his retirement as Professor Charles Xavier. As victory laps go, this is the best you’ll ever see. It’s also one of the hardest to watch you’ll see. The nonagenarian Xavier is erratic, frantic and delightfully foul mouthed. He can’t stand where he is, he hates what Logan’s become and the feeling is entirely mutual. There’s a clear familial dynamic to the two men’s relationship that’s never quite been there before and it feels far more realistic and grounded than you might think. They hate each other. They’re incredibly disappointed in each other. They’d die for each other. It’s complex, brave, unflinching stuff and Stewart is phenomenal every second he’s on screen.

The rest of the cast is shot through with performances just as strong. Boyd Holbrook’s terrifyingly avuncular Donald Pierce is immense fun in particular but the other cast member you’ll remember is Dafne Keen. The mysterious young girl Xavier and Logan help, Keen is magnetic. She has incredible natural charisma and menace and there’s a tangible sense of danger to her. Her relationship with Jackman, especially in the final act, is beautifully realised and the film uses her to both pass comment on everything that’s come before and suggest just where this world might go in the future. This was Keen’s first movie and that by itself would be tough enough. To sit her between Jackman and Stewart would intimidate any adult performer but Keen doesn’t just hold her own, she steals the show.

Verdict: Logan is unlike any X-Men movie you’ve seen before. It’s bloody, brutal and packed full of more f-bombs than the entire franchise to date combined. It’s also a film about redemption and the act of balancing the future we feel we deserve with the past we have to live with. It’s quiet, mournful, often very funny and unlike anything else you’ll see this year. Stay spoiler free, and go. It’s worth it. 10/10

Alasdair Stuart