Logan
Tom Awesome’s Review Score: 7
Logan was one of my most anticipated movies in recent memory, and it failed to live up to my expectations in any meaningful way. The movie is excessively violent and profane, and for the most it felt like a less funny take on Deadpool.
It didn’t take long to realize that this was not your average Super Hero movie. Logan is old, he’s slow, and he’s not healing well. When you are introduced to Professor Xavier, it’s clear that he is no longer in full capacity of his incredible mind.
In a world where there are only a couple mutants left, Logan is working as a driver to try to save enough money to buy a boat for him and Xavier live out their final days at sea. His plans take a detour across the country when he is coerced into accompanying X-23 (Dafne Keen), a child mutant who was created in a lab with Logan’s DNA, complete with her own adamantium skeleton.
Along the way, they dodge the paramilitary force that has been dispatched to reclaim the young mutant,and other obstacles I won’t spoil here.
X-23 really blossoms in the second half of the movie. Her bad-assery is established early on, but I was put off by the excessive gore and the special effects enhancing her speed failed to make it believable.
The Good: The emotional payoff for the bond between Logan and X-23 is strong. I really enjoyed the mutant Caliban (played by Stephen Merchant). I give it credit for going a very different direction for a superhero movie, and I enjoyed the character development with X-23.
The Bad: If I had taken a shot for every gruesome death, I would have had an excellent time at this film. Unfortunately, I did not. At times, specifically with the farm house, it felt like a horror film. I also thought the language was over the top. There is a wealth of source material for Wolverine, and I feel like a very high percentage of it stands up with a plethora of f-bombs. Saying “mother-f-er” 27 times doesn’t make a movie gritty.
The Verdict: It wasn’t the worst superhero film I’ve seen. It’s a plodding movie that tries to show it’s grit with a lot of violence, like a poor superhero take on “No Country for Old Men“.
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