When the trailer to Logan came out I was excited to say the least. The Wolverine was my favorite superhero. I loved his ‘don’t care, get out of my face’ attitude, and oh did I mention he has ADAMANTIUM, A D A M A N T I U M claws and bones and regeneration. But let’s talk about the trailer for a second, you see, it’s different from typical movie trailers, especially for the action/superhero genre. The trailer for LOGAN uses the classic “Hurt” – sung by Johnny Cash masterfully. Basic cords in the exposition, then the scene cuts along the drop, building the tension and giving just enough context to build suspense. Johnny Cash’s iconic raspy voice fits the deserted themes in the film. I could go on all day just on the trailer, but let’s move on to the actual film.
Of course, the foreshadowing in the trailer made it obvious that the girl (Laura) would have mutant powers resembling Logan, but I never expected her to have adamantium claws as well.
Wait. She only has two claws… aw… …
HOLY CRAP ARE THOSE FEET CLAWS.
Watching this film, Laura gave me the same feeling that first time I saw Wolverine. It was that same feeling of awe the first time I saw Logan with his adamantium claws. And it wasn’t just her fighting capacity. Throughout the film, Laura maintained a hard face just like Logan when he was young. That made it bittersweet. It was an incredibly nostalgic reminder of the Wolverine yet it highlighted the tragedy that a young child would be conditioned into such a state. And that’s a nice transition into the not so ‘hard’ parts of the film.
Going into this film I expected the typical Marvel action superhero movie. Going in I did not expect to be put on the verge of tears. While I always loved Logan for his tough exterior, I hated him for not letting people near him and in this film we got to see Logan acknowledge Laura as her daughter.
“This is what it feels like.”
You know that cliché that goes something like: a guy walking down the street gives a stray dog some food. The dog begins to follow the guy but he ignores it. The guy could totally use a dog but he just stubbornly refuses while you’re watching going, “JUST TAKE HIM IN!” That’s what the relationship between Logan and Laura felt like. And at last, we see the development. That is what it feels like, Logan.
Maybe the most bittersweet part of the film was the theme of mortality.
But the superhero isn’t supposed to die!
This film killed off characters. “Good guys.” Mutants. It’s backwards writing. It goes against all the conventions of superheroes. The immortal wolverine beast was dying. Dead. The brilliant Professor Xavier had dementia (or some similar degenerative disease). Dead. These heroes we’ve grown up regarding as immortal were made so human in this film. It was tragically depressing but it wasn’t unsatisfying. These characters are dead. And not dead in the Superman v. Batman way. This film wasn’t about getting rid of the old cast for the sake of setting up a new franchise, at least it didn’t feel forced. I know Laura will continue the wolverine legacy and I couldn’t have asked for a better successor.
I’ll be honest, that last scene: it broke my heart. The Wolverine that I looked up to as I grew up was dead. Impaled on a branch. But before that last fateful scene, we did get a taste of the Wolverine of old.
After injecting himself with the drugs he knew would die from, we saw that old Wolverine we’ve come to love. That last surge reminded me of the wildness of the first wolverine. Maybe I’m romanticizing it, and I still don’t completely know exactly how I’m feeling about all this, but this has definitely been my favorite Wolverine movie.
Img Sources: Ft/PrtScr from the film